Palmer sounds like he's had enough.

[Frobby]

17 minutes ago, webbrick2010 said:

How is it that we are fielding a horrible defensive team, when Buck is a defense guy?

I don't know how bad our pitching is, because they are dealing with 8 guys behind them that can't make plays

 

You are dead right about this.    I’ve  heard hyperbole about this being a beer league softball team before, but now it really is.    

I hope if we go into a rebuild, and need to bring in some “filler” guys while waiting for the youngsters to mature, I hope we go for good defenders who play fundamentally sound baseball.   If that means the offense continues to be poor, I’ll live with it.

[webbrick2010]

We need to DFA one of the DH's today and bring up Rickard and start him in CF.

Why do we need to coddle veterans when it is completely obvious and backed by every statistic known to baseball that they can no longer do the job. Jeez Buck grow a pair!

[spiritof66]

7 hours ago, islebreeze said:

Hasn't everybody had enough? . . . 

 Bordick? Hunter? Peter Angelos?

[weams]

2 hours ago, pastorfan said:

It needs to be new ownership....hope Plank buys the team.

Plank?  Ha. 

[Pat Kelly]

The issue is leadership.    When the team was lousy in 2011 we felt with Buck there was hope he was the antidote to he previous poor managers lack of accountability and moribund play.   He would and did begin to fix things.   The Robert Andino hit and stirring win over the arrogant Red Sox on the last day of 2011 served as a launching pad for 2012.    Scrap heap guys like Davis and O’Day, McClouth became stars.  When Duquette came on board everyone laughed but then he signed Jones long-term and began to make smart pickups and draft better players.  2012 was an amazing year and a lovable team,  19 year old Machado was the last piece and he played other worldly defense and showed instinct that belied his years.   2014 was even better but those playoffs lacked Davis (suspended due adderal) and Machado (surgery on the other knee).   The seeds of today were sown that offseason with the failure to pursue Cruz,  the doubling down on Davis despite his issues after a great 2015 walk year and the trading way of numerous pitching prospects for basically a bunch of non performing players while failing to lock up the real future stars in Schoop and Machado.  

It is time for a reset with a strong smart GM which has been the path for every club that has won.   Duquette and Buck have to realize they have failed to build the right team and the problems are not fixable.   Time to move on and pass the baton.   Then and only then will we see some change and hope. 

[spiritof66]

14 minutes ago, Roy Firestone said:

You should hear what he tells me. And no, I won't repeat it.

That's OK. When you post, just put the parts that Cakes agrees with IN ALL CAPS. 

Thanks in advance.  . 

[waroriole]

3 hours ago, Frobby said:

You are dead right about this.    I’ve  heard hyperbole about this being a beer league softball team before, but now it really is.    

I hope if we go into a rebuild, and need to bring in some “filler” guys while waiting for the youngsters to mature, I hope we go for good defenders who play fundamentally sound baseball.   If that means the offense continues to be poor, I’ll live with it.

With the hope that the improved defense increases the trade value of Gausman and Bundy so we can reload this dead farm system. 

[OsEatAlEast]

20 minutes ago, waroriole said:

With the hope that the improved defense increases the trade value of Gausman and Bundy so we can reload this dead farm system. 

Defense is the new cheap component of MLB. One you really miss when you don't have it.

I could deal with the bad offense. If we had a handful of defensive plays each night that got me pumped up.

 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

8 minutes ago, OsEatAlEast said:

Defense is the new cheap component of MLB. One you really miss when you don't have it.

I could deal with the bad offense. If we had a handful of defensive plays each night that got me pumped up.

 

And it’s not like the offense is any good.  If you’re going to field lineup of bad hitters, they should at least be able to throw and catch the ball.  

[mcneck]

I think letting Machado move to SS was the last straw. Letting a player put himself above the team is a recipe for disaster. Buck was on shaky ground before that but he really should have put his foot down.

[Three Run Homer]

4 hours ago, webbrick2010 said:

How is it that we are fielding a horrible defensive team, when Buck is a defense guy?

I don't know how bad our pitching is, because they are dealing with 8 guys behind them that can't make plays

 

I think Buck is still a defense guy; why else would Craig Gentry still be on the team?  But Buck is too deferential to his star players, so he won't move Adam Jones from CF and he won't tell Manny to move back to 3B. 

The team defense is also struggling with the sudden dropoffs of Caleb Joseph and Chris Davis.  Maybe they are letting their struggles at the plate affect their defense, or maybe something else has led to a collapse of both their hitting and defense.  

[ChangeRoadUnis]

5 hours ago, Beef Supreme said:

Let me get this straight:

Manny commits a physical error.
Sisco makes an inexcusable mental error. Meanwhile, managers can't give take signs to players for 40 years running.

And it's Buck's fault...

if Buck has no authority on this team and apparently doesn't influence the players at all, why is it so important he's manager?

[atomic]

1 minute ago, ChangeRoadUnis said:

if Buck has no authority on this team and apparently doesn't influence the players at all, why is it so important he's manager?

I don't think too many of us managing could do worse than 8 and 24.  

[Going Underground]

3 minutes ago, birdwatcher55 said:

Isn't Plank marred with financial issues or am I thinking of someone else?

Under Armour is not doing that well. Shareholders are suing. His Port Conington project ,some people feel is over ambitious. One of the biggest projects on the East Coast, like a Google headquarters. He now owns a whiskey company and a hotel.

[Superbee83]

15 hours ago, Santandah said:

At this point, listening to Jim Palmer call games is pretty much the only reason I'm tuning in to watch this train wreck. His cache of insight into baseball and his team is truly the organization's gem.

He doesn't hold punches, calls em like he sees em, and talks with constructive criticism. But it sounds like he's had enough of this team. He really got on Manny for making a bad throw to Peterson, and then in the top of the 9th, he went off when Chance Sisco swung at a 3-1 pitch. 

As Sisco steps to the plate, Palmer says, "You've got to imagine he's taking here. You're down by two runs. Make him throw a strike."

Sisco swings. Grounds out weakly. As the ball leaves the bat, Palmer lost it. 

"He's swinging. Unbelievable." But then he directs the frustration at Buck. "It's not Chance Sisco. You've got to give him the take there. You've got to force a guy who's all over the strike zone or the ball zone or whatever you want to call it to throw a strike. And you swing at it. It's nonsense."

Can't remember Palmer sounding this frustrated in a long time. 

 

   Maybe it's me, but I don't think that a major league hitter should be taking on a 3-1 count. That's a hitters count if there ever

   was one. I could see Palmer's frustration if ii was a 3-0 count.