Frayed Knot

ALL agents either need to scout/analyze and evaluate players or need to have that done for them. You know you else does that? ... GMs! GMs aren't out scouting players unless and until they've been recommended up the chain to them and it's time to make the final sign or trade judgement. Agents operate the same way or else they'd be really bad agents and not the head of the entire baseball division of a representative corporation.

So by how many strides would Machado have been thrown out on that Puig infield single?

MFS62 wrote: HahnSolo wrote: Lot of buzzwords there. Not a lot of “this is how I will make the team better”. And, there has been no mention of any (non-negotiating related) baseball skill he brings to the table. None. Not one. Does he have any? Player scouting? Player evaluation? Player development? Building a roster? Anything? Buehler? Don't you think that agents do their share scouting, evaluating, and analyzing players?

Once again I am amazed by the fact that a NYM internal decision, made supposedly by a very narrow group of insiders (possibly as few as two) stays a secret FOR LIKE TEN FUCKING MINUTES!!!!

metirish wrote: Got to be honest, kind of a bleh WS so far, surprising with two huge markets, Dodgers really need to win tonight. Maybe a move to warmer weather and no DH helps. Hasn't been a bad series so far IMO, it's just that the pace of the games has overshadowed the good parts. Game 2 was "only" 3:15, but both Price & Ryu are among the slower pitchers in all MLB, and by the time the game got rolling (it was the rare game when the late innings were faster than the early) LA never seemed like they were even in danger of getting back into it.

But never mentioned by Scully (or Garagiola) was that HoJo DID TRY TO BUNT ... on the very first pitch (don't remember if he fouled it off or missed it completely). The constant argument by the 'pro bunt' caucus has always been 'well if this then that'; if you had bunted then [this good thing] would have followed. But of course that presumes two things, the main one being that the bunt was going to be successful, as if that was a pre-determined given. And Scully's argument -- argumentS really because, as mentioned, he kept making them -- never included even the possibility that the bunt might not achieve its intended end [K, pop-out, foul-out, bunt into force play, bunt into DP, etc.]. He just kept harping on how IF Davey had called for a bunt then X WOULD have been the result. The second presumption is that everything which happened afterward would have happened exactly the same: same batters, same PH'ers, same pitcher, same pitches, same results. That doesn't mean it was wrong to discuss the topic but he set it up as a one-sided debate.

What an odd string of finishes for the Sox over the last seven seasons. Starting in 2012, they finished: 5th in the AL East 26.0 games out; then 1st and won the WS; then 5th two years in a row (25.0 GB & 15.0 GB); then 1st back-to-back (Lost in 3-0 and 3-1 in ALDS) and now 1st w/108 reg season wins and so far a near perfect post-season record (9-1 overall and a 2-0 WS lead). So that's four times winning the AL East sprinkled around three times finishing DFL, while two of those winning season came with a total of one post-season game won and the other (two?) with a World Series crown. But zero 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place finishes.

