Last week, as the Cubs extended their first losing streak of the season to four games, a question hovered over the team: who would manager Lou Piniella lose patience with first, his players or the press? Last Friday, after a 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, the press won, though it was close.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
“And then I bring in a reliever who’s throwing 30-, 40-foot curveballs to boot,” he continued, referring to Will Ohman, who replaced Zambrano only to throw eight balls in nine pitches, walking in the tying and go-ahead runs with the bases loaded. “Now I can see, I can start to see some of the ways this club has lost ball games. I can see it. We’ve got to put a stop to it, obviously.”
And can’t we all see some of those ways? From a ball bouncing off Aramis Ramirez’s head to a foul pop bouncing off Steve Bartman’s hands to a grounder skipping between Leon Durham’s legs to Don Young losing a fly ball in the sun? So much for Piniella instilling any oxymoronic “Cubbie swagger,” as he vowed to do in spring training. Even so, he more or less kept his composure until George Castle of the Times of northwest Indiana asked him exactly what wasn’t working. “What the hell do you think isn’t working?” Piniella shouted. “You see the damn game.”
Now that’s a manager who’s reached his comfort zone with the media, sensitivity training or no sensitivity training, and you better believe the media–and his players–appreciate it.
