How many times did we hear Lou Piniella use this question as an answer last season?
If I recall, it was about 5 times a day.
"Lou, why can't Soriano lay off that outside pitch?" "Lou, is Kosuke ever gonna stop that corkscrew swing?" "Lou, how long will Aramis be out?" "Lou, didn't Milton Bradley hit like a monster last year?" "Lou, is your zipper down?"
I think lots of people thought he was dodging stuff, but I empathized with him. For the most part, pro players who weren't doing what they did in the past - namely hitting - what can you do about that? I told you about the last Cub Convention when the angry fan asked then hitting coach Gerald Perry why he wouldn't tell Soriano to lay off the pitch that's 10 feet outside. And Perry, clearly exasperated, said, "YOU tell him." Which translated into of course he's been trying to get Soriano to lay off that pitch but the guy just can't do it.
Anyway, this new hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, maybe he'll have a different effect.
If he's even 1% of the answer to "what can you do?" then I applaud this signing loudly.
For the most part, the Cub lineup is signed thru forever and these players ain't going anywhere. So the trick is to take these old dogs and learn 'em. Will Soriano listen? Can Fukudome stop screwing around? Can Jamrillo help Theriot to find the approach that he really ought to have? Is that home run guy still lurking in Geo Soto's body?
We'll see.
But I gotta say, I like this move at this time of year about a billion times more than, "we need to get more left-handed."
Okay, the Phillies destroyed the Dodgers last night, and you know what? It just might be a compelling World Series after all. One worth watching. I really like that Jayson Werth guy, Ryan Howard seems comfy on the big stage this year, and the Philly pitching is pretty cool to watch.
I could happily watch these guys beat the Yanks.
Then maybe we can see if Jim Hendry can help out a little bit with Lou's question.
