https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZZ3N953ZRE&t=7899s

3:39:30


Never seen this before. This is what started the Stone being to critical came from

Very interesting

I had forgotten how good Prior was down the stretch that year.

I'm not happy to be reminded.

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You know me like that.

W/L Pythag on that 2004 Cubs team would have dictated 96 wins.

That team won 89.

Do with that what you will.

I'm impressed at how Dusty kept his cool there.

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I vaguely remember the controversy but did not recall Stone being such a condescending prick.

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Stone asked some tough, but very legitimate questions there.

Dusty was known to be thin skinned, but he did handle them well.

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Dusty looked like he didn't give a shit.

But, I agree Stone's questions were legit. I generally thought Stone came across as a condescending asshole but I don't think this is an example of that. That's a good interview.

And, for the record, I like Stone, condescension and all, at least I felt like he knows what he's talking about even though the irritation sets in that he knows he knows what he's talking about.

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You know me like that.

Managers making tough decisions was, and still is part of the job.

Reporters and broadcasters asking tough questions was once part of their job. It's not anymore unfortunately.

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Stone showed Dusty up with "Dunn 6/7 against Remlinger". Then "Valentin not 230 from side he was hitting". Had to infuriate Dusty. Remlinger & Stone feuded too. Dusty probably Harry's a legend. But I'm not taking crap from his grandkid booth duo. Stone got too emotional and offended the primadonna. Just one of many horrible Cubs managers. That questioning is commonplace in press conferences. Dusty thought he should be hands off by his own crew. This started a long procession of yes men Cubs announcers that we still see today.

I wouldn’t call Dusty a horrible manager.

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Agreed, but it is undeniable that Dusty is a below average in game tactician.

On one hand, Stone could have said something like, "Remlinger hadn't fared very well against Dunn" instead of commenting that Dunn was 6 for 7. On the other hand, he could have been a real prick and asked, "Dusty, did you know that Dunn was 6 for 7 against Remlinger?"

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Managing postseason

Dusty Baker 31-37
Bruce Boche 44-33
TLR 70-58
Don Zimmer 1-4
Joe Maddon 32-35
Dave Roberts 38-27
Don Baylor 1-3
Jimmy Riggleman 0-3
Ozzie Guillen- 12-4
Jerry Manual 0-3
Rick Renteria 1-2

I don't have time to watch the video but I remember what happened really clearly. Reminger was pitching and Adam dunn came up. Stone pointed out Dunn's R/L splits were goody and he kills Farnsworth so he'd leave in remlinger. They bring in Farnsworth and within a pitch or two he hits a really solid single up the middle. Stone says to watch out for Dunn cuz he'll steal a bag on you for a big guy snd within a pitch or two Dunn steals 2nd. Then at some point soon thereafter you've got Javier Valentin coming up with Anderson Machado in the hole. Stome says that he'd IBB Valentin to get to.machado cuz while Valentin is .228 on the season he's been crushing the ball all day, and then while Machado is .280 on the season he's 0-3 or 0-4 and gaunt hit the ball out of the IF all day. They decide to face Valentin, who doubles in the go ahead run and then Anderson Machado comes up and meekly grounds out to short on a pitch or two.

The reds went ahead on valentin's RBI double snd held on to win, so after the game in his post-game wrapup stone went on about how he isn't second guessing the manager, he's first guessing... but managers are paid A LOT of money to.make these decisions, not him, so clearly they know better and he's just an announcer first guessing these situations and rah rah rah blah blah blah.

Afterwards heading into the final weekend series vs atl still in the wildcard race instead of prepping for the braves + studying tape on fri.morming thr Cubs call in stone and dusty for a meeting fri.morming (as all this stuff came to a head after.... uhhh who was it... some reliever told stone off in an elevator for completing a dominant Roy Oswalt against the Cubs during a game) and yeah stone had to go and dusty had to stick around and never forget what jose Macias and neifi.perez did for us.

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2004 was awful


What a disaster that clubhouse was.

Now we have announcers who laugh when players pimp doubles out of the box

Can't be critical!

That was the famous "Team With No Weaknesses."

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

No basestealers, defense was pure crap. Most of the starting lineup swung for fences


sigh

fuck that 2004 team. i remember early on steve stone asked dusty why the offense is trying to hit hrs all the time - he said something like that's the way the boys want to approach the game - it was like in April / May and right then I knew this team was not going win shit.

Lot of clubhouse issues , problems w/ what the chip and stone were saying - being highly critical of the team, and just a lazy ass way of playing. There was one game where Aramis Rameriz loggygagged a bunt attempt and stone was all over him on the broadcast yelling GET THE DAMN BALL!

Team full of assholes.

Had such hope for a rotation with Prior, Wood, Zambrano, and Maddux. But then you also had guys like Sergio Mitre (aka, Sergio MEAT TRAY).

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What about Clement?

On paper that team was a juggernaut. And look, by one statistical measure they should have been a 96 win team. You can do with that what you want.

They also upgraded with Garciaparra at the trade deadline. Borowski going down in April shifted roles in the bullpen and that seemed to disjoint the bullpen for the whole year. The Cubs were second in the NL in runs allowed per game, and 7th in runs scored per game. 90% of the time that combination makes the playoffs for any team. The Cubs finished behind TWO other teams for the wild card spot. You can do with that what you want.

4 guys to hit over 30 hrs but finished 16th in runs and rbis

9ip, 1 R, 16 Ks and a loss

Don't see that every day

Never liked him, especially with his Abraham Lincoln beard. I guess he sufficed as a #5, innings eater.

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He was solid in 2004 though

Not great but solid

He wasn't that bad in 2005 either

2005.

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that was the first HR or Nothing Cubs team of the modern era.

That 2004 team was the most unpleasant and underachieving team of my lifetime. I wasn't even angry when they folded against the Mets the last week of the season, because they deserved it.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

My brother and I scalped (racist) dugout seats for that first Nomar game. Maddux was on the mound going for 300 that same game. The tix were $300+/each (we weren't actually in the dugout, slightly behind).

I think Nomar got one hit, Maddux didn't get the win, and the Cubs still won late in non-historic fashion.

I didn't even get a Nomar selfie despite the fact that I met him and had a short conversation before the game because I don't think selfies existed at that point in the human existence.

Just a microcosm of the 2004 Cub experience for me.

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You know me like that.