I’m not preferring to call Hargrove incompetent and ignorant. I’m pointing out that they are justifiable conclusions, more defensible than mind reading, and that for some reason I can’t understand, you insist that Hargrove not caring is the only conclusion you can reach. Forget generosity; it shows a lack of imagination on your part.

I admit that while I can’t stand Hargrove as a manager and want him to GO, I don’t feel compelled to conclude that he’s deficient in character, except in the very human way of calcifying around a set of beliefs that he’s probably always held.

It seems to me that the worst professional thing you can say about a sports person is that he doesn’t care about winning, and that such a serious slam requires some solid evidence.

If you call me incompetent, ignorant or say that I don’t care about winning, I would take all three as an insult.

Don’t we?

Ugh.

I find it hard to believe that a major league manager wouldn’t have easy access to information like the stuff we can get on the blogosphere.

Whatever the reason, I think we can all agree that Hargrove should be removed from his position and replaced with someone who can be an asset to the organization.

Hargrove says that he dislikes losing, but based on his actions I can only conclude that it really doesn’t bother him.

I’ve already responded (in post 74) to your insistence that Hargrove’s actions prove that losing doesn’t bother him; I can only conclude that you are unwilling or unable to consider alternative conclusions that fit the facts just as well as your ungenerous mind-reading. Obviously we’re not going to come to an agreement about this, but I think it would broaden your understanding of human behavior considerably if you could find it within you to consider more charitable explanations for people’s failures than lack of caring.

Think of a person who says and acts as though he/she dislikes his or her job. If this person is really unhappy with the job, a new job will be found. Someone who really desires change, because current circumstances are completely unacceptable will go to great lengths to change.

Hargrove says that he dislikes losing, but based on his actions I can only conclude that it really doesn’t bother him. You do have to give the guy a little bit of credit for starting to tinker with the lineup though, but it might be to little to late.

For one thing, Grover has some competent alternatives…

From a numbers standpoint, I’m not sure what was wrong with Ayala. If you took away his W-L record, his ERA and his name and asked if you would take a relief pitcher with his K/9, BB/9 and HR/9 I think a lot of people would.

Hargrove loyalty is different.