The Cubs Fired Their Team Psychologist Because He Basically Pretended He Was Part Of The Team And Had His Own Locker
LAS VEGAS — In an offseason move that went unnoticed, the Cubs quietly let go of their team psychologist, who had been working with minor leaguers since 2009 and with the major league team since 2010. That’s usually not the kind of personnel move that’s considered newsworthy, but Marc Strickland was no ordinary team shrink. Not only was Strickland available for consultation with players, the specialist in sports psychology had his own locker at home and on the road, dressed in team workout gear and played catch and shagged balls before games during batting practice. Early in his first year in the majors, Strickland even stood in the dugout tunnel at Wrigley Field after victories, bumping fists with players as though he was part of the team.
Former general manager Jim Hendry put an end to that, but he couldn’t get rid of Strickland, whom the new owners wanted around. But hiring a team psychologist and pretending he was part of the team turned out to be a divisive move. Outfielder Nate Schierholtz questioned the notion of a psychologist melding into the clubhouse, traditionally a sanctuary for players and coaches.
Hold on. So this guy had his own locker at home, dressed like a player, took warm ups with the team and played catch all day? No fucking wonder the Cubs suck. Marc Strickland is bad voodoo city. I’m not mad at him, he had an opportunity to be part of a professional baseball team and he absolutely ran with it. Basically lived in a fantasy world where he was actually in MLB. If I was given the same chance I would do the exact same thing. Fuck I pretend the 49ers PR guy is my actual father so I’m not going to judge a guy for suspending reality for a second and acting like he’s in the big leagues. But with all that said, if you’re the Cubs you just can’t let this happen. We’re trying to build something here guys. Can’t have a guy who would rather slap asses than fix Starlin Castro’s inability to stay focused for more than 4 seconds at a time. Have to agree with this firing and just hope Marc Strickland doesn’t kill himself because he got cut from the big leagues and no one has picked him up off waivers.