Rocco Baldelli, the Rhode Island native who was once the #6 overall draft pick (by Tampa in 2000) and a favorite of some of the turn of the century Sabermetric prospect hounds, was today named the manager for the Minnesota Twins. Baldelli has been working in the Tampa system since a fatigue-causing muscle disorder forced him into retirement in 2010. This will be his first managerial job at any level and, at age 37, he's slated to be the youngest manager in MLB in 2019 Also, all of you (and I know there were several) who had Charlie Montoyo in the pool for Blue Jays manager, well step right on up and collect your prize. The 53 y/o Montoyo also comes out of the Tampa system where he was an 18 year minor league managing veteran and, more recently, the bench coach for the big club. Recent Reds hire David Bell will wear #25 when managing, the number both his father and grandfather sported as Cincinnati players. TEAM MANAGERCONTRACT THRU ...Mgr SINCEANGELSBrad Ausmus2021Oct 21, 2018Hired to replace Mike SciosciaASTROSAJ Hinch2022Sept 2014Signed extension in Sept '18ATHLETICS Bob Melvin2019June ‘11BLUE JAYS Charlie Montoyo???Oct '18Replaces John GibbonsBRAVESBrian Snitker2020May ‘16Signed two year extension Oct 15BREWERS Craig Counsel2020May ‘15CARDINALS---Mike Shildt20207/14/18Signed extension on 8/28/18CUBS Joe Maddon2019Oct ‘14DBACKSTorey Luvello2019Nov ‘16DODGERS Dave Roberts =#0000FF]2018 + 2019 OptionNov ‘15GIANTSBruce Bochy 2019Oct '06INDIANS Terry Francona2020Oct ‘12MARINERS Scott Servais2019 + ??Oct ‘15Signed multiyear extension in July '18MARLINSDon Mattingly 2019Nov ‘15METSMickey Callaway2020 + Option for 2021 —10/23/17 NATIONALSDave Martinez2020 + Option for 202110/29/17ORIOLESBuck Showalter—=#0000FF]2018July ‘10=#0000FF]Will not returnPADRES Andy Green 2021Nov ‘15PHILLIESGabe Kapler202010/30/17PIRATES Clint Hurdle2021Nov ‘10RANGERS Don Wakamatsu=#0000FF]20189/21/18=#0000FF]Hired as interim RAYS Kevin Cash 2019Dec ‘14RED SOXAlex Cora2020 + Option for 202111/2/17REDS David Bell2021Oct '18ROCKIES Bud Black 2019 + 2020 OptionNov ‘16 ROYALS Ned Yost 2019May ‘10Signed one year extension 9/30/18TIGERSRon Gardenhire2020Oct '17TWINSRocco Baldelli2021Oct '18Signed a three year deal replacing Paul MolitorWHITE SOX Rick Renteria 2019Oct ‘16YANKEESAaron Boone2020 + Option for 202112/4/17

And, once again, we don't know what we thought we knew.

At one point during that 4th inning Kike Hernandez AB, it took Price over 4 minutes to throw 6 pitches. No mound conferences in there or other delays, just a lot of stepping out and stepping off. MLB can NOT allow that to continue as, once again, we've got a low scoring game that's on a pace for four hours and possibly longer once the parade of relievers commences.

vtmet wrote: is that much different than the Chicago Cubs front office structure? Theo Epstein gets a lot of credit for the work that he did in Boston and also in Chicago...but is he the guy making decisions in Chicago or is Jed Hoyer? Theo is technically not the GM, and Hoyer technically is the GM, but aren't both involved in major decision making? A lot depends on how things are structured. The Cubs, as well as Oakland and a bunch of other teams, have, in effect, a CEO of baseball who sets the direction and philosophy for the org while the GM does the day to day handling of GM type of things (negotiations, trade talks, etc.). But if it's set up with a several-headed GM where no one is really in charge and where each might have slightly different ideas of how to go about things then the oars aren't exactly all pulling in the same direction and often whoever the owners listen to last gets his way. Steinbrenner used to act like that where he'd essentially have his Tampa-based group of advisors fight it out with the GM and his office in NY to see whose ideas he liked better, at which point he'd threaten them with "This Better Work!" and publicly name whose idea it was if/when it didn't (never himself of course). The other group was then the favorite for a while until they fell out of favor. Not surprisingly, since I think they're essentially the same person, Trump operates his management "style" that way as well. So while it's not inconceivable that a theoretical Melvin/Bloom team could succeed, you'd want to have the job descriptions separate and, even then, the main problem would still be the idea that the Wilpons don't seem willing to have the overall direction of the franchise set by anyone but themselves.

Of course it's ridiculous ... and I'd expect nothing less. Although, as Greg points out, it's also quite possible that I misheard who exactly was being told to do the sucking.

And we have a 'Yankees Suck' chant. Gotta luv it!

Sure, but it's been 2-1/2 hours of good action, but it's been fluffed into 3-1/2 hours. The main culprits have been the high pitch counts of both starters combined with the increased between-innings commercial time. I think MLB has shot themselves in the foot with these nearly 3 minute breaks. I'm sure they got some short-term gain out of it but that doesn't mean it's been a long-term success.

Last Boston Red Sox pitcher to surrender a HR to a Dodger in the WS? -- Babe Ruth

See, that's just it. I get the 'he's not my cuppa' vibe, just not the 'he ruins baseball for me' vibe. But then, I think most sports fans over-react to announcers in general. Scully was slipping in recent years. It's better to remember him as he was. Three hours to get thru 6-1-2 innings.

