By Bruce Levine–
CHICAGO (CBS) — The writing on the video board in the Chicago Cubs locker room had a common theme to it. “Dressed at 5:30 -game at 7:15.” That was it! For a team down to a win or go home situation, you would expect a full array of information and directions from the manager and staff.
That is the beauty of this Cub team and the people who run it. All season, factually since 2015 when manager Joe Maddon took the job, he has delivered the same message to his players and staff. “We will treat you like we would want to be treated.” Maddon has optional only batting practice during the season. That is worth repeating. If your Kris Bryant is happy with his swing, neither he or his teammates, need not venture on the filed prior to that days ballgame. No one had ever heard of optional BP for an entire season until Maddon arrived. That type of trust and consistent message, has work great in the past seven months for Chicago.
On the biggest stage, trailing in the ultimate series, on the last day of baseball in Chicago this season, the calmness and belief in his people remain a constant. Thus a major reason for his team’s success.
Of course it helps to have great players. The Cubs and Maddon have an abundance of them. Now in a must- win situation, the players notice once again, there is zero panic coming from the management group. “This is not the ideal situation” said Sunday’s pitcher Jon Lester. “You, of course would like to be on the other side of it. Our guys are confident and ready to play.”
Lester of course was speaking before game four. However, after a bad loss on Saturday, the players stood tall and exuded confidence in each other going forward. This, despite the fact they are looking at potential elimination games in each of the next three contests on the schedule. “That message is a normal day in Chicago,” Jason Heyward said of the report at 5:30 sign in the clubhouse. “We are going to be the same and not going to change a thing.”
No panic, but an awareness of what is at stake after 180 games will be a driving force to get it right, against Trevor Bauer and the Indians club. “We don’t change a thing,” said Kris Bryant after a personally bad night (2 errors and 0-3 at the plate). ” We know it’s a must-win game. Why would we change anything we have done all year? We had a pretty good regular season, so why would we change anything now?”
The Cubs are hitting .204 in this series. They are a home run hitting team, that has hit only one home run in the four World Series games played so far. “We can’t worry about what Cleveland does,” Anthony Rizzo said. “We must concentrate on what we do, one pitch at a time. That is what it comes down to.”
The message stays the same for this Chicago Cub team. Win or go down fighting. Calmness is still the watchword for this tight knit group. “The formula all year has been trust,” Rizzo said. “You know batting practice has been optional for us everyday the last two years. We will come in and do what we normally do. We will be ready to face Trevor Bauer from pitch one.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
from CBS Chicago http://ift.tt/2f6CIEu
No comments:
Post a Comment