How Does Terry Crowley Continue To Fly Under the Radar?

[section18]

Is he teflon Terry? Is he related to someone in the warehouse? How much longer do we have to watch this abysmal hitting by major league players. Year after year after year. The offense or hitting is lame at best. We've scored 3 runs I believe in the last three games. What does Terry have to say? I think he should sit next to DT on the postgame show.

Chicago pulled it out in extra innings and beat Toronto 8-7. Teahen tripled in Visquel in the 11th to win so we should remain 4 games out of first. Astros lost again and are now 0-7 for the worst record in baseball with our 1-6 second.

[El Gordo]

Is he teflon Terry? Is he related to someone in the warehouse? How much longer do we have to watch this abysmal hitting by major league players. Year after year after year. The offense or hitting is lame at best. We've scored 3 runs I believe in the last three games. What does Terry have to say? I think he should sit next to DT on the postgame show.

Chicago pulled it out in extra innings and beat Toronto 8-7. Teahen tripled in Visquel in the 11th to win so we should remain 4 games out of first. Astros lost again and are now 0-7 for the worst record in baseball with our 1-6 second.

When someone can tell me specifically, what another hitting coach would do differently, to improve the hitting, then I will take these ridiculous fire Crowley threads seriously.:rolleyestf:

[El Gordo]

It appears it doesn't matter what the team does. If he has one success story per year, e.g. Felix Pie, Nick Markakis, that goes a long way to keep him employed

You obviously fancy yourself a wiseguy. What do you think the new hitting coach should do? What adjustments do you think he should make?

[ScottieBaseball]

Is he teflon Terry? Is he related to someone in the warehouse? How much longer do we have to watch this abysmal hitting by major league players. Year after year after year. The offense or hitting is lame at best. We've scored 3 runs I believe in the last three games. What does Terry have to say? I think he should sit next to DT on the postgame show.

Chicago pulled it out in extra innings and beat Toronto 8-7. Teahen tripled in Visquel in the 11th to win so we should remain 4 games out of first. Astros lost again and are now 0-7 for the worst record in baseball with our 1-6 second.

LOL...every season there are multiple "Fire Crowley" threads, then the team comes around, a hitter or two (Felix Pie comes to mind) annoints him a hitting guru, and the naysayers fall by the wayside.

So because Chicago pulled it out in extra innings, should the O's break the bank to steal their hitting coach? Should the Astros hitting coach be drawn and quartered?

Or maybe does the hitting fall at the feet of...oh, I don't know...the hitters? You know, the guys that actually go up to the plate and fail? I mean, do you think Crowley's telling guys, "Go up there, swing at bad pitches and show no patience whatsoever,"? Do you think a hitter who has a piss-poor at-bat escapes having to listen to Crow for a few minutes?

If you think he needs to be fired, then I think you over-value the importance of a hitting coach.

[epic]

While Crowley might take some of the blame, these guys are major league hitters. They are the ones up at the plate, not Crowley. They're the ones that need to step up and start hitting the ball.

The Crow can only do so much.

[The Rick]

I'm not sure that we should fire Crowley, but the idea that the HC isn't held accountable by any measures whatsoever is absolutely absurd. Sounds like a sweet gig.

[section18]

I didn't say to fire him in this post. I said he should be asked to face the firing squad after the games with DT. DT doesn't tell the players what they are doing wrong or explain on film why they are failing at the plate. The Crow is like your offensive coordinator on the Ravens. We know what happened to a few coaches on the Ravens who couldn't get the offense to put points on the board. I think DT can use some support right now and the Crow should take some questions. It's not complicated or unreasonable to ask him what he is doing to help the players........or is he confusing them?

[JTrea81]

LOL...every season there are multiple "Fire Crowley" threads, then the team comes around, a hitter or two (Felix Pie comes to mind) annoints him a hitting guru, and the naysayers fall by the wayside.

So because Chicago pulled it out in extra innings, should the O's break the bank to steal their hitting coach? Should the Astros hitting coach be drawn and quartered?

