Comments on: Nearly set-up for failure

By: 13thman

13thman — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:53:03 +0000

That list was definitely made by a red sox fan. I was in hysterics seeing Aaron Boone up there. Look, he hit a HR that sent your team home in the 2003 alcs, get over it. He wasn’t on steroids because he had one big hit in his career. And 20/103 players on steroids came from the AL East? Looks like the sox fan that wrote that was just going down AL East 2003 rosters naming everyone he didn’t like and then realized he had already used up 1/5th of his possible names, and so started throwing out random/obvious names no longer organized by team

By: Garron

Garron — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:24:23 +0000

I love the last paragraph you have there. I myself have often thought the exact same thing before of Girardi and a few other managers in the league. It makes you want to pull your hair out sometime. Just manage the situation, at that moment, in that specific game, its that simple. Good call.

By: The Monk

The Monk — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:09:54 +0000

I don’t think Pete is that type of sportswriter, Chris N. He has blasted Girardi for failing to adhere to convention because often managing by THE BOOK is the best choice — look at Pete’s comments for the game against the Mess last weekend when he hit Joey G for not stealing with Gardner ahead of Wang (CMW hit into a DP) and for not walking Castillo with Livan up next, two outs and a runner in scoring position (Castillo smacked an RBI hit).

Joel Sherman of the Post is the prototype of what you describe — Joba should be in the ‘pen . . . oh, he whiffed 12 Blosax in 5.2 innings, he should start.

The fact remains that no matter how easy it is to sit in the booth and second-guess, the great managers are the ones who will defy convention and aggressively control the games and the critics be buggered. Their control and unpredictability helps their team in close games, especially in the playoffs.

This explains why LaRussa could win a World Series with Anthony Reyes, Jeff Weaver and Jeff Suppan getting four starts, and why the Yankees won the 1996 Series even though Smoltz-Maddux-Glavine pitched 36.2 innings in five starts with a 1.23 ERA (the Yanks won three of those five games). It’s the type of decision-making that leads the manager to yank his starter after 4.2 IP with a 3-2 lead and bring in a washed-up 4-14 veteran to face the most dangerous hitter in the opposing lineup (Torre, 2000 WS) or start a rookie on three days’ rest in game 7 of the World Series (Scioscia, 2002).

Joe Maddon, Mike Scioscia, and Terry Francona all manage as Pete describes. When Torre STOPPED doing so and became a paint-by-numbers guy (basically, game 4 of the ’03 Series), the Yanks stopped winning championships. The paradigm example: the 2004 ALCS, when Francona outmanaged Torre so badly it looked like Torre was the first-year skipper at the club desperate for respect and Francona was the cagey veteran with nearly a fistful of rings.

By: PaulieFan

PaulieFan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:56:04 +0000

This particular discussion is an apt illustration of a pet peeve of mine that plays out on many blogs and newspapers when discussing managerial decisions. They invariably focus on the implications of a decision within the context of the single game. I believe that successful managers often are managing BEYOND the individual game. They sometimes make a move because they need to see if someone can handle a particular situation, or to bolster a player’s confidence. I agree, that in the specific context of last night’s game, I would have left Hughes in. However, in the context of establishing a strong bullpen for the rest of the season, Girardi needs to get Bruney “going”. He had a 2 run lead, and Mo in reserve, so I can see (and accept) his logic for bringing Bruney in.

By: Gman

Gman — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:43:01 +0000

The stuff The Girardi does half the time is none sense. Mixing and matching is a load a crap. How about coaching with know how and gut than the book. If the dude is pitching well why the hell pull him? He’s done this far too many times to count and most of those choices have come back to bite him. Half the time it’s like he’s taking his queues from Baseball for Dummies.

By: Chris N

Chris N — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:16:58 +0000

I do like how sportswriters like Pete kill guys for going against convention…and then turn around when they do follow convention turn around and hammer them for not being creative. I think its easy to sit up there in the booth and make these calls (even on a well-read, public blog like this) because you don’t have to answer any questions later on and you don’t have to deal with whether your ideas work out. If you were right, you can take credit for being right (as sportswriters never hesitate to do) and if you’re wrong, you can just pretend like the whole thing never happened. Managers don’t have that luxury and are often damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

By: PaulieFan

PaulieFan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:35:10 +0000

I think folks are overlooking the big picture that Girardi is trying to paint. Many people believe (Joe included?) that a bullpen works best as a unit if the respective parts have a feel for when/how they will be used. It seems clear that mental preparation for an appearance on the mound(a very important aspect)would be aided by defined roles. To that end, he needs to get Bruney’s role established. Nobody likes (or could predict) the result from last night, but I think his motivation is legitimate. Also, I’m loath to criticize the logic of a very successful big league catcher, based on my net experience in that role . . .

By: JB

JB — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:23:36 +0000

Damed if you do, damned if you don’t. Girardi doesn’t play by the book (A-Rod resting, using Hughes mid-innings, etc) and he gets questioned for it.

He then plays by the book (or at least does what he said he would do – make Bruney the 8th inning guy) and he’s questioned for it.

Hughes should not be given the 8th inning because he will be too valuable as a starter in just another couple of months, if not sooner due to injury. They would only set themselves up for another Joba issue if they do that now.

By: Fan Interference

Fan Interference — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:40:00 +0000

I have to admit K-Rod had it right with Bruney. He’s a guy that’s done nothing, but talks a big game. Let him stay healthy and consistent for a couple of years, and then talk.

By: bobshantz

bobshantz — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:54:24 +0000

Talk about throwing out the book, someday someone will review the managerial decisions of Casey Stengel. He used different lineups almost every day depending on who was hot (and other things). He was always 3 deep at every position. He didn’t use a fixed rotation. Many times he held Whitey Ford out for more than 5 days and then pitched him with 2 days rest in big series. The list goes on. I suppose the players would be upset today, and of course he set himself up for some serious second guessing. But it worked out pretty well for him (at least until he got to the Mets).