And it turns out that neither starter lasts five. I don't get the Buck hate.

Yeah, now just shy of five innings worth of pitches (72) to get through three ... and he now no longer has the lead.

Biggest problem for Boston right now is that it took Sale 3-1/2 innings worth of pitches (51) just to get through two innings. And those, for the most part, were good innings. He was unlikely to go real long anyway, but now it's probably a hope-for-five situation.

FUN FACT: According to Matt Ehalt at NewJersey.com, Brodie Van Wagenen is the son-in-law of Neil Armstrong! Yes, THAT guy! OK, I'm confused here. Armstrong had but one daughter who died as a child. Did Armstrong's second wife have a daughter from a previous marriage who later married BVW? If so that makes Armstrong more of a step-Father in Law?

The Sawx proved me wrong in the previous series (thought they'd beat Cleveland but not Houston and was REAL nervous if it was going to be the Yanx) so I'm thinking them this time, probably in six, although I'd prefer to see seven and would enjoy it more than a little bit if the Dodgers were to lose a second straight series in seven games.

A Cincinnati native and another third generation player (the Boone clan was discussed in another thread earlier today) as the son of Buddy and grandson of original NYM Gus. Brother Mike also played briefly. No relation, however, to Gary 'Ding Dong' Bell, Jim Bouton's roommate of BALL FOUR fame. This will also make him a second generation manager as Buddy ran the Tigers from 1996 to 1998, and also the Rockies (2000-02) and Royals (2005-07). Not sure if/how many of those there have been.

I understand that Manny Machado is so popular in LA these days following his trade there that he's thinking of jogging for Mayor.

And the first domino falls as former Houston skipper Brad Ausmus will be introduced tomorrow as the Angels manager, signing a three year deal to replace 19 seasons of Mike Scioscia Also the Braves reward Brian Snitker with an extension TEAM MANAGERCONTRACT THRU ...Mgr SINCEANGELSBrad Ausmus2021Oct 21, 2018Hired to replace Mike SciosciaASTROSAJ Hinch2022Sept 2014Signed extension in Sept '18ATHLETICS Bob Melvin2019June ‘11BLUE JAYS John Gibbons 2019 + 2020 OptionNov ‘12=#0000FF]Will not returnBRAVESBrian Snitker2020May ‘16Signed two year extension Oct 15BREWERS Craig Counsel2020May ‘15CARDINALS---Mike Shildt20207/14/18Signed extension on 8/28/18CUBS Joe Maddon2019Oct ‘14DBACKSTorey Luvello2019Nov ‘16DODGERS Dave Roberts =#0000FF]2018 + 2019 OptionNov ‘15GIANTSBruce Bochy 2019Oct '06INDIANS Terry Francona2020Oct ‘12MARINERS Scott Servais2019 + ??Oct ‘15Signed multiyear extension in July '18MARLINSDon Mattingly 2019Nov ‘15METSMickey Callaway2020 + Option for 2021 —10/23/17 NATIONALSDave Martinez2020 + Option for 202110/29/17ORIOLESBuck Showalter—=#0000FF]2018July ‘10=#0000FF]Will not returnPADRES Andy Green 2021Nov ‘15PHILLIESGabe Kapler202010/30/17PIRATES Clint Hurdle2021Nov ‘10RANGERS Don Wakamatsu=#0000FF]20189/21/18=#0000FF]Hired as interim RAYS Kevin Cash 2019Dec ‘14RED SOXAlex Cora2020 + Option for 202111/2/17REDS Jim Riggleman=#0000FF]20184/19/18=#0000FF]Hired as interimROCKIES Bud Black 2019 + 2020 OptionNov ‘16 ROYALS Ned Yost 2019May ‘10Signed one year extension 9/30/18TIGERSRon Gardenhire2020Oct '17TWINSPaul Molitor2020Nov ‘14=#0000FF]Removed as manager 10/2/18 - will remain in orgWHITE SOX Rick Renteria 2019Oct ‘16YANKEESAaron Boone2020 + Option for 202112/4/17

Centerfield wrote: I think the dead guys turned them down. Or at least didn't respond when contacted.