Cubs eager to put new ways into practice

MESA, Ariz. -- Since the day the Chicago Cubs introduced Theo Epstein as their new president of baseball operations there's been ongoing discussion of the new "Cubs Way." The Cubs want a uniform approach, from Single-A to the majors. They want clear expectations of how things are done. They want a culture of hard work and focus to produce a culture of winning. But with the new era underway and Opening Day in a little more than a month, the time for talk is over. The Cubs recognize it's now time to back up all the talk with results on the field. "We can talk about it all we want," veteran pitcher Ryan Dempster said. "Talk about winning and talk about building for the future, but instead of talking about it, you've got to be about it. You've got to go out on the field and perform." Reliever Kerry Wood said much the same: "It's been talked about from the top and it's trickling its way down, but as players we have to go out and do it and produce. Philosophy or way or whatever you want to call it, if you don't go out and do your stuff on the field, then it makes that philosophy or theory look bad." Wood might have better perspective than anyone else. Now entering his 12th season with the Cubs, Wood has been around for the last five managers, two division titles and three postseason appearances. Wood said it's too early to tell if the new direction will produce a different atmosphere in spring training, but it's clear the Cubs are eager to get going with the new plan in place. "There's definitely a different energy," Wood said. "I feel like this organization was in a situation where some change was probably needed, and they went about it the right way I think." That new energy starts with Epstein. The former Red Sox executive arrived in the Windy City to much fanfare, touted by some as the savior of a star-crossed organization. Given that Epstein ended Boston's World Series drought in 2004 (and oversaw a second title in 2007), it's easy to understand why he has sent a charge of excitement through the organization and its fan base. But while teams may be built in the front office, championships are won on the field. Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer can put the pieces in place, but the players know it's up to them to get results. "I think the plan is the same idea -- to go out there and try to win," Dempster said. "But it's also about playing the game the right way, being there for each other as teammates and pushing each other to get the best we can out of each other." Tasked with getting the Cubs to play that way is rookie manager Dale Sveum, the former Milwaukee hitting coach with just 16 games of managerial experience in the majors from an interim stint with the Brewers in 2008. Well before he took the field in uniform for his first day of spring camp at Fitch Park in Mesa, Sveum began preaching hard work. He openly criticized the Cubs' work ethic at his introductory press conference and started making his expectations very clear. Accordingly, it's not hard to figure how Sveum plans to get his players to, as Dempster put it, be about the new direction and live up to all the talk that's come with the organization's remodeling. "Through hard work and holding people accountable for their preparation on a daily basis," Sveum said. "A lot of times its easy to be good from time to time. The thing is you've got to get them to be good every day." As with Epstein and Hoyer, though, Sveum can only do so much. The onus is on the players to compete hard every day and put in the expected effort. Much of that will come from example. "The easiest thing for us to do is just go out there and work hard," Dempster said. "When you work hard, you set examples for new guys or younger guys that this is how we want to do things here and the rest just takes care of itself." Its clear that veterans like Dempster have embraced Sveum's old school approach and focus on fundamentals as the right way for the Cubs to do things now. Moreover, they've embraced the whole plan, from top to bottom. "We're very fortunate to have some pretty special veterans," Sveum said. "When you have special human beings and the character they have, they're embracing it because they know things are going in the right direction and everything is (about) trying to get this organization back to where it should be, winning on a consistent basis." While the off-season was spent getting younger (gone are Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano) and avoiding the temptation of a big-money quick fix like Prince Fielder, both Wood and Dempster refuse to believe this season is a lost cause. While acknowledging that the plan might take a year or two, both believe the timeline will take care of itself as long as every player does his part. With the introductory period over for the new regime, the point is this: Organizations don't get better by saying they'll get better or touting a new vision; they get better when individuals make it happen. "You can't go out and make the same mistakes you made yesterday or do it again the following day," Wood said. "You've got to eventually get better and stop making the same mistakes over and over. That's when guys turn the page and organizations turn the page."