11/21/24
October 29, 2004
Steve Stone calls it quits: "The phrase I used that angered certain people was, 'I regret nothing.' Well, folks, I was wrong about that and I want to set the record straight. I regret I won't be calling another Cubs game on WGN-TV for the greatest fans in baseball ... the fans of the Chicago Cubs."
After 30 years with the Chicago Cubs in one form or another, Steve Stone calls it quits. Was it controversy that forced this decision, or is he banking on getting a GM job somewhere?
Not to turn this into a thread about Dusty Baker, but... I just don't understand how you can have a rotation that includes Prior, Wood, Maddux, and Zambrano, plus get unexpected performance off the bench by someone like Rusch, and not make the playoffs. I have a feeling next year is an important one for Dusty.
posted by rocketman at 11:10 AM on October 29, 2004
rocketman, it's pretty easy; have your top two starters injured for part of the year and your ace (Prior) underachieve all year. You forgot Clement, too, who for parts of the year was their best starter. Their rotation, when healthy, would have gotten them into the playoffs, however they weren't healthy. Zambrano is a good number two, but not an ace. Maddux is probably a good number three now, but not a number two. Clement is a good 4, but not a three. When you notice that for parts of the year, their starters were matched up in spots they don't fit into, you kinda understand how they lost their games. Coupled with a big bullpen injury (Borowski) and a fantastic setup man who's a below average closer (Hawkins) you can see how injuries hurt this team. Plus, Houston and St. Lou were both stellar teams.
posted by dfleming at 11:29 AM on October 29, 2004
I guess what I'm saying is placed in another division except perhaps the AL East, Chicago makes the playoffs. It just so happened they played in a stacked division this year.
posted by dfleming at 11:30 AM on October 29, 2004
dfleming, can't buy that. Cubs still should have taken that division, at the very least they should have snagged the wildcard. Pressed for time at the moment, see here for my thoughts on that. Steve probably figures he's been there long enough that he doesn't have to take that crap, and he's right. I always like him with Harry. They were like a Yin-Yang kind of team, with Steve there to interpret Harry for us. Hope he has good luck finding a front office gig.
posted by pivo at 12:40 PM on October 29, 2004
I always like him with Harry. They were like a Yin-Yang kind of team, with Steve there to interpret Harry for us. Ain't that the truth. I started watching Cubs games when Stoney was the color guy for Jack "Hey Hey" Brickhouse, so it's going to be tough to watch the games without him. Chip Caray can go wherever he wants, but Stoney was a very important part of that Cub team, IMO.
posted by NoMich at 12:51 PM on October 29, 2004
Steve Stone has more class in the tippy tip of his tongue than the entire Cubs' team does in the whole of their overpaid bodies. When you are spending more time monitoring your color guy than focusing on winning ballgames, Steve Stone ain't the problem.
posted by wfrazerjr at 12:53 PM on October 29, 2004
When you are spending more time monitoring your color guy than focusing on winning ballgames, Steve Stone ain't the problem. Boy did you say a mouth full--well said. I hope Steve Stone isnt done with baseball. I hope somebody gives him a job if he wants one.
posted by daddisamm at 07:23 PM on October 29, 2004
I agree with the fact that their 2 best pitchers were injured for a lot of the year but I still don't think that can even come close to being an excuse for them not making the playoffs. An injured Prior and Wood along with Zambrano, Clement, and Greg Maddux is still in the top 3 if not the best pitching staff in baseball. The players and fans alike seemed so confident that the cubs were just going to march right into the playoffs that everyone forgot that they still had to win games. When the team started worrying about their commentators making them look bad to the fans (players did that fine themself), their season was over right there.
posted by jennings7 at 10:25 AM on October 31, 2004
Agreed. And even after all that had 'befallen' the Cubs, they still had a shot at the Wild Card and played like shit down the stretch. Keep your pitchers and blow the rest up.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:04 PM on October 31, 2004
I caught some of the grousing by players during the season. You could tell the Cubs' season was over when they began in July to attack their announcers, even to the point of calling the booth during games. If I'm Dusty Baker, given my team's complete lack of discipline, I wouldn't be signing a long-term lease on my place in Chicago.