MESA, Ariz. — It didn’t take long for Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell to hear the opening complaints of the Twitterati, bloggers and other experts on managing a major-league baseball team.
When Matt Shaw grounded out with two runners on to end the 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the Tokyo Series, Counsell was promptly criticized for batting the rookie ahead of Dansby Swanson.
Asked Sunday morning about the lineup decision, Counsell said: “Look, that’s kind of, you pick …”
His voice trailed off. It was way too early in the morning, and far too early in the season, to start with the “lineup thing.” But Counsell was not surprised that some had already jumped on him over the lineup, like swallows to Capistrano.
“I think when we lose there’s something for everyone to jump on, absolutely,” he said. “If something went wrong, then we lost. I can promise you that every day we lose, something went wrong.”
Words to live by, or at least to print on an Obvious Shirt.
These are the occupational hazards of a modern-day manager in the tech age, and particularly so for a guy who makes $8 million per year managing a team with an antsy fan base after four playoff-free seasons.
Cubs fans of a certain age look at a four-year playoff drought as a minor irritant, a mere blip in their timeline of Cubbing. But some Millennials and Gen Z are spoiled by the 2015-17 stretch of winning that offered the promise of a brighter future. To them, a four-year drought feels like a lifetime.
For us Boomers, we’ve seen much worse. Imagine if the internet existed from 1947-66, when the Cubs finished fifth or worse in an 8 or 10-team league for 20 consecutive seasons. That was a real drought, where the idea of a contending Cubs team was usually snuffed out on opening day.
Counsell understands he will have to get used to more criticism, which tends to increase whenever expectations grow. This year they’ve grown exponentially, whether valid or not.
“Cubs Fever” in Mesa, Ariz., may be affected by 85-degree weather, sunshine and cold refreshments, but it’s a real thing here at Sloan Park, as much a part of the ballpark conversation as the effect of jet lag on Shota Imanaga and the Fighting Illini’s chance during March Madness.
The Cubs proved to be the Kings of the Cactus League once again, drawing 13,054 on Sunday and leading the majors in spring attendance. The final two exhibition games, against the Atlanta Braves on Monday and Tuesday, won’t count as Cactus League games, but they also will draw near-capacity crowds. In its 12th season of existence, Sloan Park might be Chairman Tom Ricketts’ best money grab. Remember when the Cubs pretended they’d move their spring camp to Naples, Fla., if Mesa didn’t build them a new stadium?
The gift shops were gridlocked this weekend with customers buying Cubs merchandise, including T-shirts and sweatshirts from the Tokyo Series so fans could pretend they flew to Japan for the games. Fanatics announced this week that the Tokyo Series pulled in $40 million for its merchandise, a company record for a special event. Even though the Cubs were just supporting actors in the Shohei Ohtani show, they still reap the financial rewards for being associated with such a historic and well-received event.
Tokyo and the Cubs’ dominance in spring training attendance was about as much as Ricketts could ask for.
Still, it’s not all about bringing in money. It’s supposed to be about winning, and the Cubs need to re-establish themselves as one of the league’s powers if they hope to keep getting invited to play in these mega-events and get their fans to stop complaining about lineup decisions after two games.
So did the Cubs prove this spring that they could be for real?
Spring training games are meaningless, so don’t bother looking at wins and losses. And spring numbers can be deceptive in the dry heat of an Arizona spring, even as this one was mild until the end.
But for those buying into the spring results, the Cubs started unbeaten in their first 11 Cactus League games (8-0-3), which always helps generate interest, before finishing 11-8-3 with Sunday’s 8-1 loss to the A’s.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had a .517 spring average entering Sunday, and infielder Gage Workman, a Rule 5 draft pick looking to stay on the roster, looked the part of a major leaguer with a .395 average and three home runs.
On the flip side, Kyle Tucker hit .080 (2-for-25) with one home run, and the top four starters had ERAs over 5.70: Imanaga (5.73), Justin Steele (9.35), Jameson Taillon (6.75), and Matthew Boyd (6.75). Fortunately, they don’t put up Cactus League numbers on baseball cards, so no one should fret over those five key players.
Boyd, who starts Game 4 of the re-opening series against Arizona, said Sunday this is one of the deepest staffs he’s been on in his 10-year career.
“It’s a lot of talent, and talent beyond the five (starters),” he said. “It’s one through nine, if you will. There are a lot of guys that can start that are super-talented. It’s one of the deepest rotations I’ve been on and the most talented. We all have our unique looks and unique ways to attack hitters.”
The heat will be turned up this week, possibly hitting 99 degrees on Tuesday in the Valley of the Sun.
For Counsell and the Cubs, it’s already quite toasty, and the season has just begun.
