The Pygmalion Effect

100 + years & still waiting.

Nickname? The Lovable Losers.

Let’s Examine:

Recent comments by Tom Ricketts when asked what the team‘s problem was: “Nothing. We just have a lot of injuries. We’ll be fine”

Front Page comment in this weekends USA Today Sports Section by Jim Hendry : “Everybody has injuries and I’ve never been one to whine about it, but when you lose three out of your five best starters, it takes its toll. Nobody has that kind of pitching depth.”

Mike Quade has also toed the company line with regards to injuries.

The problem? This is not an Explanation for what ails the team. It’s an Excuse. It’s a ‘Losers Lament.’

Others have commented about this recently but I’ll also weigh in very briefly.

This Losers Lament also deflects attention from the real truth here. The Cubs aren’t (primarily) where they are in the standings because of injuries. No, they are there because they play BAD BASEBALL

Shoddy defense, stupid base running, overthrowing cut-off men, failing to advance runners, little concept of situational hitting, leaving a million runners in scoring position, players with wallets bigger than their hearts, lack of mental toughness, questionable baseball intelligence and on and on it goes. In short they are a fundamentally flawed team.

That’s why this team is terrible. Not (primarily) injuries.

But here’s the bigger issue.

Jimmy Johnson was one of the great HC’s and GM’s in the NFL. His monumental trade of Herschel Walker and two SB victories attest to that. He took over a 3-13 Cowboy team that Johnson said has less talent than his team at the University of Miami. In a few years Johnson had built an NFL dynasty.

Johnson was majoring in psychology with hopes of being an industrial psychologist before almost accidentally entering football as a life long career. Yet Johnson never forgot either his fascination with or the importance of psychology. He merely directed it into a new industry. The football industry. Johnson may have been the only ‘psychologist’ who roamed an NCAA/NFL sideline. He considered himself a ‘people person’ first and foremost and thought his greatest strength to be in analyzing, evaluating and motivating people and his players.

Johnson was a big believer in the Pygmalion Effect which is a form of self-fulfilling prophecy.  This was named after George Bernard Shaw's play in which a professor wagers that he can teach a poor flower girl to behave upper-class. The general idea is that students internalize expectations. Poor expectations, poor student. Positive labels are more likely to equal success ... in material measurements, at least. Johnson’s motto was this: Treat a player as he is and he will remain the same. Treat a player as if he were where he could be and should be, and he will become what he could be and should be."

Thus we have Ricketts & Company feeding right into this ‘self-fulfilling prophecy.’ Instead of stating the obvious (We’re playing bad baseball) no, they attempt to deny the obvious and give their players and coaches a built-in excuse for losing (Don’t worry guys. We’ve been hit hard by injuries. What do people expect?)

How stupid do you think we are?

I’m no Cowboy fan but I have great respect for Jimmy Johnson. I’m certainly no Yankee fan but also respected George Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner was deeply flawed but one thing set him apart from almost everyone else. His motto was this:

"Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing," Steinbrenner said. "Breathing first, winning next."  Imagine that!

Even people that hated George couldn't argue with that.

He said that a million times . . . And then backed it up to the tune of six Championships and tem pennants.

See the difference there?

GS: We WILL win and will do EVERYTHING possible to make that happen. And they did.

TR: Well, we got a lot of injuries otherwise we (the Lovable Losers) will be fine.

Dear Mr. Ricketts:

Do something that will make you the most popular owner/executive in Cub history. Call a press conference in the near future, look the camera in the eye, and in a slow, strong, steady voice say this:

"We will do EVERYTHING in our power to win. All me and my family care about is winning. This team will no longer be referred to as the ‘Lovable Losers.’ Nobody in the building, from the top floors to the stadium sweepers will be allowed to use the words ‘Lovable Losers.’ The NEXT person that attempts to use injuries as an excuse will be FIRED immediately. From this point forward we will no longer excuse incompetence, whether it be in the front office or on the field."

"Everybody will be held accountable. Those that cannot do the job will be replaced by those that can. "

And then DO IT! 

Get it, Mr. Ricketts? Channel your inner Mike Singletary and yell “I WANT WINNERS!” at the presser.   Cub fans will respect you immediately.

Not nonsense like “Gee we’ve had a lot of injuries, otherwise we'd be fine."

Study Jimmy Johnson. George Steinbrenner. The Pygmalion Effect. And then grow a pair a lead this team out of it’s sorry past into a new future, a future built on WINNING, not in being Lovable Losers!

Or find someone else that will.   After all it's all about accountability.  If you can't do the job . . . then find someone else who can.