I know we are all jumping in joy that we finally put up more than 3 runs at Petco Park this year and ended a 5 game losing streak to the lowly Padres.   Believe you me, I was jumping in joy when I came home from work to see that we did indeed win the game.  However I became even happier when, while I was doing my normal routine of browsing the post-game columns of all the Chicago journalists/bloggers to find out anything new and interesting, I came across a tiny little tidbit from Mr. Rich Harden.

"It was great." Harden said. "Everybody came to play and played hard out there.... You can see what we're capable of when everyone is all out and we're playing that way. If we'd do that every game. It'd be nice."

Maybe I am reading into this quote wrong (and if I am please feel free to let me know) but I get the feeling that Rich may be calling out some of these guys (i.e. Bradley and Soriano) who seem to not be giving everything they've got this year.  I get the feeling that it's possible the starting pitching staff is getting sick and tired of working their butts off out there while they continue to watch these extremely well paid regulars jogging after fly balls and even missing  the routine ones while grounding/flying out and swinging at terrible pitches at the plate. Albeit Bradley has been doing his job at the plate I'll give him that but I get scared 80% of the time a ball is hit to RF.

Accountability is something that has been missing this entire year and if management isn't going to hold these players accountable then I think Rich is taking a step in the right direction with this quote.  I hate to say it because it brings up so much pain and anguish amongst this group but this is exactly why Wood and DeRo were such valuable assets to this team.  They would have never allowed the situation to get where it is at right now.

Here is the link:  Piniella likes what he sees in Cubs win