Tell the Truth

Truth-telling in professional sports is a relative thing.  Coaches, managers and general managers rarely come out and admit they were wrong about something, but the good ones at least find ways to imply it.  Think Rick Hahn of the White Sox saying his team was stuck in a rut.  That signaled the old ways had failed, and Chris Sale was as good as gone (which he was by December of 2016).

Theo Epstein of the Cubs is a relative truth teller; ditto Fred Hoiberg of the Bulls, Rick Renteria of the Sox and Joel Quenneville of the Blackhawks.  Bears GM Ryan Pace?  Not so much.

If anyone should throw himself at the feet of his fans and beg for mercy after making so many gaffes, it should be Pace, he of the 14-34 record over his first three seasons; only in McCaskey Land does that record merit a two-year extension, as happened Monday.  Not only has Pace sounded less than contrite on the mistake—or would you say “disastrous mistake”?—of hiring John Fox, he was downright unapologetic on giving Mike Glennon $18.5 million guaranteed to play quarterback for one season before deciding—out of the blue, because Pace doesn’t like talking to the media—to draft Mitch Trubisky in April.

“With the quarterback position, I have no regrets in us being aggressive in attacking that position—it’s that important,” Pace was quoted in yesterday’s Tribune.  “We all felt confident in Mike, and sometimes in our business, things don’t work out.  There’s a lot of factors.”

Not as many as you might think, Ryan.  The Glennon decision—all eight turnovers vs. four touchdown passes of it—rests on you.  If you can’t admit that upfront, then don’t be surprised when the fans start shouting “Dilly, dilly!” the next time you show yourself in public.  Even Bears’ fans have a b.s. limit, and right now you’re pushing it.  Dilly.