I guess it is natural to look for someone to blame in a situation like this. I mean, look at what happened with the Titanic. Someone had to be held responsible. Some blamed the captain, others the navigator, and some held the lookout responsible. Most folks figured someone ought to have seen that iceberg coming, right?

Well, Cubbie faithful, and believe me, you have to be faithful to be a Cubs fan, figure someone’s to blame and most fingers are now pointing at Baker. Fans and media alike are rumbling loudly for Dusty’s ouster and the din is growing louder.

In all honesty, I don’t think this is fair. All of the blame can’t be laid at Dusty’s doorstep. Let’s take a look at other factors that have played into the Cubs’ demise.

First, Derrek Lee went down with a broken wrist in mid-April and has just now returned to the lineup. Last year, Lee accounted for almost one-third of Chicago’s offense, was among the best defensive first basemen in the league, and was a stabilizing force in the clubhouse. In short, Lee’s injury was devastating and it showed immediately, especially on offense.

Chicago has scored the fewest runs in baseball this year, 23 runs fewer than the Kansas City Royals, the franchise that is the flagship of ineptitude. The Royals, in fact, are now in a three-way dogfight with the Pirates and the Cubs for the worst record in baseball. Oh, how far has Chicago fallen?

Pretty far!

On paper, the Cubs should have had the best starting pitching in the National League. Unfortunately, the games are not played on paper. Other than Greg Maddux, the Cubs’ starting rotation has been abysmal. Call it the Curse of the Goat, but once again, the pitching problems started with the health of flamethrower Kerry Wood and standout Mark Prior.

Wood came into the season nursing a sore shoulder and wound up on the disabled list for the umpteenth time in his career. Once he came off the DL, Wood remained healthy for about three days, give or take a day or two. He hurt his arm and went right back on the shelf, where he has spent most of the last three years.

Prior seems to be one of those guys who is an injury looking for place a to happen. Loaded with talent, Prior has never been able to live up to his vast potential because of one injury after another. This season, Prior nursed a sore arm, bad back and bum elbow. He finally came off the disabled list 10 days ago and, like Wood, promptly returned to inactivity. In Prior’s comeback outing he gave up four homers and seven runs in one-and-a-third innings. I suspect he had to visit his chiropractor after the game, as he must have had whiplash from craning his neck around to watch all those taters leave Wrigley Field.

The Cubs have bet the farm on the health of Wood and Prior for the last five seasons and came up empty every time. This is not the fault of Dusty Baker.

No, the blame lies with the front office and the players on the field. Cubs’ management shelled out a total of $94.4 million in salary for 2006. And what did they get? Other than Derrek Lee, with an injured wing, not much. Other than Aramis Ramerez, no other Cub is an offensive threat. Juan Pierre, signed from Florida, has been good on defense but his offense has been woeful. Michael Barrett has started to hit but the catcher recently spent 10 days serving a suspension for slugging A.J. Pyrzinski in the face after a collision at home plate.

I could go on and on, but I won’t.

How bad will it get on the North Side this summer? How long will Baker last?

Stay tuned