Heyman: Cubs' Epstein: 'We can (bleeping) do it'

CHICAGO — These Cubs are a young, great and determined group, and their future looks as bright as anyone’s. That’s their long-term future, anyway.

As for the next four game days, that’s going to be tough, maybe as tough as scaling the John Hancock building in the dead of a Chicago winter after falling behind 3-0 in games to the Mets.

While the Cubs have won four straight games nine previous times during this mostly magical season, as their miracle-making general manager Theo Epstein pointed out in the losing clubhouse, they haven’t done it against the vaunted four starters of the Mets.

And they haven’t done it while playing like this — tight and tense — on a big stage.

“We’re pressing a little bit, trying to do too much,” veteran Cubs catcher Miguel Montero was saying to CBS Sports in the corner of a mostly-cleared-out Cubs clubhouse about an hour after they were pushed to the brink of elimination by the Mets, a team with fresher arms and clearer minds.

“We might be trying a little too hard, putting too much pressure on ourselves instead of laying back and seeing what happens,” Montero said.

So far what’s happening isn’t good. This isn’t them.

A lot of it is the Mets, of course, with all their powerful arms pumping fastballs 95 mph or more from start to finish, their revamped team (these clearly aren’t the same guys who went 0-7 vs. the Cubs this year) and their super hero, Daniel Murphy, the real bat man, who homered for a fifth straight game and sixth time in this postseason in the 5-2 Mets Game 3 victory here. (“He’s the new Derek Jeter of New York,” is the way Montero put it.)

But not all of it is the Mets. Not all New York’s three quick wins are about them. For a young team, the Cubs forever seemed as mistake-free as humanly possible. Then the Mets closed in on a third straight win, and the roof caved in.

The Mets’ go-ahead run scored on a strikeout/wild pitch by reliever Trevor Cahill with two out. Young slugger Kyle Schwarber misplayed a longish flyball by Yoenis Cespedes. Kris Bryant double-clutched on an infield hit by — who else? — Murphy. Jorge Soler dived for a low liner, face planted, then saw the ball roll all the way into the ivy a hundred feet behind him.

“These guys in here are growing a lot. They know they belong in the big leagues, and with all the success, it makes us hungrier,” Montero said. “We’re playing hard, but we’re trying to play harder than hard.”

Right now the situation is hard, and bordering on dire. Of the 34 times a best-of-seven series started 3-0, the team with the three won 33 times. The one exception was the 2004 Red Sox of Epstein. He’s here now, recalling how he handled it last time and hoping history repeats.

“It’s been done before, rumor has it,” Epstein said, drolly.

But, of course, it doesn’t take a Yale man like him to know the odds are stacked against them. The team that falls behind 3-0 doesn’t usually win even one game, Game 4. He knows that, too.

“We can (bleeping) do it,” Epstein insisted.

“We’re good. We’ll win tomorrow,” he added. “If we show up and win tomorrow, we’re dangerous.”

To win even one game, however, they’re going to have to play much better than they have.

Joe Maddon, their famously loose manager, isn’t changing a thing. Their front-of-the-room board hasn’t changed, except the date at the top. At the bottom, the words “Optional Hitting” are scribbled. No big deal. No reason to panic.

This a mature group full of focus. But they also have to face reality. Game 4 isn’t like any other game; it could be the end. And they’ve been getting outplayed, plain and simple.

There was a bit of talk in the clubhouse about hitting in bad luck. Fortunately there wasn’t too much of that kind of talk, but there was just enough just to wonder. For those watching, of course, the reality is more obvious; the mets have outpitched them, out-hit them and out-played them.

“We haven’t played our best baseball,” Epstein admitted.

Not only that, but they haven’t even had a lead. The Mets have scored in the first inning of every game, and they’ve never trailed.

The Mets’ pitchers look fresher, their fielders more efficient and Murphy looks like Babe Ruth at his best.

“He’s feeling sexy,” as Montero out it.

The Cubs are anything but right now. Montero, David Ross and Anthony Rizzo stood at their lockers and talked. But this is still a team built around the kids. It’s a very young carrying the burden of a very long history of unfortunate happenings.

