Theo Epstein and
Rick Hahn must get up every morning and ask themselves what they did wrong to
deserve the near-daily abuse they get as baseball general managers. Oh, it comes with the territory, for
sure. But in Chicago there’s one general
manager who doesn’t have to answer to anybody he doesn’t want to, and that’s
Ryan Pace of the Bears.
According to
today’s Tribune, the last time Pace addressed the Chicago media at a news
conference was September 2nd, three days BEFORE the season opened. I
mean, Bears’ fever had everyone by the ears, nose and throat back then, and
Pace still couldn’t bring himself to appear before reporters. This is arrogance, this is knowing what your
bosses will tolerate. In that if nothing
else, Pace is a master.
Starting with
spring training and going clear through the end of the regular season, Epstein
and Hahn deal with the Chicago media on a weekly, if not a daily, basis. You may not like what they have to say, and I
can’t stand most of the passive-voice gibberish that Hahn spouts, but Chicago
baseball GMs, to their everlasting credit, face the music early and often. But what of Ryan Pace, architect of those 8-8
Bears?
The master of
mediocrity addresses the media, on New Year’s Eve, when most people’s attention
is split between making merry at midnight and watching college football come
noon. Here’s hoping reporters put Ryan
through his paces, and a whole lot more.
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