5/14/2004 09:50:00 AM by Rob

I can still feel a pulse, but just barely

Let me take 0.4 Los Angeles seconds to update you, my friends, with the raging battle going on in my mind.

I still feel pretty discouraged about the progress on both fronts, the Cub front and the American War Machine front. Big Z did come in and mow them down yesterday. He seems to be our first half guy, and hopefully Wood and Prior will be our second half guys, like they were down the stretch last year.

It almost seems like, to me, Dusty plays the year one series at a time. A scenario is playing itself out in my head. See if this makes sense to you:

He tells the guys on game 1, play it your way. If they win, fine, they get to play it the same way for game 2 and 3. If they lose the first one, then they get to go out and try it again their way for game 2. And, by "their way", I mean the batters get to go out and swing for the downs.

But if they lose both games 1 & 2, then I see Dusty bearing down and insisting that Game 3 be played HIS way, with situational hitting, and his calling of pitches. That's why they haven't been swept in a series since he came to town.

Might the Cubs win more if they played it HIS way every day? Well, yes and no. It might be ok for a month or two if Dusty micro-managed ala the Geenyous. But he knows that over the long haul, men want to be treated like men. He also knows that, sometimes, it works to let players be loose, and long fruitful winning streaks result. And all you need is a couple of them to put yourself in good shape in the division.

Anyway, Donald Rumsfeld still makes me queasy, I hate his lying ass more and more each day. There's no way Derek Fisher got that shot off before the buzzer, and yes, I hate the playa AND the game.

And, finally, thank you for your kind words. And thank you, as well, if you read this and wiped your ass on it. I need to be able to handle your criticism, as well, if I ever want to do this for real someday.

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