We're all talking about firing Jimy, but McLane is on record saying he won't consider such a move? Lying? or not?
I don't like Brenly either. I think the score was 1-0 D'Backs. Were the Padres supposed to bend over for Schilling? It was a winnable game in the 8th for the Padres and all Davis was trying to do was to get on base anyway possible. Maybe if Brenly was a better manager he would have expected a bunt.
I'd forgotten about his stellar 6 - 13 playoff record. Thanks for the reminder. Anyway, Dierker didn't ask for the Killer B's to go o-fer in the playoffs year after year, I don't know how you can manage around that kind of non-production.
and you think jimy could manage around the lack of production he's gotten from his team?? by the way...6-13 sounds heavenly.
Sure I do. But here's the thing - what the heck does a manager do to influence ball games? Is it a meaningless position? Do we judge them on the performance of their team overall, or on the in-game moves, or how they manage a clubhouse? Myself, I look at managers who get the most out of their roster. McKeon got the Marlins to overachieve as a unit last season, and won the world series. By the same token, I give Dierker credit for getting production out of no-name Jose Lima, turning Dotel into a productive reliever, developing Mike Hampton, fitting volatile Carl Everett into the lineup when he was given up on by the Mets, etc. Sean Berry and Derek Bell and Bill Spiers and other scrubs and wannabes had great seasons under Larry's watch. I don't hate Jimy Williams, I just think he's been unable to develop our young pitching and has worn out the bullpen in the past, to our detriment late in the season. This 2004 team, with Clemens and Pettite, Oswalt and Miller, Bagwell and Biggio, Kent and Berkman and Beltran, is hideously underachieving, and some of that blame has to lie at the feet of the manager.
all a manger has to do is what he thinks is best for the team. as in during the game he should be thinking what can i do to give the team the best chance to win? here's one of many examples. last night he pulls clemens after 7 ip and 100 pitches (he also got the padres out 1-2-3 in the bot 7). he brings in miceli and naturally he allows a run and the astros have one ab left to tie it or lose. sure you have to consider how much clemens has in the tank and the rest of his season, but how does jimy think the astros have a better chance to win a 1-1 game by removing a guy who is dominating for a journeyman reliever??? it's move like this (and there are tons of others...see mike lambs number of at bats, despite being the team's leading hitter) that should result in jimy's firing. which thank goodness is hopefully now just 5 games away.
No one hates Jimy more than I do, but firing him won't change the fact that Bagwell has to start at 1st every day. A new manager wouldn't have the authority to bench him either. I'm sure that Jimy's moves alone have cost us a handful of games, but getting rid of him won't change the fact that it's Bagwell and Biggio who really run this team. If Jeff offered to sit for a week to rest his shoulder and either Lane or Lamb went into the lineup, I believe that the offense would increase by at least 1 run per game, maybe 2 - a change in the middle of the lineup can make the players in front more productive because they'll get better pitches. Every scout in baseball can see that Bagwell can't get around on an average fastball anymore without starting early. In short, Jimy has done nothing to help himself, but he'll still be a scapegoat.
