http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/10/how-they-were-built-the-nlcs-clubs.html

http://startelegramsports.typepad.com/foul_territory/2008/10/another-instruc.html

I can understand not liking seeing leg/groin/rib injuries but those are easier to come back from. If Nolans new philosophy starts resulting in arm injuries then I want Nolan thrown out of the front office. I understand his frustration seeing Millwood having hamstring and groing issues all year or McCarthy and his blister. But if this tougher stance results in Feliz throwing his shoulder out or Holland fucking up his elbow I am going to be pissed.

WWND, TINSTAAPP, New 40 Trumps All.

Quit coddling them!

…a very good JJT read. He gets a lot of voices in there and seems to avoid judging/condemning Raffy for the most part. Worth a look.

The more Nolan Ryan talks about pitching the more worried I become that we have basically hired Dusty Baker as our team president.

Enough of the whining about the Nolan Ryan edict. Because of who he is, Nolan Ryan inspires the young pitchers to do what it takes to make it to the show. The body is an amazing machine and can be trained to handle a lot of stress, be it physically or mentally. It takes toughness and confidence to make it in the big leagues. Bottom line…if someone isn’t physically and mentally tough and resilient, how much of a shot do they really have? A lot of prospects don’t work out, it’s the Darwinism of baseball. What’s so wrong with pushing someone to get their absolute best? If they can’t make it, they can’t make it. That is all.

I’m just waiting to see if all the agents start freaking out. I can see them watching this with a careful eye. This could start making it tougher to trade for pitchers. And not just the major leaguers but minor leaguers too. If a particular agent has a few players with one team, I could see that agent flexing his muscles to prevent his minor league clients in that organization from being traded to the Rangers as well.

Ryan is asking the pitchers to work harder to stay in top shape. That’s good.

One positive I took from the Sullivan article: A few weeks ago it seemed like he was calling out the coaches and instructors for not getting with the program and that some might be gone if they don’t buy in. In this article it was obvious he was talking about the pitchers themselves and not the coaches. He did not say that any pitcher not doing exactly what he wants would be gone, but made the expectation clear that these guys are all expected to get with the program. I don’t have a problem with that.

But I think we’re still overreacting. I don’t see anything here saying that Ryan expects managers and coaches to abuse pitchers. They will still be the ones making the day to day, in-game decisions about how pitcher usage. Ryan wants pitchers to work harder, stay in shape, and try to pitch more innings. He’s not saying you’re going out there even if your arm is falling off.

The sky is not falling.

It seems our pitchers have been overcome with what I like to call vaginitus. They show up out of shape and then fall victim to myriad injuries, some legit but most preventable, throughout the season. At no point have I seen Ryan say something like “We expect our pitchers to go out there every game and throw 120 pitches, like the good ole days.” He just seems to want them to show up to camp in better shape and retain that extra stamina throughout the year.

anyone look at the “japanese model” for this kind of stuff? streching out arms, throwing longer/more often/deeper into games, etc?

because if they havent, they should.

and what are the odds cogburn (the pacific rim scout/fmr bullpen coach) knows anything about it?

…that didn’t make me want to see him fired.

Not a great article but it wasn’t chock full of the normal poor baseball opinions.