Il BuonO

Spoken like a guy about to be looking for a new managing gig. Seriously, couldn’t agree more. Girardi, Cash….there are too many more to list who have won awards and been overhyped.

Britton has a keen baseball mind and he’s managed many of the guys in the system currently up out at AAA. One of my best friends coached him and Zack. Players like him, as many here say the Orioles like Hyde. Here’s the thing, though, likability isn’t always a determining factor in a manager getting the most potential out of his players. But no one questions his baseball acumen. In used to think Cash was good until I watched him mismanage the Rays in game seven of the World Series. The Dodgers thank you, sir. Heck, look at Roberts of the Dodgers. I can’t remember a guy doing less with more than he’s done with the Dodgers. I’d rather a guy who can motivate his players without being their “friend”. Think Billy Martin or again, Earl….Palmer knows, of course and not everyone is Jim Palmer and Earl Weaver, but it worked. Sparky Anderson. I guess Lasorda, although, he made many questionable decisions in big games to be considered on a par with those three in my mind, but his overall temperament wasn’t always conducive to a touchy fly clubhouse, if you get my meaning. Bochy was good, don’t remember much about his clubhouse persona. Buck changed the culture in Baltimore when he became manager and it started by letting everyone know what was expected of them. I still think he was the right guy at the right time and then, he wasn’t. It is probably correct, though, to say it’s a different game today. Players are paid much more today and thereby managers are expendable. Do the bidding of ownership and/or the GM or we’ll find someone who will. Hey, it’s business.

Some guy named Earl says hello.

There’s a bevy of suitors as far as you know.

Meh

Sure there is, it’s called not having command of the strike zone as a hitter. Buck had it right initially when he scolded RM’s plate discipline. He needs to be patient and in turn he’ll get better pitches to hit. That may never happen. It’s one reason why I floated the idea of keeping Mancini at 1B, not as a DH and trading the power hitting (yeah, not lately) Mountcastle. I still like him and while he’s improved at 1B defensively, it’s not positionally significant insofar as just about anyone can be taught to play 1B. It’s easy….cue the Moneyball clip of Bean and Washington talking with Hatteberg. And cue @Can of Corn dragging me for even contemplating such an action. AR is better than RM, but I swear I love Mountcastle!

Maybe even LF.

Or, imagine he was signed and was leading this team into the stretch run for a WC spot. Does anyone really believe Machado wouldn’t have relished the idea of leading the team who drafted him into battle after all the years of losing? SD is no lock to win it all even with their additions. The Dodgers will have something to say about it. Before his ankle injury this year he was having a MVP caliber season. And he still looks good at 3B. Then, he’s in a position to hold down the fort for a couple years while they could have decided who plays 2B and SS between Henderson and Westburg with a team which only looks to get better if ownership can stay out of the way. At the very least they can look at the past regime’s failures and decide not to let AR go to the highest bidder after they’ve had his best years.

Vavra is more than capable to handle 2B especially when compared against Odor. No reason he should be a DH. They need to cut Odor loose.

Does he have a congenital defect in both knees? MM should have been signed regardless of the surgeries. But that was the era of endless medicals heightened by PAs ownership. “Do no harm”, became “He’s broken, let’s not risk it.” And then there’s the decision to sign a TTO player like Davis from whom they had already gotten more than was expected. Machado should have been extended-at any cost. AR should also be extended at any cost, but it remains to be seen whether or not Elias really has control or is the final word from the Angelos family trust. No amount of feel-good vibes from the current team’s emergence will suffice if the rug is pulled out later. Start negotiating and save the fan base from wondering if the clock is ticking until he leaves in FA.

Hope Mullins was watching that.

Well….

Clutch Urias on the way.

Shhhh

Vavra is a machine!

Not that RM does nothing with a 3-0 pitch. Wouldn’t have guessed that.

He has some potential.

I have a 10, a 12 year old and a 25 year old, but nobody touches that bottle except me!

Cedric heating up for the stretch run!

It’s not debatable, Garceau. Always faster to run through the bag and much, much less chance of injury.

Me as well, but I’m saving it for a victory lap.

Only 61 pitches for Kremer.

I love Ben McDonald.

Sure am glad Odor is still around to give them no shot of that run. I guess we just have to wait on another potential prospect to come up before we wave goodbye. Wait a minute….

…. Bounce another one.