Starting pitching? Nah. Inability to drive in runners in scoring position? Pssht. Injuries? Fuggedaboutit. What about Joe Maddon, John Mallee, or Jaron Madison? No, the Cubs’ mediocre record can be laid squarely at the feet of one Theo Nathaniel Epstein. Seriously. If you don’t believe me, listen to the man himself.
“I am responsible for this team being under .500,” Epstein declared on the Spiegel and Parkins Show Friday afternoon. “That’s the bottom line. And so I shouldn’t be in a good mood right now. When there’s work to do to get us back there, I shouldn’t be in a good mood.