The Mouth That Roared by Dallas Green

Author:Dallas Green
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Triumph Books
Published: 2013-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

14

On a visit to our spring training facilities in Mesa, Arizona, shortly after we joined the Cubs, Lee Elia and I saw firsthand the Cubs organization’s lack of pride.

Before the trip, we informed our minor league coordinators that we were coming to check out our prospects in the Fall Instructional League. That’s what general managers and managers do to acquaint themselves with their organization. To us, that was a given. But in the Cubs’ world, it apparently was a revolutionary concept.

When Lee and I landed at the Phoenix airport, no one came to meet us. We took a taxi to the team hotel, but there weren’t any signs identifying it as such. In Clearwater, Florida, where the Phillies train, we hit fans over the head with reminders of our presence. It helped locals establish a connection to the team.

Lee and I threw our bags in our rooms and went out to HoHoKam Park to get a glimpse of our Instructional League team. Again, no signs identified the park as the spring training and Instructional League home of the Chicago Cubs. Not only that, but there wasn’t anybody at the park.

We reasoned that Instructional Leagues don’t wake up as early as some of us and waited for some activity to commence. After a while, I turned to Lee and said, “You think we’re in the right goddamn stadium? Shit, shouldn’t someone be out there throwing the ball or checking out the field?”

We sat there for two hours before anybody showed up. And when our staff finally arrived, no one came up to introduce themselves to the new manager and general manager. I had come from a Phillies organization that cared about its people and tried to make every new employee feel welcome. I interpreted the silent treatment we got that day as my staff saying, “So you’re the new guy, big fucking deal! We’re the old Chicago Cubs.”

Well, that attitude had to change.

* * *

I had started to overhaul the front office and the team. Next up was the broadcast booth.

Harry Caray, who had worked White Sox games for the past decade, was on the outs with management for his support of broadcast partner Jimmy Piersall, who had been suspended by the organization for calling the wives of White Sox players “horny broads.” Harry said he’d quit if Jimmy got fired for his comment.

White Sox manager Tony La Russa and his coaches hated Piersall, but they didn’t think much of Harry, either. They were sick and tired of Harry ripping the team at every turn. When the White Sox announced they were moving their games to a pay-TV service, Harry declared himself a free agent.

Our own legendary play-by-play man, Jack Brickhouse, was retiring, and the brass wanted a big name to fill Jack’s shoes. Jim Dowdle, the Tribune Company’s executive vice president for media, asked me what I thought about Harry coming aboard as the Cubs’ play-by-play man on Tribune-owned WGN.

I said I didn’t like Harry’s tendency to get personal on the air.

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