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	Thursday, June 8
	'Lovable loser' Cub fans speak out ESPN.com
	I think that the problem with the Cubs is their pitching and their defense. With Sammy Sosa, Eric Young, and Mark Grace, as well as Jon Lieber and Kevin Tapani, they should not be struggling like they are. Their bullpen isn't very good, but Kerry Wood is getting better every start. I think they should get rid of the big strikeout left fielders they have and get some speed and defense. Sammy is carrying the team and he shouldn't get the blame as he and Young are the two bright spots on the team. Tomasso Valerio Steubenville, Ohio Don Baylor was doomed from the start. Why would anybody leave a coaching position with a perennial postseason team to manage the Cubs? He must feel it is better to rule in hell than serve in heaven. As for Sosa, to me, he has always been a bit of a self-centered athlete. Anyone who thinks there is no room for improvement in their own game is obviously conceited and ignorant. With his mid-season remarks about Baylor, he showed utter disregard for his team by creating a distraction and dwelling on his own image. Travis Carrico New Sharon, Iowa The one thing you don't want to do if you're Sammy Sosa is to make your squabble with Don Baylor public knowledge. Now the Cubs have to get rid of one of you, and never underestimate your trade value, Sammy. If you'd tried to work this out between the two of you instead of mouthing off to the newspapers, manager and player might eventually have seen eye to eye, but now that has no chance of happening. Gabriel Zitrin Eugene, Ore. “ Don Baylor is clearly the problem. How can a guy like Sammy Sosa, who is batting over .300 and has 18 home runs, be the reason why the Cubs are doing so poorly? The Cubs should have never gotten rid of former manager Jim Riggleman, but they seem to make mistakes like that often. I say that they need new ownership, and wipe out all the coaches and start from scratch. ” —  Chad Smith, Winter Haven, Fla. Baylor is right. As much as I like Sammy, he is a so-so outfielder. He makes his fair share of errors and although he is quick, he is not a speed demon. Basically, Sosa's ego is bruised and instead of owning up to some of his flaws, he got defensive. The Cubs are actually starting to look pretty good as Kevin Tapani, Kerry Wood and Rick Aguilera have been throwing well as of late though they haven't been getting enough run support. If the pitching can keep this pace, they may be able to turn things around, but that's also a longshot. Eric Palm Chicago The bullpen is to blame. Sosa wants to win. Baylor wants to win. Most of the team wants to win. Sometimes when things aren't going well, little things that are said that are normally forgotten eventually will come exploding forward. This situation reminds me of back when Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin were having their public wars back in the late '70s. David Ames Pierre, S.D. Rob Neyer got it exactly right: The Cubs management and ownership could care less if their team wins. In fact, the worst thing to happen to the Flubs was 1998. It bought Ed Lynch and Andy McPhail at least five years of "we're trying to get back to 1998"-type excuses, when that was a fluke year. Perennial sell-outs and a great neighborhood location provide the biggest "disincentive" for success in all of major league baseball. Success brings expectations. Put them in Gary, Indiana, and then you'll see Lynch put together a winning team. Kevin Manzel Arlington, Va. As a life-long Cubs fan I can say, no player has contributed more than Sammy in recent memory, sans a traded Maddux. To sum it up, shut up Baylor and manage! David Dykstra Minneapolis Don Baylor has to realize that Sammy Sosa is one of the best players in the league and should start to be treated that way. If the Cubs ever got rid of Sosa it would kill the team and probably bring a few less fans into the Friendly Confines. Since Michael Jordan retired he has become the Chicago sports idol. It's not Sosa, it's not Baylor, it is the pitching staff that has gotten the team into such a big hole. Jon Descher Montello, Wis. The problem with the Cubs is and always has been players like Sosa. Look at his recent comments about trading Henry Rodriguez to the Yankees and his comments about Baylor. He cares more about filling the seats with lovable loser Cubs fans instead of winning! He should worry more about improving his fielding and driving in big runs instead of trying to hit a home run on every at-bat. Tim Gutz Peoria, Ill. “ Don Baylor has more important things to worry about, like winning. Sammy is not the problem. Pitching is the problem and Baylor needs to figure out how to solve that problem first and foremost. ” —  Kyle Retek, Charleston, S.C. Sammy Sosa? I don't think so. The Cubs are in the middle of the pack in terms of runs, but are about to hit rock bottom in team ERA (KC is bringing up the rear). Sammy can't pitch, so it's not his fault. Maybe it is Don Baylor's fault. He needs to remind his pitchers to stop throwing batting practice! Mark Goettsch Spartanburg, S.C. Since when is a manager out of line for suggesting that one of his players isn't perfect, and that the player's game could use some fine-tuning in a few areas? Perhaps I've become jaded by the ever-increasing number of incidents such as this, but I simply have no sympathy for cry-baby Sammy. Jacob Wilson Cooper, Texas The problem with the Cubs is that no matter how bad they are, they still sell out. As long as the Tribune Company sees black ink, they don't care about the number of wins. People come to Wrigley to drink, have a good time and see a home run or two. Most don't care who wins, they just want to go to the Cubby Bear after the game. Sosa's 18 home runs and .300+ batting average is not keeping them from winning, and Baylor is doing the best he can with the bullpen he has. As long as the people keep coming, the Cubs will keep losing. Robb McCoy Glen Carbon, Ill. After seeing him manage for years in Colorado, I was ecstatic the day he left. Baylor does not have the ability to get the most out of his players. He also plays favorites and makes very questionable calls during the game. Brian Holl Denver	ALSO SEE Sosa, Baylor say problems resolved between them