By Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune –
SAN DIEGO — Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum isn’t much for clubhouse speeches, preferring to give his players a chance to figure things out on their own.
But Sveum called his players together Monday afternoon in San Diego and gave a speech that sounded like it was opening day all over again.
Sveum didn’t mention the talk to the media on Tuesday, but his players did, and many were impressed with the basic message he sent — “Don’t be afraid to fail.”
“You’ve got to fall to learn how to get back up,” Brett Jackson said. “And keep falling, and keep getting back up. That’s life and that’s baseball. You’re not going to get two or four hits every night. People strike out four times. You learn to cope with it and get better.”
The Cubs entered Tuesday’s game with a six-game losing streak since the sell-off began with the trades of Paul Maholm, Reed Johnson and Geovany Soto during a 14-4 rout of the Pirates on July 30.
Jackson struck out four times Monday but woke up Tuesday knowing he’d be back in the lineup to try again. Sveum told the youngsters he can empathize with them as they try to learn on the job. In his first full season with the Brewers in 1986, Sveum hit .246 with 63 strikeouts in 317 at-bats.
“He told us we were really young right now, and that he had been in our shoes,” reliever Jeff Beliveau said. “He said he struggled when he came up, but the difference is being afraid to struggle and going out there and just giving your best, and if you struggle, then it’s going to happen — you’re a rookie in the big leagues.
“He just told us, ‘Don’t play scared. Go out there and play like you normally do.’ That was cool to hear. He said, ‘Ask anyone on the team who’s been here. You haven’t seen me all year get on someone for failing or making a mistake, as long as you’re playing hard and trying. Don’t be afraid to fail. Just go out there and be confident.’”
Some in Chicago believe that Sveum, with a three-year deal, will be gone by the time the Cubs are in position to win. But the reality is Sveum is likely to remain beyond 2014 if the team improves incrementally the next two seasons. President Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer didn’t choose Sveum just to be a bridge, but to teach young players how to win together.
“It’s really great to think about the idea of a young core coming together, and the potential of a group of us to be here for a long time,” Jackson said. “It’s exciting to talk about and start working as a unit.
“We’re starting to feel that leadership amongst each other. He mentioned that it would kind of happen naturally, and I think he knows that. I’m excited to be part of it.
“Were going to cut ourselves some slack. We’re going to have to fight right off the bat, and it’s not going to be easy. But eventually I think we’re going to be looking at something that’s pretty special.”
