Showalter gives Fox an earful

[Lateralus]

Well, obviously Buck and Leyland feel that the unwritten rules are already in effect. I'll defer to their judgment unless you have more ML managerial experience than they do.

I have more experience.

[murrayfan420]

All of these idiotic "rules" in baseball are so annoying.

[square634]

All of these idiotic "rules" in baseball are so annoying.

I wish that one day a manager would stand up and say "I don't care about unwritten rules. We'll stop trying to win when you start bunting to the pitcher for every out."

Losing 4-3 and 30-3 both stink, but not as much as having an 8-0 lead and losing 9-8 because you stopped playing to win out of fear of offending a team of wealthy professional athletes.

[Lateralus]

I wish that one day a manager would stand up and say "I don't care about unwritten rules. We'll stop trying to win when you start bunting to the pitcher for every out."

Losing 4-3 and 30-3 both stink, but not as much as having an 8-0 lead and losing 9-8 because you stopped playing to win out of fear of offending a team of wealthy professional athletes.

Exactly, it's like in football when teams just go into prevent defense and we all know the only thing it prevents is actually winning the game.

[Miller192]

I don't think you can try to enforce unwritten rules too much when you're blasting another team's players and GM to the media.

[John Budge]

I wish that one day a manager would stand up and say "I don't care about unwritten rules. We'll stop trying to win when you start bunting to the pitcher for every out."

Losing 4-3 and 30-3 both stink, but not as much as having an 8-0 lead and losing 9-8 because you stopped playing to win out of fear of offending a team of wealthy professional athletes.

LOL...taking a 3-0 pitch doesn't mean a guy isn't playing to win. That's the standard play unless the skipper gives the green light.

[xKHx]

I wish that one day a manager would stand up and say "I don't care about unwritten rules. We'll stop trying to win when you start bunting to the pitcher for every out."

Losing 4-3 and 30-3 both stink, but not as much as having an 8-0 lead and losing 9-8 because you stopped playing to win out of fear of offending a team of wealthy professional athletes.

You mean when Steve Spurrier bucked the preseason rules and decided to put his middle finger up to all the other coaches and teams in spring training games? Is that what you mean? Ask Redskin fans how that turned out for him that year.

[Tony-OH]

One thing that may have occrued was that Buck may have covered this already this spring and that Fox ignored his "advice." I don't really know one way or the other, but I have a hard time thinking Buck was that upset over a guy like Fox breaking an unwritten rule unless it was already addressed to the team.

Hopefully Fox was aplogetic and everyone can just move on.

[El Gordo]

Maybe Fox couldn't read the unwritten rule because he forgot his invisable glasses. I have always marveled how it seems mandatory to watch a huge fat cookie go by on 3-0, and then swing at the slider in the dirt on 3-1, regardless:rolleyestf:.

[kane]

This news is Fox-worthy! I actually enjoy the action and the reaction. Here you have a guy doing his best to make the team and a manager that is trying passionately to instill the idea of how the game should be played. I prefer this to the robotic approach of an AB and spring training in general. There is some fire this year...a little heat...and a little competition. It's about time!:wedge:

[SrMeowMeow]

If Fox ignored a take sign, I understand. If not, and this is some bizarre "breaking the code" thing, I don't get it at all.

[olehippi]

So I'm reading this thread and wondering what's going on with Buck? First he takes a shot at Derek Jeter. Then he pops off about Theo Epstein's abilities. And now he jumps all over Jake Fox over a minor faux pas. I'm somewhat concerned because Showalter does have a history of problems with players, and of rather quickly wearing out his welcome. It almost seems like there's some inherent self-destructive process in play. I'm wondering if that process has already begun?

I remember reading this blog article soon after Buck was announced as the new O's manager. It took me a while to find it again, but I thought it was worth rereading. It bothered me then, and it bothers me even more now. Maybe I'm over-reacting, but it does raise some questions.

http://www.camdenchat.com/2010/8/2/1600436/a-ranger-fans-view-on-buck

[JERSEYORIOLE]

I thought the issue was that Fox intentionally extended the AB by swinging at a CLEAR ball four (as in, bounced or way up or out or something like that), so he didn't have to walk.

Leyland isn't getting angry over someone swinging on 3-0, people. Has to be something like I stated above.

I mean, I did that in a lawyers' softball league game and felt "dirty" doing it.

Lawyers softball game? I wonder how many hours were billed during that game?

[JERSEYORIOLE]

One thing that may have occrued was that Buck may have covered this already this spring and that Fox ignored his "advice." I don't really know one way or the other, but I have a hard time thinking Buck was that upset over a guy like Fox breaking an unwritten rule unless it was already addressed to the team.

Hopefully Fox was aplogetic and everyone can just move on.

I think this is probably the case. I think Fox has probably been doing some things that Buck isnt really happy with.

Having said that, overreaction or not, im just glad there was ANY reaction. Maybe Buck was wrong and over reacted, but at the very least, the players got the message, play the game how Buck wants you to, right or wrong. I actually liked Trembley, but It was rare to see much of a reaction from him about anything. Seeing Buck get upset about something he viewed as being wrong, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

[raveoned]

So I'm reading this thread and wondering what's going on with Buck? First he takes a shot at Derek Jeter. Then he pops off about Theo Epstein's abilities. And now he jumps all over Jake Fox over a minor faux pas. I'm somewhat concerned because Showalter does have a history of problems with players, and of rather quickly wearing out his welcome. It almost seems like there's some inherent self-destructive process in play. I'm wondering if that process has already begun?

I remember reading this blog article soon after Buck was announced as the new O's manager. It took me a while to find it again, but I thought it was worth rereading. It bothered me then, and it bothers me even more now. Maybe I'm over-reacting, but it does raise some questions.

http://www.camdenchat.com/2010/8/2/1600436/a-ranger-fans-view-on-buck

Thank you for posting that. Actually, it reinforces my thinking on why Showalter is here: he'll be the one to get this team in line, disciplined and ready to go back to the winning ways. Once that's done, it will probably be at the time when someone else will be needed to get the team past that level and over the bump.