Bruce Miles Is Fair & Balanced: Part II

I've complained in the past that the Chicago media gives Ryan Theriot a free pass. You never hear them call him out for his defensive limitations, or for his repeated attempts to advance from second to third on a ball hit to the shortstop.

I've also complained about Bruce Miles from the Daily Herald in the past when I felt like he wasn't providing fair coverage. That's why I found it refreshing to read this:

Shortstop Ryan Theriot entered Tuesday with 35 walks and 78 strikeouts. That's a far cry from last year, when he had 73 walks and 58 strikeouts for the entire season.

Theriot's on-base percentage is way down, too. It was .343 entering Tuesday. Last season, Theriot had an OBP of .387.

Earlier this year, manager Lou Piniella asked Theriot to "drive" the ball more. He came into Tuesday with career bests in homers (7) and RBI (49). However, his post all-star-break numbers included an OBP of .323 and a slugging percentage of .333.

While it's not nearly as negative as some of the things written about Soriano, Bradley and Zambrano in the past, I do appreciate that Bruce isn't playing favorites when it comes to pointing out who isn't getting the job done. That's pretty much all I've been asking for from the media. Since I've ripped him in the past when I felt that he got it wrong, I would be guilty of playing favorites myself if I failed to point out when I felt Bruce Miles got it right.