March 4, 2012

No Beer Outside the Clubhouse, Either

Theo Epstein wants Cubs players to cut back on their night life:

Theo Epstein laid down the law at the Cubs Convention, stating firmly the organization would no longer tolerate players who enjoy the nightlife at the expense of getting a good night’s sleep.

“It’s been a factor in ruining some careers,” the team president said. “And I’m sure it’s been an impediment to the Cubs in winning. … The approach we’re going to have is the opposite of laissez faire. We’re not just going to say, ‘Oh, that’s the way it is. This is Chicago. Boys will be boys. I’m sure they’re going to get enough sleep and I’m sure they’ll show up the next day ready to play.’

“That’s a failure on the organization’s part. We have to take a very proactive approach in setting a high standard.”

That’s interesting, as I’ve never heard that about Cubs players before specifically. There are probably problems like this throughout baseball. It happens when you mix young men with plenty of money and time. New York bars are open all night, and the current crop of Yankees seem to handle it fine, and even the heavy drinking Yankees of the 1950s still managed to dominate the majors. I wonder if this is a reaction to the Red Sox club house scandal?

So this won’t be the Cubs song for 2012:

I wonder, however, if Theo will promote the club scene in the visitors’ clubhouse. 🙂

Hat tip, Hardball Talk.

6 thoughts on “No Beer Outside the Clubhouse, Either

  1. JW

    The current group of Yankees is also largely high quality veterans. Have you considered the possibility that the sort of players that are high quality veterans often screen out the sort of players who stay out all night drinking?

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  2. David Pinto Post author

    JW » Sure, but Jeter, Posada, Williams, Pettitte and Rivera were all young together. They never seemed to have problems with New York. Steinbrenner once complained about Jeter’s partying, but that just seemed like George spouting off.

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  3. Joseph J. Finn

    If we’re not talking just the current squad, the stories about Mark Grace’s night life were pretty hairy back in the day (and then there was Kyle Farnsworth).

    ReplyReply
  4. pft

    I wonder if MLB teams hire private investigators to keep tabs on their investments. Theo has been known to check out prospective free agents 24/7.

    I have often wondered about the effects of night life on players performance, especially on the road where players are free of the family and are more likely to go out with the boys than go home.

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