Chicago Cubs: Chris Bosio makes indirect PED charge, angers Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio makes an indirect accusation of PED usage by Eric Thames that infuriates team management.

Things sure are different when you are World Series champions. When you say something as the member of the “Lovable Losers” Chicago Cubs, it doesn’t garner much attention. When you say it as the champs, people notice it.

Pitching coach Chris Bosio got into some hot water after he indirectly accused Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Eric Thames. Thames ripped through the league in April, He hit .345/.810/1.276, smashing 11 home runs and driving in 19 runs. When the Brewers came to Wrigley April 17-19, he went 6-for-11 with 3 doubles and a home run.

Of course, such a start makes people talk about PED usage, especially when his career stats are .261/.476/.794, with just 21 home runs and 62 RBI. Talk grows even more when you are out of baseball for four years, then come back like that.

Anyone can whisper when such things happen. After all the scandals of the past couple of decades, whispers are natural. When you almost call someone out on it without any proof, that is different.

Such is the case with Bosio. He spoke about Thames on the Mully and Hanley Show (via CBS Sports):

More from Da Windy City

"Well, the bottom line is [Thames] has hit the ball and we gotta figure out a way to get around [it]. All that other stuff, I’ll let other people worry about. But he’s doing stuff that I haven’t seen done for a long time.You start thinking about Ken Griffey Jr., Manny Ramirez when he went to the Dodgers, Barry Bonds … You’re talking about some of the greatest players to ever play this game. So, yeah, it’s probably a ‘head-scratcher’ because nobody knows who this guy is. And when he was here before, his body has changed. But, like I said, I’ll leave that to everyone else and we’re just gonna try to worry about how to pitch him better and get him out."

Okay, that was a lot going on there. Bosio talked about how Thames’ body changed, and how he did things he hadn’t seen in a long time. I guess he didn’t notice Gary Sanchez go on his home run tear last season. He also mentioned two notorious PED users, Manny Ramirez and Barry Bonds.

Then Bosio goes on and says he wants everyone else to worry about it. Basically, he launched a grenade then walked away and asked everyone else to deal with it.

After a loss to the Brewers, pitcher John Lackey also seemed to make an accusation. After the game, he told reporters how the homer Thames hit was a head-scratcher. He winked at them as he said it.

We need to be careful when we lob accusations like that around. Remember, there are whispers about Cubs players as well. After years of struggling on the mound, Jake Arrieta became almost unhittable, having one of the greatest seasons any pitcher had in 2015. Rumors spread about him and possible PED use as well.

It’s not good to spread rumors and innuendo without any evidence. It creates a bad atmosphere not only between the two teams but also with baseball in general. To that effect, Chicago Cubs management was none too pleased with what they heard.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, team officials were infuriated with what Bosio said. One official said it was the wrong thing to do.

Next: Way too early look at Bears 2018 draft targets

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. If the Chicago Cubs don’t want uninvited rumors about their players and PED usage, then they should keep quiet about others. If there is no proof, then it’s best to just shut up and play.

Home/Chicago Cubs