Dan Duquette's Nightmare Year

[Il BuonO]

Some of our guys could stand to take a page from Davey's book on pitching and "pitch from a favorable deviation" when they toe the rubber.

[Can_of_corn]

Davey Johnson very well may have been smarter than Earl at managing baseball and without the temperament. Not quite as entertaining.

Might have been smarter but wasn't as innovative.

And he had the advantage of having Weaver as a manager.

[Il BuonO]

Might have been smarter but wasn't as innovative.

And he had the advantage of having Weaver as a manager.

Oh, he's admitted he learned by watching and playing for him. Of course, it would have been hard to be innovative in the areas where Earl broke ground.

[mdbdotcom]

Here's a good article about Davey Johnson that deals with his use of computers, how he once wrote a computer program to show Earl why he should be batting 2nd instead of 7th, a a few more goodies.

As a player, Johnson and his theories didn’t get very far with his manager, and as a manager, his players disregarded his computer with a flippant wave. He didn’t get far with his own teammates, either. He recalled watching pitcher Dave McNally struggle to hit the inside corners during one particular start. Between innings, Johnson said to him, “You’re in an unfavorable chance deviation.”

In other words, stop aiming at the corners. Aim it down the middle, and you’ll hit the corners.

Predictably, that particular bit of advice didn’t go over very well.

“From that, I was nicknamed ‘Dum-Dum,'” Johnson said.

[24fps]

Some of our guys could stand to take a page from Davey's book on pitching and "pitch from a favorable deviation" when they toe the rubber.

I find myself oddly attracted to the notion of being "favorably deviant" even when not pitching. Where do I sign up?

[Il BuonO]

I find myself oddly attracted to the notion of being "favorably deviant" even when not pitching. Where do I sign up?

Hmm, I think Dan has a spot for you in the front office.

[25 Nuggets]

They called him dum dum because he was smart.

Davey Johnson very well may have been smarter than Earl at managing baseball and without the temperament. Not quite as entertaining.

I stand corrected. Egg on my face.

Sadly I wasn't alive for the 60s or 70s.