When Does a Start Start?
In today's Tribune, Dave Van Dyck attempts to manipulate time. Unsurprisingly, his sleepy editors allow it.
After Sunday's stirring win vs. Houston, the Cubbies had drawn to 3-3 on the season. Not bad, not good. Hey, that's what .500 represents, right?
Not to DVD, who was beside himself with excitement over the team's three wins in six tries:
"The manager, Lou Piniella, is starting to see his "fast start" hopes come around, with the Cubs ending their first week at home by winning two games in a row and three of the last four."
We've seen this sort of selective memory before by Tribune writers when it comes to their coverage of the Cubbies. Just yesterday, Paul Sullivan extolled team closer Kerry Wood for being two-for-two in saves, conveniently ignoring his Opening Day implosion in order to establish some sort of false "perfection" on behalf of the first-time closer.
Today, DVD is so desperate to establish that the Cubbies have had a "fast start" that he completely doctors the season's first homestand, altering it from the 3-3 mediocrity it was into some sort of 3-1 "fast start." Did the first two games of the season not count on the north side?
Perhaps this explains why the Tribune is so pleased with its Cubbies year after year, even when the losing campaigns vastly outnumber the winning ones: It simply doesn't count some of the losses.
--Brett Ballantini
After Sunday's stirring win vs. Houston, the Cubbies had drawn to 3-3 on the season. Not bad, not good. Hey, that's what .500 represents, right?
Not to DVD, who was beside himself with excitement over the team's three wins in six tries:
"The manager, Lou Piniella, is starting to see his "fast start" hopes come around, with the Cubs ending their first week at home by winning two games in a row and three of the last four."
We've seen this sort of selective memory before by Tribune writers when it comes to their coverage of the Cubbies. Just yesterday, Paul Sullivan extolled team closer Kerry Wood for being two-for-two in saves, conveniently ignoring his Opening Day implosion in order to establish some sort of false "perfection" on behalf of the first-time closer.
Today, DVD is so desperate to establish that the Cubbies have had a "fast start" that he completely doctors the season's first homestand, altering it from the 3-3 mediocrity it was into some sort of 3-1 "fast start." Did the first two games of the season not count on the north side?
Perhaps this explains why the Tribune is so pleased with its Cubbies year after year, even when the losing campaigns vastly outnumber the winning ones: It simply doesn't count some of the losses.
--Brett Ballantini
Labels: Chicago Tribune, Dave Van Dyck, Don't Count the Losses, Fast Start, Sleepy Editors
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