The Voice of the People (split from 7/28 IGT)

[Benjamin Grimm]

From "The Voice of the People" in today's Daily News:

]Lay one down New Windsor, N.Y.: Too many times I've seen runners left on base or hit into double plays because they're not moved up. Teams need to bunt more often regardless of who's up and get those runs in. A run is a run. Steve O'Connor

Regardless of who's up? I hope the Mets never hire Steve O'Connor to be their manager.

[Frayed Knot]

That's nothing new. I hear 10 complaints of managers not bunting enough for every one I hear about bunting too often.
I think fans think they're being proactive that way; 'Don't just stand there, do something'!

And it doesn't matter who the manager is: Willie, Howe, Bobby, Torre

[Guest AG/DC]

I think it's easy to convince yourself that it shows you to be higher minded --- that you stand for virtues like self-sacrifice, equality, and wilingness to strategically put in hard work in the faith of a modest return that will nonetheless be enough if all members of society do their part like they used to. LIKE THEY USED TO!

PLAYING THE GAME RIGHT!

Edited July 29, 2008 by Guest

[batmagadanleadoff]

="Frayed Knot"]I think fans think they're being proactive that way; 'Don't just stand there, do something'!

I always thought that was a factor. Willie (or fill-in the name of another applicable manager) asks for a sac bunt that's successful. Then a ground out to the right side and then the run driving sac fly. And then Willie's preening at the post-game conference as if he himself engineered a run that wasn't there. As if Willie made that run happen with his genius skills even though the strategy, when used repeatedly without much discretion, takes runs off the board in the long run. It's an expensive psychological boost for the manager - expensive because the strategy diminishes overall team scoring.

Usually, the most intelligent thing that a manager could do when considering whether to sac bunt or not is to do nothing -and simply let the batter hit. The manager who does nothing and understands why he is doing nothing, is often making a profound informed decision.

[Centerfield]

Rey was right. The fans are stupid.

[Guest AG/DC]

And you have your sig line.

[TransMonk]

The Mets rank 2nd in the NL at sac bunts, sac flies, walks and lead the league in steals.

It seems to me that they do more than most to "manufacture" runs...maybe at the cost of playing against some strengths of the team.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Of course, that guy writing in to the Daily News wasn't necessarily a Mets fan.

He may think that the Yankees are the team that doesn't bunt often enough.

[Centerfield]

I don't think the Yankees bunt enough. I think they should be bunting more or less every at-bat regardless of score, who's up, or whether or not anyone is one base.

[G-Fafif]

I'm impressed that Steve saw fit to send this concern to the Letters to the Editor page of a major metropolitan daily. Come to think of it, one of the points for which this administration has been criticized was its failure to stress sacrifice.

[Fman99]

Centerfield wrote: I don't think the Yankees bunt enough. I think they should be bunting more or less every at-bat regardless of score, who's up, or whether or not anyone is one base.

I heartily endorse this event and/or product.

[Guest holychicken]

="Frayed Knot"]I think fans think they're being proactive that way; 'Don't just stand there, do something'!

This is why I think that walks and OBP aren't as widely lauded as they should be. You aren't DOING anything if you take a base on balls.

[metsmarathon]

i always get yelled at for taking walks in slow pitch softball...

[Guest AG/DC]

In the vastly over-rated A Prayer for Owen Meany, the narrator's mother is killed as a passive spectator of a youth league baseball game.

With two outs in the last inning and his team down by a large margin a player with the same last name as me works a walk. Owen, an undersized and overmatched athlete ,comes up to bat and breaks with precedent by hitting a hard foul ball, the ball that hits and kills the mother.

The narrator, in a mystical way I'm supposed to understand but don't, maintains a lifelong animus for the character who "takes" the walk (seeing him as somehow unmanly), but retains his lifelong friendship with Owen, who --- while still innocent --- is at least the inadvertant agent of Mom's demise. The narrator's hostility to my namesake continues right up to him snarking about the guy who "takes" a walk dying in Vietnam.

Haven't read John Irving since.

[Fman99]

="AG/DC"]In the vastly over-rated A Prayer for Owen Meany, the narrator's mother is killed as a passive spectator of a youth league baseball game. With two outs in the last inning and his team down by a large margin a player with the same last name as me works a walk. Owen, an undersized and overmatched athlete ,comes up to bat and breaks with precedent by hitting a hard foul ball, the ball that hits and kills the mother. The narrator, in a mystical way I'm supposed to understand but don't, maintains a lifelong animus for the character who "takes" the walk (seeing him as somehow unmanly), but retains his lifelong friendship with Owen, who --- while still innocent --- is at least the inadvertant agent of Mom's demise. The narrator's hostility to my namesake continues right up to him snarking about the guy who "takes" a walk dying in Vietnam. Haven't read John Irving since.

I found large parts of that book to be trite. It's not his best work.

I did enjoy, among other books of his, the more recent A Widow For One Year and Until I Find You.

[Guest AG/DC]

As long as they don't castigate a guy for deeming it proper to take a walk when his team is down big in the last inning.

[Guest AG/DC]

Although both sound like bodice rippers.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

I coach my church's coed softball team. I tell them all to take pitches until the get a strike, but that's largely because some of my players can't hit the ball past the pitcher and its the only way they'll get on base. And in coed ball, a walk for a guy sends him to second base (to prevent a team from constantly walking the guys to get to the weaker-hitting women.)

I lead the team in walks. Not proud of that. But there it is.

[Benjamin Grimm]

It's because you're such a dangerous hitter that they'd prefer to give you a two-base walk than let you hit the ball.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: It's because you're such a dangerous hitter that they'd prefer to give you a two-base walk than let you hit the ball.

Well, I should also say that I lead the team in getting thrown out at the plate -- three times this season -- without the benefit of Sandy Alomar to blame.

They must figure, "Put him on second, we'll get him at the plate."

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I thought parts of Owen Meany were very funny. I don;t recall much of the baseball strategy.

[HahnSolo]

I liked A Prayer for Owen Meany. [Ducks].

About 15 years since I read it.

[Guest AG/DC]

Oh, I have no hostility. I'm fully aware that I'm in the minority.

All I ask is that folks note that Irving was wrong about walks.