In all honesty, I'm still reeling from reading the Astros' candidate list. I don't want to elaborate, but my emotions range from extremely confused (Phil Garner was fired two years ago) to frightened (no one ever has anything positive to say about Ned Yost). So on that note...
- Brian McTaggart assuages all of our hysteria over the Garner interview by explaining how it came to be. Apparently all you have to do to get an interview with the Astros is call Tal Smith. That's it. If we hire Scrappy back, I really and truly will consider not watching the Astros until they invariably fire him again. I'll just write that time off as the darkest of hours for this franchise. Truly, what does it say about yourself from an organizational standpoint when you're bringing in the guy you canned slightly over two years ago for the same position you fired him from? Can someone please make sense of this to me? What has changed? Is Drayton McLane just going to admit that he runs the Astros based on gut reaction while deflecting criticism from himself? How do they possible defend this? My head (and my heart) hurt. How do I know this move is utterly insane? Justice dedicated about 2,000 words to its defense.
- J.C. Bradbury, the baseball economist, got bored the other night and decided he'd try a different approach to identifying clutch hitting. It's a unique approach, and actually one that my stat-genius former roommate once suggested (just not for playoffs only), so I know it's got to be on the right path...sort of. Definitely worth the read. As a disclaimer, I—in no way—want to start a firestorm of controversial discussion were we go back and forth on whether clutch hitting exists, doesn't, is a skill, not a skill, etc. Let's just evaluate Bradbury.
- The Hardball Times features the ol' Colt .45s in their greatest stadium closeouts. For someone who wasn't alive at the time, it was an interesting read. I imagine that it'll be even more meaningful if you remember the game.
- The Unofficial Scorer notes that outfielders provided the least offense over their allegedly more defensively specialized infield peers than anytime in the Retro-era. The question that he explores, is why?
On Bradbury’s study…some thoughts: I have always felt that a lack of consensus on how to measure what constitutes clutch hitting is unavoidable issue. I have never been sold on RISP as the best or even most relevant variable for a study like this. Personally, I would like to see someone use WPA as the variable for clutch hitting. I also am not totally comfortable with using 1989-1992 data. A lot can change, in terms of player’s roles and approach to hitting, over that period of time. For example, I think players’ roles as “RBI hitters” or “productive out makers” or “lead off hitters” was more clearly defined in that (and earlier) eras.
clack - October 13, 2009
I wouldn't mind Garner.
I don’t think he did very well in the 05 World Series, and he did many things that pissed me off, but he wasn’t bad or anything. I wouldn’t be impressed, but there are much worse decisions that could be made.
Only_A_Lad - October 13, 2009
See not only would I not be impressed
But honestly, what message does that send? We admit our past incompetence and are willing to revisit it?
Stephen Higdon - October 13, 2009
The incompetence wouldn’t have been Ed Wade’s (or even Purpura’s)…and, I don’t know about you, but in my life I could use a little more of Tal Smith and Drayton McLane admitting they don’t have all-powerful baseball knowledge.
That being said, the first three guys I would cross off that list of 10 are Garner and the two internal candidates, Clark and Pedrique. My top three off that list would be Bogar, Acta, and Mills. I hope there is a way to bring more than one of these guys into the organization.
AstroAndy - October 13, 2009
I'm all for
Tal and Drayton stepping down from their ivory tower, but I’d like our managerial search not to be hamstrung by their attempt to make amends for past transgressions.
Stephen Higdon - October 13, 2009 via mobile
I pretty much agree with Andy's points.
I liked Garner, and I don’t have a problem with an organization admitting it made a mistake. But I don’t think Garner is the right man for the job at this time. For one thing, it gives a signal of looking backward, which seems like bad psychology for the direction of the future younger team. In addition, I think the Astros need an eye from an outsider, a manager who comes from another organization and give things a fresh look.
clack - October 13, 2009
Gar was fired as a package deal with T. Purpura, and a quick glance back at the thread on the double-axing shows that, even at the time, the move seemed odd. Purpura definitely should have gone. People (at least on this board) were more skeptical about the Garner firing. Since Phil got scrapped prior to Ed Wade’s hiring, Wade didn’t have a chance to evaluate him and decide whether he’d be the best guy going forward.
Phil had his faults: as clack said back then “he was more comfortable with a team of utility infielders than perhaps he should be”, and there was a lot of discussion about whether he left his starting pitchers in too long (quite the opposite of Cooper), turning them into nervous wrecks/head cases. He also didn’t seem to like playing Luke Scott.
Despite that, a re-hiring would signal to me, more than anything, that the front office is playing it safe…being happy with getting to first base rather than going for a home run.
AstroAndy - October 13, 2009
There's more than one way to reach first
Though.
Stephen Higdon - October 13, 2009
Garner = Cooper
Hiring Garner would be the same as re-hiring Cooper…In which case why would he even of been fired in the first place (on both accounts)
They do have different ways of handling situations but down to the core, they manage the same way…Gut instinct.
Timothy De Block - October 13, 2009
I don’t agree that they manage the same way. Garner’s decisions were more rational. Cooper had too many inexplicable decisions (as in the “really?” Tshirts.) Garner also didn’t piss off everybody in the clubhouse. The worst part of Cooper’s tenure was the ability to destroy pitching arms, which seemed far more common than with Garner.
clack - October 13, 2009
I’m pointing more to their “gut” type of decision making, Garner did have his head scratching decisions in his days as manager. While I’m inclined to chose Garner over Cooper soley for the way Cooper treated the bullpen, I also remember the days were their was a different lineup almost every single game of the season towards the end of Garners managing days. Which to me said he had no idea what he was doing, same with Cooper and his “I don’t know” comments to the media.
I do not have an as in depth view of Garners decision making as I wasn’t apart of any Astros sites discussing the day to day moves the manager made like I have with Cooper. From what I remember during Garners tenure he made decisions with his guy rather than some other logical decision making process, which I feel is the same process Cooper used.
Timothy De Block - October 13, 2009
Then there was Billy Martin (5 times Yankees manager) - from Wikipedia
Alfred Manuel “Billy” Martin, Jr. (May 16, 1928–December 25, 1989) is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times.
Martin was hired as Yankees’ manager in 1975, and took the Yankees to the World Series in 1976 and 1977, winning in 1977. . . . After a 1978 incident with Reggie Jackson in which Martin suspended Jackson for bunting (against orders) into a strikeout, Martin was forced to resign . . . .
In a grandstanding gesture and an overwhelming demand by the fans, the Yankees had public address announcer Bob Sheppard introduce an unemployed Martin as the Yankees’ next manager for the 1980 season.
Martin returned to the New York Yankees in 1983, 1985, and 1988, but never for more than one full season.
At the time of his death, Martin was preparing to manage the Yankees a sixth time for the 1990 season, to the point of having assembled a coaching staff.
Joe in Birmingham - October 13, 2009
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