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Chicago Cubs: Top 3 excuses that won’t work in 60-games
Chicago Cubs baseball? For real? Well, I’ll be. Still, three things that won’t work for a 60-game season.
Just like everyone else, I was shocked to find out that there was going to be Cubs and MLB this year. To be honest, I must have presented over a dozen ideas these past three months about how baseball was needed and how the season could still happen, which included: playing everything in Hawaii, quarantining families, setting up fake audiences, testing players and all staff daily and limiting geographic travel of teams and staff. I presented every known way I could think of Cubs fans, for baseball to start again. I left no stone unturned.
But I never truly believed it would be back.
Now that we know who the Cubs opponents will be for their 60-game season and the rule changes this year like designated batter and a man on second rule in extra innings, nothing is holding an excellent Cubs team back from just exploding and winning. If, for some reason, the Cubs should fall out of the gates, then these will most likely be the excuses that you’re going to hear and see in the media. There are only 60-games this season, and if the Cubs and new skipper David Ross are going to have any chance, then these top three excuses won’t work for this 60-game season.
Money and contract related excuse
There are a lot of fans that are not happy it has taken this long to get ballplayers, owners, and teams on the same page of music so there could be an MLB season. It almost feels like months of negotiations have passed or about the same amount of time it took for Cubs second baseman Kris Bryant’s grievance decision to come back. It feels like forever.
After this long wait for baseball to return, once games begin, the last excuse that fans want to hear from anyone in the organization is a gripe about their pay, contract, or anything to do with money. Fans have been waiting to see baseball with all its heart and soul. In some chat rooms, fans felt discouraged that there was not more courage and heart by players to try and come back months ago; instead, money remained the focus.
Fans do have short memories if the Cubs get out there and begin winning right away – all will be forgiven in an instant. However, if players try springing the, “I can’t play because of my contract-stuff,” excuse, there won’t be any mercy from fans for a 60-games season.
Chicago Cubs: It’s a different kind of season
Every team playing this 60-game season has the same opportunity to win or lose. While MLB has added a couple of little flares to the game to keep it moving and exciting, on the whole – it’s still the same baseball game we’ve enjoyed for years.
I like to say, the cake is the same with a few extra ingredients and comes in a new box or package. That’s how I see this upcoming season, the box is the 60-game short season, and everything else is essentially the same.
If the game hasn’t changed significantly (with new rules), then that doesn’t leave a lot of room for complaining by players or coaches or anyone that this season is too different. We expect our Cubs players to go out and perform as they always have, and Cubs fans still hope their players to bring their ‘A’ game to the field.
If there is any truth to 2020 being classified as a different kind of season, it’s the fact that MLB has had at least 100 days off, and that could affect the conditioning of the players and their performances. Throughout this time off, many have been good about letting the media take a peek at how they were staying in shape.
Cubs pitchers created artificial mobile mounds that they could take anywhere to practice. Other Cubs players just polished off the home workout space and got their workouts right in their backyards. Still, others took their skills to a digital platform and indulged in competition with other MLB players in the video game, The Show. Cubs outfielder Ian Happ gave fans a treat as his game on the show was televised so fans could watch the whole game.
MLB players are not making excuses for this season yet, but once games start rolling and that 60-game season starts producing precise numbers of who is ready and who is not – expect this excuse to be on the lips of everyone from the President of Chicago Cubs baseball operations to the coaches and players.
There’s one excuse that just won’t get any sympathy from players or fans when baseball resumes, but I’m sure someone will use it.
Chicago Cubs: We weren’t ready
One thing that I remember clearly during this pandemic was a story I wrote about Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez. I expect Baez to deliver the kind of performance that we have yet to see from the Cubs Northside household Magician.
Baez was raised by the Cubs and groomed by the Cubs for greatness. He is not looking to go anywhere else at the moment and truly feels like part of the Cubs family. He knows all anonymous people that bring the Cubs to life every season; to Baez, they are genuinely like his family.
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Earlier when asked about baseball, Baez sounded almost scared of not having enough information to know when he should begin training again. It’s not that he was lazy or anything like that, it sounded more like Baez knows and understands how to get ready for his season and was worried that he wouldn’t have the time to fully begin his training regimen as he told Marly Rivera of ESPN news.
“But this whole situation is making me feel a bit desperate. I’m frustrated because I don’t know what date I’m preparing for. It’s hard to stay ready that way. And I think about how it will be really strange to play without the hustle and bustle of the fans. When I’m on deck, I always take a few seconds to look at the stands. It’s a special feeling. It will be different. But if there’s no other option, we’ll play.”
This is what I’m worried about fans. I’m concerned our best players are going to say they weren’t able to get ready the way they are accustomed, and that is the excuse for the poor performances. It’s a hard argument to argue against because we have never experienced this type of season before.
However, considering that from day one of the virus quarantine, players were working out and getting ready and have participated in a four-month vacation, is not being prepared to play an acceptable excuse at this time?
I believe that ‘not being ready’ will undoubtedly be the number one excuse for any MLB team under-performing this season. However, fans shouldn’t let their teams off the hook so easily in this, ‘what you have done for me lately’ world of MLB performance.
Next. Cubs have fans at Wrigley?. dark
There are players like the Cubs first baseman, Anthony Rizzo that have completely remade their physique in this short hiatus from baseball or pitchers like the Cubs Yu Darvish, who have mastered a new pitch. These are examples of how some MLB players used their time off wisely. Those who didn’t train as if the season could begin at any moment will be obvious to fans, owners and their teams.
Players who show up not ready for the season should incur a considerable fine. Money has a way of teaching players lessons, good or bad. As the old saying goes, “Excuses are useless. Results are priceless.”