Day: November 19, 2002

They never thought it would happen in their little town

/ Kevin B. O'Reilly

Those words, or something close to it, are uttered in every episode of the great little A&E show, “City Confidential.”

This show’s spin on the murder-in-an-hour format is to focus on the communities in which a well-known murder took place, showing how the deed and its aftermath affected the life of the place. The show is filled with wonderful little narrative touches. In describing the heat of a particular summer day in Chatanooga, Tenn., home of the MoonPie, the narrator says, “It was hotter than a melted MoonPie on a car’s dashboard.”

And the narrator! Black actor Paul Winfield, most well known for his role in the miniseries, “King,” has the most soothing, soporific voice. The corny cliches just roll right off his mellifluous tongue. Judging by the running times, this show was made to put people to sleep.

It’s definitely a lot more soothing than some noisy, annoying talk show. Murder as a lullaby. What an age we live in!

What’s the worst that could happen?

/ Kevin B. O'Reilly

That’s what hawks ask about invading Iraq. They want to make it appear as though people who oppose the war are just getting hung up with petty concerns.

Ultimately, we’re being selfish. But it’s only responsible to ask what could go wrong, as Steve Chapman does in his latest column.

Among the possibilities he cites: bloody urban warfare in Baghdad, radical takeovers of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, smallpox, poison gas, an Israeli nuclear response to Iraqi attack, and nukes getting into the hands of terrorists (you know, actually, not as alleged by Dubya & Co.). He concludes:

Americans are looking forward to a brief, easy conflict that will make the world a safer place, and they may very well get it. But they should also realize that more than any war we’ve fought in the past half-century, this one carries the real risk of catastrophe.

And to those who say, “Well, every war has its risks,” I’d say, “You’re right, but not every war must be fought.” And this one doesn’t need to be fought. We’ve effectively contained Saddam for more than a decade. Moreover, we’ve got a real, live enemy that wants to kill as many American civilians as it can. It’s called Al Qaeda, and they’re still alive and kicking in spite of having been “smoked out” of Afghanistan.

Baker’s dozen

/ Kevin B. O'Reilly

It seems that every Chicago sports columnist has a slightly different opinion about the hiring of Dusty Baker, but in the end it boils down to two. Phil Rogers calls it the “Cubs’ biggest victory in years,” while Jay Mariotti asks, “What have you done, Dusty?”

My view is that, generally, managers don’t make that much of a difference to how well a team does. As a friend of mine said about Baker’s $15 million signing, “What’s his batting average again?” A bad one can definitely cost you wins but a good one won’t win you too many, in spite of all the hype. But this hiring is a symbolic gesture to the franchise and to its fans that the Tribune Co. is committed to winning, or at least committed to looking like they’re committed to winning.

And the truth is that in spite of how awful the Cubs were last year, they have the potential to be a perennial contender for the remainder of this decade. They have a trio of strong, young starting pitchers (not just “arms”) in Kerry Wood, Mark Prior and Matt Clement. They have a trio of potentially very good young position players in first baseman Hee Sop Choi, second baseman Bobby Hill and centerfielder Corey Patterson. And, of course, they still have a guy who not only wants to get to the Hall of Fame, but wouldn’t mind winning a pennant or two on his way there in Sammy Sosa.

In this kind of situation you want to bring in a strong personality who can pull things together a little bit, improve the clubhouse atmosphere, nurture young players, coddle veterans, and most importantly not screw it up. The Cubs may not contend for a division crown in two years, but it won’t be because Baker screwed up. As bad as Baylor was as a manager, it wasn’t his fault that Moises Alou and Todd Hundley forgot how to hit or that the bullpen forgot how to pitch.

Baker won’t be a magic bullet. The Cubs have a lot of holes to fill, and I don’t expect this coming year to be anything more than a transition year, though supposedly one of Baker’s assets is his ability to attract guys to come play for him. So he’s not just a manager, but a personnel asset as well. Regardless, the young guys should be given a chance to play, and the Cubs should not trade away the farm if they’re six or eight games out of first in July. It’s not worth it. I’m tired of one-year deals.

The Cubs deserve, and have a chance to be, a team that year in and year out contends for division crowns and wild-card spots.