It remains to be seen whether David Ross is a solid Major League manager or not. The same can be said of Jed Hoyer, and his position of General Manager of the Chicago Cubs. We do know this, the early returns are not good as this team is now pace to lose 98 games in 2022.
Twitter lights up, with the phrase David Ross a top trending term, during any Cubs game night that isn’t going their way (which are most of them). And what’s being said about Grandpa Rossy on social media is almost always scathing, to say the least.
The Cubs, fresh off a surprising 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox at the Friendly Confines yesterday, will take on the BoSox again Saturday night, with the bookmakers making an opening total of 8.5 runs.
According to the odds at Betway, the Red Sox opened as favorites on the money line at-133, but now the number has shifted to -145. The Cubs opened at +110, but their odds have gotten slightly longer at +125. 83% of the money line bets are going in on the Sox, with 92% of the money line handle being wagered on Boston. First pitch is 6:15 local, with a national telecast on FOX. The visitors are favored 55.8%-44.2%, according to ESPN matchup predictor.
Back to David Ross, we just don’t know who he is or who he is not right now, given what he has to work with, and that’s not much.
There are plenty of reasons to criticize him, first and foremost his loyalty to Jason Heyward, who doesn’t even cut it as a 27th man these days, but you have to be realistic about your expectations.
Seriously, Heyward is not a true Major League anymore, it’s crazy that he gets this much playing time. While there have been a few bright spots on this Cubs team in 2022, there is a reason that Wrigley Field is now offering “drink specials” for weeknight games.
A couple of those bright spots are Ian Happ and Willson Contreras, and since we’re in July now, it’s only natural we discuss the elephant in the room. The Cubs are going nowhere, and they will be sellers at the MLB trade deadline. That’s a simple fact, but if Contreras and Happ are sold off, well that kills any hopes for 2023.
Maybe 2024 too, because at some point you have to “rebuild” and if you’re keeping none of the building blocks, then what are we even doing here? Jed Hoyer, who inherited the throne from Theo Epstein, can only do so much.
Again, there is plenty of room to rip him, right now, for some of his moves, but essentially his hands are tied. There is only so much he can do, and you know why. You’ve figured out where we are going with this.
It’s the Ricketts family that’s the main issue, and this is exactly why Theo got out.
He saw the obvious writing on the wall.
Tom Ricketts doesn’t seem to have a rebuilding plan right now. It’s a non-rebuilding plan, and that was evidenced by his partnering with the richest man in Illinois, Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, to go chase after buying Chelsea FC. Ricketts isn’t interested in making the product on the field relevant again.
He just wants to keep maximizing profits, and then reach a point where he can take a very nice capital gain on the sale of the club.
Up against this environment, there is only so much that David Ross and Theo Epstein can do.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
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