(670 The Score) Theo Epstein was right to accept responsibility for the Cubs' downturns over the last two seasons.
Though Epstein globalized his overall responsibility Monday in a way that made it seem more administrative than practical -- a simple direction to look at the masthead or office directory as much as anything else -- it's nevertheless more true than ever that a baseball front office can determine fortunes more than any other aspect of the business, especially the guy filling out the lineup card and waving to the bullpen.
The truth is that all the time we're going to spend examining the Cubs' search for a manager might be better served following the significant changes to their scouting and development mechanisms, because all of that matters so much more. Be it David Ross or Mark Loretta, Joe Girardi or Joe Espada, the manager just doesn't make that much of a difference.
For all the words we waste debating the batting order, it's only plus or minus a single win over the course of the 162 games. Usage of relievers can move the needle a little, but when it's all actually measured against the many averages, the entire package of managerial influence in a big league dugout and clubhouse pretty much comes out in the wash, statistically. The most thorough of studies from the smartest of analysts have pegged the upside of the very best and worst in the game to somewhere between two and three wins of value in their respective directions, and what's most likely is that whomever the Cubs pick is somewhere between the brilliance of Bob Melvin and buffoonery of Mike Matheny.
Where this competitive window will be salvaged or not -- and the next one either envisioned and realized or miscalculated and unredeemed -- will be in the hands of those constructing and maximizing the roster, in all its iterations.
There will be another next individual in the blue hat to whom we'll pay outsized attention, because he's the front man for the cameras and the clicking keyboards. We will see him and hear from him all the time and subsequently default to ascribing him credit or blame beyond his true contribution. That's because it's easier to compartmentalize and criticize than the aggregate impact of entire branches of the organization devoted to finding the right players to draft and acquire, identifying which of their skills can and can't be engineered and plotting customized courses for individual development up to and well into the big leagues.
This is the game now, the one being played by the Astros, Yankees and Dodgers that Epstein and the Cubs look to rejoin after falling behind in what he called a "winner's trap" of narrowed thinking. Baseball is fundamentally different than it was just three years ago, let alone eight, and all that they do has to be aligned with the business as it now is after such explosive evolution. The Cubs' work to retrofit an older model has now come up short, and they're setting out to build a new and forward-looking version.
A manager is a part of it, certainly. He will be tasked with growing a supportive structure of winning culture and accountability, acting as the primary line of communication internally with players and externally with media and fans. But he's such a small aspect relative to what Epstein and the Cubs know they must do everywhere else to make sure their era of championship contention isn't left in the dust.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's Bernstein & McKnight Show in midday. You can follow him on Twitter @Dan_Bernstein.