This Cubs team, poised beyond their years, may finally be succumbing to all that they bear, the hopes and dreams of everyone of a beautiful city with a downtrodden fan base. Not a Cub fan alive has seen them win it all, and they’ve been around forever.

There was a lot of talk about how resilient they are, and there’s no denying they have been that. They battled strong in baseball’s best division, stole the Wild Card game in Pittsburgh, then blew away baseball’s best team (by record) in the NLDS.

But this is a different time, and a very different team. This team is very young. They aren’t a bunch of old “Idiots” and nobody’s come up with a rallying cry like “Cowboy Up.”

Now there was a loose team. This is a solid group of young pros that’s trying too hard, and doing very little right now. They have dug themselves an immense hole, and it won’t be easy to dig out of it.

Manny Ramirez, a key member of the Idiots of 2004 and a coach/mentor to these Cubs, offered a little wisdom from the far side of the Cubs’ cramped clubhouse quarters.

As long as you’re still breathing,” Ramirez said, “you got a chance.”

Cubs fans have nothing left now but to believe. (USATSI)

Around the Majors …

Team	News
Arizona is said to be interested in former ASU star Mike Leake. The Giants, who traded for Leake July 30, also would like to bring him back.
Dan Haren, one of baseball’s great professionals, told CBS Sports he is committed to retiring. “I can’t do it anymore,” Haren said. “I just pitched through pain the past couple years. But it’s taken its toll. My back and hip aren’t feeling any better. I’m going to need some surgeries.” Haren recalled that he was traded to the Cubs three years ago for Carlos Marmol only to have the trade fall through because he failed the physical. His medical pictures were mess then, and they are much worse today. Still, it’s been a terrific career for a true gentleman.H e finishes 153-131 with a 3.75 ERA. He used to throw 94 mph but his twitter handle humorously (and accurately) states now “ithrow88” … Kris Bryant has shown he’s a fantastic all-around athlete, who can play any of the outfield positions as well as third base. There may not be a better player with such versatility around. The Cubs see him as mostly as third baseman in the near term (though Maddon doesn’t hesitate to play him anywhere), and maybe a right fielder long-term … The positive change in Starlin Castro in the second half has been spectacular, and Cubs people praise his hustle and winning attitude now. Nice to see it … The Cubs had a potential draft-day deal with Carlos Correa worked out if only he had slipped to No. 6 a few years ago, but the Astros nabbed him at No. 1. Chicago people believe Correa would have slipped to them had the Astros not gotten the below-slot deal done with them. They got some measure of satisfaction when the Astros grabbed mark Appel the following year at No. 1, and the Cubs capitalized by picking Bryant next … Cubs people worried before Game 3 that Yoenis Cespedes was a very bad matchup for Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks, and their worries proved founded when Cespedes smoked a run-scoring double in the first inning. The Cubs believe the best way to approach Cespedes is with heat upstairs, but Hendricks just isn’t that kind of pitcher … Some Cubs people were said to be less than thrilled with the umpiring through the first three games. They believe the vaunted Mets rotation was being given fastballs six inches outside, a la the old Braves teams … Word is, Maddon sat Jorge Soler in Game 2 due to his reaction to the cold weather in New York. Several Cubs looked mighty uncomfortable. You’d think Chicagoans would handle it batter … David Ross is seen as the key veteran in terms of impacting the clubhouse positively. He’s a future manager … Two different Cubs people said folks shouldn’t assume they will sign a big pitcher this winter … Gotta give Hendricks credit for warming up to “Purple Haze,” by Jimi Hendrix.
One executive said there’s “no way” Alex Gordon will exercise his $14-million player option. I concur. Zero chance.
Many in the Dodgers clubhouse would be disappointed if Don Mattingly didn’t come back. That being said, a Dodgers person suggsted late Monday night that the higher-ups were still “ruminating.” … Zack Greinke should get $150 million “easy” according to one GM. The same GM predicted David Price would get $200 million … Chase Utley‘s hearing will be rescheduled. The Oct. 18 date was based on Utley’s Dodgers still being alive.
