…and your right in saying you don’t need a Manny Ramirez to get you over the hump, you need a player or two or three that has that inbread quality, that comes out when the team is not going well. They don’t even have to do anything spectacular, just little things that help ease the pressure on the club, and gets the club relax as a club.

I stated before, the one guy on the team is a littlle goofy, is Dempster and when he obviously pitched very tight in that first game, I really think it had a debilitating effect because there was no one else that could step up and elevate the club.

The problem is, there is no magic formula for this and there is only so much a manager can do in this area. Leadership on the field is just as important as what you have from your manager, because players need a real life (on the field) example of someone doing good things when the games become very important.

The leaders on this club appear to be the quite type. Thats ok, but sometimes you need a couple guys that not only keep guys loose, but they keep them on the ledge, without going over the other end. In baseball, there is a finer line (compared to other sports) between being pumped up and ready to play and being tight.

I hadn’t really thought about these issues until reading your blog day-in and day-out. Your great stuff has certainly put my mind into the mode where I would read 9,000 words and focus on 100 or so.

In regards to ‘that’ player, it seems like Ryan Dempster would have been the best candidate. Other potential leaders from 2008 would have been Kerry Wood (longest tenure with the Cubs, rocky recent past, almost a story of redemption), but of all the 2008 quotes, I think he talked the less.

Derek Lee – very reserved, very humble player.
Aramis Ramirez – so cocky on the field, seems to get tight with the media and you certainly can’t lead when you aren’t getting any hit and not having any fun in the playoffs. I think if he started hitting well in the playoffs, he could be that guy
Geovany Soto – too young to take the mantle on such a veteran team… perhaps next year?
Soriano – way too soft spoken
Jim Edmonds – great numbers, veteran guy with a ring, perhaps he wasn’t on the team long enough to feel like he could take the mantle…. do you bring back Edmonds in the hopes that he would take that on?
DeRosa – why not him? Does he feel dwarfed by Soriano, Ramirez, & Lee?
Zambrano – too violent when he gets angry. He can be happy go lucky like Manny but flip off the handle the next

He represents so much of the up and down of this franchise.

It’s going to take someone that comes in and doesn’t know the first damn thing about Cub history. That’s not hard to find among players, who generally don’t really know much about baseball history.

But, here is the tricky part. It’s going to take someone who doesn’t care to learn about it and be part of it.

…and it is a classic.

…get your mind right, and your ass with follow.

…the manager too much credit.

Managers of all different skills (or lack of) have won the World Series in the last 10-15 years. Go down the list and look at them:

Guillen – real goof ball, who says some really stupid shit and will call out his players
Sciocia – very respectful to the media relatively quiet, but shows his fire in the clubhouse
Leyland – hard nosed guy who makes out strange lineups, holds his players accountable and has a temper – Piniella and Leyland are the closest to each other in baseball today
LaRussa – very smart (tends to over manage) and he also tends to get under his players skin
McKeon – rides the hot hand for all he possible can, and he won a championship
Torre – Calm, respectful, stays level headed and has had the most talent of any manager over the last 12 years
Brenley – pretty smart guy who didn’t get to manager very long after he lost his top pitchers

A lot of managers will win if you give them the right players. Sure, the manager helps, but they help the most by identifying who they can rely on and helping the GM to acquire the right talent. After that, the players have to perform on the field.