Or maybe does the hitting fall at the feet of...oh, I don't know...the hitters? You know, the guys that actually go up to the plate and fail? I mean, do you think Crowley's telling guys, "Go up there, swing at bad pitches and show no patience whatsoever,"? Do you think a hitter who has a piss-poor at-bat escapes having to listen to Crow for a few minutes?

If you think he needs to be fired, then I think you over-value the importance of a hitting coach.

It may not be what he does, but rather a new message or a new approach.

One thing that has been consistent with all the losing besides Peter Angelos owning the team has been Terry Crowley as the hitting coach.

Sometime you have to make the players uncomfortable or angry to get them fired up and give the team a spark. Firing Crowley would do just that because the players like him so much.

[El Gordo]

It may not be what he does, but rather a new message or a new approach.

One thing that has been consistent with all the losing besides Peter Angelos owning the team has been Terry Crowley as the hitting coach.

Sometime you have to make the players uncomfortable or angry to get them fired up and give the team a spark. Firing Crowley would do just that because the players like him so much.

Just what might that be? If you don't know, you are just pulling stuff out of your service entrance as usual.

[JTrea81]

Just what might that be? If you don't know, you are just pulling stuff out of your service entrance as usual.

And what great things have you seen from him that convince you he should stay?

[epic]

And what great things have you seen from him that convince you he should stay?

I honestly don't think any of us are in a position to make a rational decision on whether to keep or fire Crowley. His work is done behind the scenes working with individual hitters.

Atleast with Trembley some of his work we're able to judge (line ups, bunt situations, hit and run situations, bullpen use, etc.).

Crowley's a different story though. We don't know what he's telling each individual hitter and what he isn't. It's obvious the hitters aren't executing but whether that's because Crowley's advice and strategy isn't working or not is something we won't know.

I'm not advocating firing him or keeping him. I'm actually pretty torn because he seems very good for some hitters but as a team we're never at the top of the hitting categories. But then that comes back to the talent on the team.

I do agree with those who say the team could use a fresh presence as their hitting coach and maybe that will spark something somehow.

[Bradysburns]

You obviously fancy yourself a wiseguy. What do you think the new hitting coach should do? What adjustments do you think he should make?

Well, I get your point. But I don't think it's just about "making adjustments." That term alludes more to individual mechanics than an overall team batting strategy. ("Raise your elbow, Bob," that kind of stuff.)

I know little about batting mechanics. But that's not my concern. My concern is that we don't appear to be working an effective TEAM batting strategy... Bottom line... We need to knock the opposing starter out of the game as early as possible - priority #1. Tire him out. Frustrate him. Drive up his pitch count. Get in his head. Only swing at YOUR pitches, not his.

These would be my specific suggestions (not sure if this meets your standard but here goes)...

1. Our hitters need to take more balls...

2. Our hitters need to foul off more pitches and protect the plate better with two strikes... If you're going to have a helicopter swinging strike on a 57-foot curveball, please don't make it with a runner on third, two outs and the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth. (That's a hypothetical example, of course.)

3. Our hitters need to step out of the batter's box more... Take time outs... Do little things to upset the timing of the opposing starter...

I've seen opposing lineups do it to our pitchers for years on end... while we continue with a series of oddly disconnected-feeling at-bats.

I don't sense that we're going out there with a "game plan" and full intel on every opposing pitcher... I could be 100% wrong, of course. But I think the OP had a point: The team's batting warrants a good grilling about now... And truth be told, I think he should be fired, even though the OP said nothing about firing Crowley.

[Skeletor]

The best argument in favor of firing Crowley, IMO, is he's been here forever. We've stunk mostly. Make him a roving instructor or something. It's a changing of the guard, however symbolic that may be. It's time for changes. The status quo f'ing stinks.

[El Gordo]

And what great things have you seen from him that convince you he should stay?

He helped Adam Jones when he listened to him, before he got homer happy, Nick, Huff, Pie. He's good at helping guys maintain their swing mechanics. Atkins seems to be doing OK, and he has good things to say about Crowley. He develops good working rapor with players. But you didn't answer my question. What do you think a new caoch should do differently?

[Big Mac]

Nobody on here has enough information to know whether Crowley should keep his job or not.

This is just another instances of people maiking judgements based on absolutely no evidence or real knowledge of the subject at hand.