Buck Stuff

[Scrat1]

Talk about ingratitude. Have we become this spoiled?

[BarclaySouthway]

I just watched the press conference. His explanations made little sense. I had no issue with Givens, Brach, Hart, O'Day, or Duensing and the way they were used. They were used in positions that made sense. I just can't understand Ubaldo over Britton out of the pen.

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What I got out of it was that he was worried about burning Britton too early and adhering to the old "don't use your closer in a tie game on the road" adage. This explanation seemed to satisfy no one in the media except for Rick Dempsey and possibly Jim Hunter. I believe Joe Morgan also telegrammed his support.

[Enjoy Terror]

I have not seen Britton interviewed anywhere. I'm curious what he thought of not being used. This does not make sense and Buck's postgame comments reminded me of when we lost to KC a few years ago. He looked lost almost like he was surprised the game was over. We really have to go home and no more games this year? That's how he acted. He didn't look disappointed to me. You can interpret that any way you want. Strange ending! I guess the money was on the Orioles in Vegas. I agree with Tony's comments.

First, that interview will never happen, and second, if it did it would be nothing of substance. Canned answers and support for the team.

[SteveA]

When the roster was announced, I read somewhere that Ubaldo was on the roster for this exact situation - extra innings. I didn't see a whole lot of complaining about that, so I'm not sure why we should be complaining in hindsight now. Ubaldo didn't have it tonight and we lost the game, but the decision was made when it was decided to have Ubaldo on the 25-man roster. Britton is the closer and we were the visiting team, so saving him for a closing situation does make sense. I thought maybe Buck might go get Ubaldo after the first two hits to bring in Bundy, but I really do get why Buck didn't have the closer in the game. In any case, the main reason we lost was we failed to score. Man, that first pitch to Reimold was a fat home run pitch - a mistake in the dead center of the strike zone - taken for strike one.

I figured he was on the team for two reasons:

1) a LONG extra inning game when you have usedup your real relievers, a list that I would think would include the best reliever in baseball in the midst of an epically good 3 year run

2) an extremely early exit by your starter due to injury, obvious lack of command, etc

[utvolzac]

Everything about that last inning was awful.

Reimold pinch hitting when he has no business being in the major leagues let alone the game.

Then keeping him in LF to fumble the ball, while Stubbs, who's whole purpose is to give us late inning defense is on the bench.

Not walking Encarnacion? Why? What's the strategy to pitch to him?

Losing with Britton not even getting in the game is one of the most sickening feelings ever.

Yes the Offense sucked but with the game on the line and no tomorrow you have to go with Britton and give your offense another chance.

What we did felt like giving it away.

[LookitsPuck]

These decisions are fickle.

Tomorrow, I don't want anyone else other than Buck to rebound from this.

Tonight, I want to bury him because Miley and Jimenez are pretty poor pitchers to hang your hat on. At least Miley had 6 innings to base judgement on. Jimenez is a pretty piss poor decision in relief.

If Jimenez started this game, I wouldn't Buck one bit.

[Rojo13]

This ranks up there when the Seahawks passed with two yards to go.

Post of the night.

You simply have to go to Britton for two. Then if we lose, no matter who it is Bundy, Ubladon, Hunter, I don't care. It's the 13th inning, you lost a crazy game.

But to bring in a guy who is a) horrible at relief b) prone to walks and c) horrible at holding people on to face a leadoff hitter when you have a guy who just had one of the greatest seasonns EVER for a pitcher is idiotic. With DUnsing getting the K, he only needed 5 outs.

[SteveA]

You lose, you lose. I always want to win, but I'm not going to get outraged at this outcome. We knew this team was flawed, we were playing with house money. The flaws need to be fixed or we need to make some serious changes.

But we lost without using one of our very best players in a role he would excel in.

If we lost because we put our best players out there and they weren't good enough (which might have happened eventually even if Britton came in for the 11th), then so be it.

But to lose with a great talent not getting to affect the game in a role he is excellent at... Sorry that is inexcusable, unforgivable, whatever adjective you want to use.

[LookitsPuck]

I have not seen Britton interviewed anywhere. I'm curious what he thought of not being used. This does not make sense and Buck's postgame comments reminded me of when we lost to KC a few years ago. He looked lost almost like he was surprised the game was over. We really have to go home and no more games this year? That's how he acted. He didn't look disappointed to me. You can interpret that any way you want. Strange ending! I guess the money was on the Orioles in Vegas. I agree with Tony's comments.

Britton was frustated and healthy.

This is the issue. You have a Cy Young contender.

Who's a reliever.

Ready to rock and roll.

And you put in a starter who's been utterly abysmal for 2/3 of the season...in a relief. And you let him fail: to the first hitter. To the second hitter.

....and Britton hasn't warmed up at all.

It's just dumb.

[Grt 2BA FL Gator]

It's like he was trying to copy Gibbons and Liriano move got into his head. I know as a fan it got into mine. It felt like that was gonna be a long game. That said, UJ's stuff is not Liriano's out of the pen. Would have much preferred Britton/Bundy/Hunter to try to match Liriano's length.

[tinamodotti]

Inexcusable.

The entire world is currently slack jawed at what was one of the worst decisions in the history of professional sports.

Outside of sports I'm sure Buck is a good person, but within the realm of the sport this is unforgivable. This ranks right up there with Maier but feels worse because it was self-inflicted.

We spend money and time supporting this team and the manager decides to not play the best player. There is no discussion, there is no nothing. This can't happen but it did.

I'm done with him. Thanks for helping turn the ship around. There is no coming back from this.

[utvolzac]

Keep in mind that you spent most of the next several years after GW left hating Gary Williams' replacement in Mark Turgeon. I am not saying that new blood can't be better but it can also be a LOT worse. We should consider any decisions about Buck's future quite carefully IMHO.

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Is it also not fair to say that maybe there is something to the history that teams win the World Series after Buck gets fired?

Clearly he is great a building teams, but maybe his stubbornness like we saw tonight is the reason his teams can't get over the hump.

Just saying

[LookitsPuck]

It's like he was trying to copy Gibbons and Liriano move got into his head. I know as a fan it got into mine. It felt like that was gonna be a long game. That said, UJ's stuff is not Liriano's out of the pen. Would have much preferred Britton/Bundy/Hunter to try to match Liriano's length.

Agreed.

[SteveA]

This ranks up there when the Seahawks passed with two yards to go.

Yep. Excellent analogy.

Carroll wasn't fired for that, nor should he be. He is a great coach who has taken his team to higher levels than anyone in a long time.

But he made a horrible decision in the Super Bowl, was universally criticized for it, and it will be a blot on his excellent r?sum? forever.

Same for Buck.

[atomic]

Well Buck is not going to apologize. And mr Angelos isn't going to allow DD to fire Buck.