Comments on: The September call-ups, with light commentary

By: ira

ira — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:23:12 +0000

Strikes me that our biggest deficit is starting pitching. And they didn’t or won’t be calling up my man Jorge Campillo or Robert Rohrbaugh. How come?
Does Horacio Ramirez have some photos of Bill Bavasi that he’s threatening to publish on the internet?

By: bug

bug — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:44:14 +0000

Which reminds me: if they were willing to, you could totally Earl Weaver this. Announce your lineup with 2B Green in a late slot (say, 7 or 8). The M’s get put down in order the first two innings, probably, but when it’s Green’s spot you PH Vidro for him, leave Vidro in at second, and then pull Vidro immediately after one of his at-bats to get Jose Lopez or Bloomquist in for defense.

Actually it was Alvin Dark who did this in 1974 with the A’s, continually pinch hitting for light hitting second basemen.

By: scraps

scraps — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:39:58 +0000

Gomez: Huh, thanks for the correction.

I am guessing that “pressures” of managing included the pressure of being pilloried by the media and second-guessed by his own veteran players for his unconventional moves — but that’s just a guess.

By: Gomez

Gomez — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:14:04 +0000

15. Dierker technically resigned. Though we usually know better, and though he made some contentious remarks after the 2000 postseason, to this day he admits the ‘pressures’ of managing the team led him to quit. His departure had nothing to do with the merit of his team’s performance.

By: joser

joser — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:09:50 +0000

Now that the season is officially over (am I being too pessimistic here?)

Not at all. It ended the moment Rick White set foot on the field in Thursday’s game.

To me, it’s about giving the manager options to increase the teams chances at winning the game.

To you, who understands a bench. But who cares what it means to you? To McLaren, it’s just more asses on the pine “learning” by watching. McLaren has demonstrated he has no fucking clue how to increase the team’s chances at winning the game.

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 18:41:55 +0000

Ummm, I know we haven’t seen JJ in a blue moon or two, but shouldn’t he be on that bullpen list?

By: scraps

scraps — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 18:41:52 +0000

As long as you win games, you can get away with an awful lot.

Yeah, although Larry Dierker won and that didn’t keep him from being fired and never getting another managing job.

By: JJD

JJD — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 17:44:18 +0000

I didn’t get home last night to see and M’s-Jays (and, thank God, apparently), but I did catch the tail end of the Huskies’ romp over Syracuse. I know football and baseball are entirely different, but it strikes me as eerily similar the Adam Jones and Jake Locker situations seem. The Huskies easily could have taken the same approach with Locker as the M’s have with Jones, with Carl Bonnell (the veteran right there) and the built-in excuse of a road opener and wanting veteran experience at the helm.

Obviously, instead the Huskies went with Montlake Jake, anointing him the starter in the spring, with SPECTACULAR results. Take note, M’s. A young guy CAN go out there in a big role and make it happen. I’d argue that a young QB probably has a more likely rate of failure than a young OF.

If nothing else, they both wear number 10, too.

By: pensive

pensive — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 17:40:39 +0000

I agree with what DMZ wrote earlier. Mac has proven to be less flexable than Hargrove. Which didn’t seem possable, to me antway.

I was pretty darn pleased that Hargrove took a stroll and Mac took over. Read he was more progressive, using computers, stats and more resting and /or platooning.

It certainly didn’t take long to see and learn Mac appears less flexable. Even though Managers supposedly can’t lose games, cetainly the Mac has changed my mind in that regard. If by bad choice or lack of change.

Hopefully having all the extra bench warmer will give Mac some security,of not running out of players for certain situations, that he will use Jones from now until the end of season. Plus give the guys a look.

By: Mat

Mat — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 14:19:04 +0000

(and go ahead: tell me that’s not realistic or possible in today’s game, even if Weaver did stuff like that)

I think that Mr. Weaver summed it up well in the title to the last chapter in Weaver On Strategy

HOW NOT TO GET FIRED
All It Takes Is A .583 Winning Percentage

As long as you win games, you can get away with an awful lot.