Cognitive dissonance
For someone who's a fairly staunch believer in sabermetric schools of thought (nowadays, the popular shorthand term for these is "Moneyball" thinking), to hear the manager of your favorite baseball team make statements like this produces a cognitive dissonance that is really uncomfortable. Rooting interests seem to be inherited from previous generations, or from one's childhood surroundings, rather than philosophically determined, and so I'll back Dusty just like I'll back Kerry even it's with a heavy dose of Pepto-Bismol.
Dusty resents the sniping, to no one's surprise. How often do you see a grown adult changing his stripes and assimilating new philosophies? I think he has skills outside of in-game tactical management that are hard to quantify. He seems to be a straight-shooter with his players, one who doesn't manage through the press, and his team respects him for that. No one doubts who's in charge in the Cubs dugout. But I believe that he wins in spite of his tactical weaknesses (e.g. abuse of starters, disdain for walks, strong preference for overpriced veterans at the expense of developing rookies), not because of them. I suspect the Cubs front office and most Cubs fans' love affair with Dusty is based in part on fundamental attribution error. After all, he was the beneficiary of the first full year of the Prior era, the blossoming of Zambrano, Wood's second full year removed from Tommy John, career resurrections from Grudzielanek and Karros, and the late season boost from Ramirez and Lofton.
I wish him well, but I'd sleep better at night if he'd stop with the 120+ pitch outings for the Cubs franchise arms. Successful leaders have to be willing to swallow their pride and assimilate effective new ideas.
Dusty resents the sniping, to no one's surprise. How often do you see a grown adult changing his stripes and assimilating new philosophies? I think he has skills outside of in-game tactical management that are hard to quantify. He seems to be a straight-shooter with his players, one who doesn't manage through the press, and his team respects him for that. No one doubts who's in charge in the Cubs dugout. But I believe that he wins in spite of his tactical weaknesses (e.g. abuse of starters, disdain for walks, strong preference for overpriced veterans at the expense of developing rookies), not because of them. I suspect the Cubs front office and most Cubs fans' love affair with Dusty is based in part on fundamental attribution error. After all, he was the beneficiary of the first full year of the Prior era, the blossoming of Zambrano, Wood's second full year removed from Tommy John, career resurrections from Grudzielanek and Karros, and the late season boost from Ramirez and Lofton.
I wish him well, but I'd sleep better at night if he'd stop with the 120+ pitch outings for the Cubs franchise arms. Successful leaders have to be willing to swallow their pride and assimilate effective new ideas.