Terry Collins isn’t talking about his contract (now’s not the time) but he’s told friends he’d be happy with a two-year deal and likely won’t ask for more than that. Collins, 66, is telling friends he wants to spend time with his wife and do things while he’s still vital. He is, of course, looking forward to the possibility of skippering a team with an incredible rotation (potentially, it gets even better next year with Zack Wheeler coming back) the next two years … The Mets are indeed planning to give Daniel Murphy the $15.8-million qualifying offer following his brilliant postseason. Going into the playoffs, there wasn’t a Mets person around who thought that was a possibility. One reason they weren;t thinking of ectending the qualifying offer to Murphy is that there’s been minimal trade interest in him over the years. But his whole world has changed now that he six homers in eight games (and some other great plays). By now, Murphy’s heroics has made the call obvious. While Murphy loves being a Met, there is no expectation he’d take the qualifying offer at this point, as he should be able to get at least $40 million for four years as a free agent. So Murphy’s big postseason has not only enabled the Mets to get a game of the World Series, it very likely will bring them a coveted draft pick, as well … Folks are all marveling at Murphy’s postseason, and Kevin Long and Pat Roessler deserve a lot of credit. Murphy has learned to pull the ball a bit more. Thus, the Cubs are trying to pitch him outside, where he has less chance to do damage. … For free agency purposes, Murphy can now claim to be a 20-homer guy (14 regular season, six postseason) … For all the credit Omar Minaya deserves, most folks don’t realize Minaya originally brought Collins into the organization after he was beaten out for the managing job by Willie Randolph. Collins started in development before Sandy Alderson hired him as manager … Chicago product Curtis Granderson says he won’t feel guilty if he helps to knock out the Cubs. “No, not at all,” Granderson, from Lynwood, Ill., said. “I was a Braves fan growing up.” … The Mets knew Schwarber would be gone when they picked 10th overall in the 2014 draft, and they figured Michael Conforto would be, too (they were figuring 80 percent chance he’d be gone). So they pounced when Conforto slipped through. The Mets are planning for Conforto to be the everyday left fielder next year. They are also sure he will hit lefties. “He’s always hit them,” Mets exec Paul DePodesta said… Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen have started to talk about backing pitchers off in April next year to prevent innings pileup and late-season fatigue. The six-man rotation and partial shutdowns seem to be paying off, though, as Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom all looked fresh in their NLCS starts … Mets players were instructed to consider bunting on Jon Lester, but none of them did so effectively. Curtis Granderson, who had plenty of chances for a bunt hit with an extreme shift, took two tries at it but couldn’t get the bunt down. He’s had zero bunt hits for the year … David Wright is smiling through any back pain. It’s something he’s going to have to deal with. When he was in LA, Mattingly told him that there’d be days he’d get up and won’t feel well enough to play. On those days, Mattingly said, he advised Wright not to force it.
A’s executive Dan Kantrovitz, who looked like a favorite for Brewers GM before the job went to David Stearns, is onto his second interview in Philly according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Other interviewees include J.J. Piccolo, Matt Klentak, Matt Slater, Larry Beinfest and Ross Atkins.
Jason Varitek is an inspired managerial candidate, but folks aren’t sure he’d want to take that job due to family considerations. Others to have interviewed are Tim Bogar, Scott Servais, Charlie Montoyo and Phil Nevin, with Alex Cora expected in. Bogar is the only one of that group with major-league managing experience; he was interim manager for Texas at the of the 2014 season. Servais, who interviewed in San Diego, too, could also be a candidate for the Mariners front office since he worked in new GM Jerry Dipoto’s front office in Los Angeles/Anaheim.
With Jordan Zimmermann believed to be leaving via free agency, the Nats will likely take a look at starting pitchers. Something to keep in mind if Dusty Baker gets the managing job: Johnny Cueto pitched best for him and Baker is a fan of his. Baker, here to broadcast for TBS, hasn’t heard from the Nats since his initial interview.
	Major League Baseball News
The union sent out a memo to let agencies know that Juan Carlos Nunez, the steroid procurer who worked for ACES and was connected to Anthony Bosch and the Melky Cabrera website scheme, is not certified and should not be working for anyone now that he is out of jail for his steroid involvement. One would think this is self-explanatory, but perhaps someone needed a reminder. Nunez’s brother Tirzon is also not certified, according to the memo … Those super slo-mo, foot-an-inch-off-the-bag calls are getting silly. Either folks need to re-learn sliding, or they need not count that as out. No umpire would ever call that as out on the field.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.