On Sveum's performance, NCAA football & Sox attendance

Is Cub manager Dale Sveum in for the long haul?

Turned on the Chicago Cubs game Wednesday and watched a fight at the bat rack between New York Met players anxious to get at Cubs pitching.

The score ended 17-1, but the Mets surely didn't want to quit — they wanted more.

While the Cubs gave up in the sixth inning, I don't know what a manager can do when he has a bad team. I think he should instill some fight, and the team should improve as the season grinds on.

I'm not seeing that, are you?

If you are Cubs brass, you will be closely watching the players and coaches after the All-Star Game break, but the manager will and should be the focus.

The Cubs are playing .340 baseball right now. They are rebuilding. They have injuries. They have young players. Hey those are all legitimate points, but if they don't get better in the second half and continue to play under .400 ball then, in my opinion, 2013 will be the biggest year for Dale Sveum.

Will he be a guy that gets it done like Clint Hurdle in Pittsburgh, Robin Ventura with the Sox, Kirk Gibson in Arizona or Buck Showalter in Baltimore? We will find out. Those are managers of teams that weren't supposed to get it done and so far they have.

So down the line will Sveum be one of them or will he be the next Tom Trebelhorn or Preston Gomez? Only time will tell. But right now trending to the latter is what Dale Sveum is doing.

NCAA football formatHip Hip Hooray, the college presidents have put in a four-team playoff system. Now I will be arguing about why a fifth-ranked team deserves to get in. It's OK, but the fact that they are waiting until 2014 is ridiculous. And my biggest problem is they will not change until 2025 if it doesn't work.Boy oh boy, talk about #8220;Hey, don't bother us now. Wait 'til then.#8221; Oh well, like I said, better this than what we had.Your White Sox emailsEmails came in fast and strong on my White Sox attendance column last week.Some samples: Jim Costas of Elk Grove Village said it was White Sox prices and the economy.Tim Wehrli talked about the location and sitting on the expressway at I-55 for an hour.Jim Burke took on the broadcast team, saying fans want to be entertained #8212; not told about the difference between a two-seam and four-seam fastball. They want to be engaged as fans. They don't want instructional clinics after a long day of work. From the emails we got, these were the White Sox issues in order: 1. Economy.2. Location.3. Announcers.4. Front office marketing.5. Being too far from the ballpark. No one likes a two-hour drive after getting off work. My question this week:What grade does Dale Sveum get as the Cubs manager? Email me at mike@northtonorth.com.#376; Mike North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.