Poll: Fireable Offense?

[25 Nuggets]

Buck had one last shot to save face and bring in Britton when we desperately needed a double play and instead let Ubaldo throw a meatball.

Zach Britton, the ERA record holder and greatest ground ball pitcher EVER...

I can't get over it.

Gonna stay with Buck forever.

[CanadianOriole]

Certainly not fireable given how good he's been overall. Was an epic, incredible failure though. Tough week for Buck - the Miley stuff Saturday was a new low for him I thought - one of the worst sequence of decisions I'd seen from him (although it was all the same decision - keep leaving Miley in). Somehow, tonight was ever worse. He blew it from a rudimentary strategy perspective in win or go home playoff game in extra innings. That's a tough thing to sugarcoat. Still not fireable though. This team doesn't make the playoffs with most of the managers in baseball at the helm. It's too bad it ended this way - but it's baseball. Dreadful pitchers sometimes out duel aces. Sometimes John Gibbons outmanages Buck Showalter. Sucks that it had to be today - but there you have it.

[Moshagge3]

I don't think it's a fireable offense but I hope it is the nail in the coffin for the unwritten "use your closer if you're the home team, save him if you're the road team" rule. Statheads have railed against it for years, and I think this will wake up the regular folk, too.

[tinamodotti]

Who are you clowns going to get who is better?

Someone who will, with the winning run on first, bring in the pitcher with the best groundball % in the history of baseball.

Showalter is the only clown tonight.

[ChuckS]

This poll is faulty.

Those who believe that any single managing error (by itself) is a fireable offense to begin with needs to have their head examined.

[LookitsPuck]

This poll is faulty.

Those who believe that any single managing error (by itself) is fireable to begin with needs to have their head examined.

On the plus side, it's 80-20 against firing Buck. So maybe there's hope for humanity.

I bet if this was posted in 3 days, it'd be closer to 90-10.

[tinamodotti]

Those who believe that any single managing error (by itself) is a fireable offense to begin with needs to have their head examined.

The single error involved not playing the team's best player in an elimination game. That is worthy of termination.

[eddie83]

Do you know that among all 30 MLB teams, the Orioles had the second most number of players who were named to an All-Star at some point in their careers only behind the Boston Red Sox. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2016-misc.shtml Contrary to what people think, this team has a lot of talent. A good number of managers would have been able to win games with this roster over the last several years.

Look at the Jays team and Orioles. They scored more runs and overall had a superior rotation. We won the same number of games. Never said we were void of talent.

[sportsfan8703]

Fire coolbaugh. The offense is terrible. If the players aren't listening then you have to bring in someone they respect.

[Bradysburns]

He hasn't been?!?!

Buck has been masterful at using and preserving bullpens over the years - with very limited innings from his starting pitchers, generally. I think that's one of his strongest attributes, actually. That and his ability to motivate and focus players, and create an always-positive clubhouse atmosphere. There have been many points where the team could have started giving up on Buck, on itself, but they didn't - because of his leadership. That's my two cents.

That said, the opposition is making some interesting points, and some valid ones. Not bringing Britton in with two on in the 11th was a more egregious sin than not starting him in the 11th, IMO. So I get it. But I have never liked bringing in a closer in a tie ballgame. Ever. I understand the logic against my position, but it's not as strong as keeping people in their roles as much as possible, so they know what to expect, etc. It seems we used to lose about every time we brought our closer in during a tie ballgame. I know that's not very scientific, but some data might help sort this debate out. Luckily we have some real data people around here.

[Bradysburns]

Fire coolbaugh. The offense is terrible. If the players aren't listening then you have to bring in someone they respect.

YES. Someone's gotta go.

[Bradysburns]

The single error involved not playing the team's best player in an elimination game. That is worthy of termination.

How do you know it was an error? How do you know Britton wouldn't have given up a home run? He's due, for sure - and if you stretched him out a few innings, he might not do as well. I don't think it's so obvious it was the wrong decision, personally. But I've already yammered on long enough. TIme for beddy-bye.

[HokieOs]

Firing Buck would be ridiculous. Even the mentioning of firing Buck is ridiculous. Buck is our manager and he should continue to be so. Take a look at our roster top to bottom. We have a few home run hitters. We have a rotation of average pitchers. We have a good bullpen. This is a roster constructed to win 75-80 games. Buck maximized what IMO is a pretty average team with significant weaknesses (speed, OBP, rotation) and got them to the playoffs.

Now I could entertain the idea of firing Coolbaugh, given the slumps our offense had throughout the year.

Fun Fact: While more related to speed and not necessarily hitting, the Os were not only last place as far as hitting triples this year, but were nearly tripled up by the next lowest ranking team (Seattle was ranked 29th in triples, hitting 17 to our 6).

[Nevermore]

It was a bad mistake to bring Ubaldo in at that time. Ubaldo usually takes an inning or two to get settled. He does not make a very good high-leverage short relief pitcher. Still, I wouldn't fire Buck over this one mistake.

[Sessh]

How do you know it was an error? How do you know Britton wouldn't have given up a home run? He's due, for sure - and if you stretched him out a few innings, he might not do as well. I don't think it's so obvious it was the wrong decision, personally. But I've already yammered on long enough. TIme for beddy-bye.

How do I know? This is how:

67 IP

47 SV / 0 BS

0.54 ERA

0.84 WHIP

GB/FB ratio of 130/32 when a DP was needed.

Again, absurd logic for not using him. If we lose with Britton on the mound, so be it. At least we made them beat the best pitcher in baseball to beat us. To not even use him is absurd and so is defending that decision.