Tuesday a.m. Rangers things
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 8, 2010 10:01 AM CDT
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PrintLittle known fact...Rich Harden made out the Rangers lineup last night, and decided who they were going to use their first four picks of the draft on.
I have a hard time coming away from last night's game, and looking at the lineup, without thinking that Ron Washington just decided that the Rangers weren't going to beat Cliff Lee anyway, so send out a split squad lineup and hope the Rangers can take the next three. A lineup with Josh Hamilton and David Murphy facing a dominating lefty, plus Craig Gentry, Andres Blanco, Joaquin Arias, and Matt Treanor in the lineup, is about as close to a give-up lineup as you're going to see. And when Washington didn't even make a move in the bottom of the 8th, letting Treanor, Blanco and Gentry all hit against Lee, that conveyed to me the notion that the Rangers were conceding.
Of course, we had the 9th inning rally, only to have the game end with neither Elvis Andrus nor Max Ramirez hitting, Wash opting to go with David Murphy and Matt Treanor instead.
I'm not even angry about this anymore. You can spread blame between the manager for rolling a give up lineup out there and the front office for doing such an incredibly poor job in constructing a bench, but at this point, I feel like I'm just giving up on it. This team appears at peace with the fact that the on-field staff is going to make questionable to the point of bizarre lineup and in-game tactical decisions, and seems to have embraced the notion that the bench needs to consist of guys who can't hit and that the team is not going to have success against lefthanders.
Moving right along...
Scott Feldman had a Harden-esque outing last night against one of the worst offenses in baseball, but the S-T's game story says he just had one bad inning, and you can't have a bad inning against Cliff Lee. Similarly, the Ticket's post-game show praised Feldman and Matt Harrison for the great job they did giving the Rangers innings, after the hole the Sunday pitcher had put the team in.
William Wilkerson has some notes about Harrison's transition to the bullpen, and Ron Washington's explanation as to why Elvis Andrus got the day off. Apparently, Ron felt that after playing two day games in the extreme heat, Elvis could use a day off...why you sit him against a lefty, when he's one of the few guys in the lineup who produces against lefties, rather than sitting him on one of the hot days over the weekend against a righthander, I don't know.
Wondering why Craig Gentry, considered the best defensive outfielder on the roster, was in left field last night, while Josh Hamilton played center? Per the S-T:
Hamilton in left, especially coming off a cortisone shot in his right knee, would seem to make as sense as there is less ground to cover. Washington, though, said Hamilton's knee is fine and his mind is in a better place when he's playing center field when Julio Borbon has a night off.
If that's the case, Gentry has no business being on the 25 man roster. His utility is in being able to play center when Borbon is out. If you aren't even going to do that, go find someone who can hit a little, instead.
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wow
that’s as close to a public flogging that Wash is ever going to receive from AJM.
Greatest Inventions Ever? 1. TiVO, 2. Boobs, 3. Baseball
but i agree with everything
it was a give-up lineup, and Wash did not deviate even when the opportunity presented itself in the 9th.
Greatest Inventions Ever? 1. TiVO, 2. Boobs, 3. Baseball
Deservedly so
That lineup against one of the league’s best pitchers was embarrassing.
I can’t even believe we are only 30-27—we are so much better than that, but our manager is doing his best to cost us games.
Beat me to it..
Maybe a game or two, but not by much.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Jun 8, 2010 10:16 AM CDT up reply actions
How???
Their offense is 14th by wOBA (not park adjusted).
Their pitching is 24th by FIP and xFIP,
Their defense is 9th by UZR or 14th by DRS.
Seems like an average to above average team to me.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Jun 8, 2010 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions
Yep
I think this team is playing within the bounds of its talent. They would have needed pretty amazing luck with health and player development to be on target for 95 wins or whatever.
"No, I'm not a pessimist. At some point the world shits on everybody. Pretending it ain't shit makes you an idiot, not an optimist."-https://twitter.com/shitmydadsays
Cuz you can't have it both ways
I’ve watched a lot of games this year, and I think we could have had different outcomes in a few of them if things had happened differently from a strategic standpoint
I think the
FO sets the bounds of expectations. If they have a bench with no RH bat, that should lower your expectation of the team. We aren’t “so much better than that”, because we are what are FO makes us.
Now, has RW cost us games? Sure. More than 2 or 3? Most of the research says no. Regardless of what he rolled out and what RW did, Lee was likely to kick MUTRIHOF’s ass. So, even as inept as RW was yesterday, I doubt he cost us a win.
"No, I'm not a pessimist. At some point the world shits on everybody. Pretending it ain't shit makes you an idiot, not an optimist."-https://twitter.com/shitmydadsays
I consider 6 games over 500
a lot better than 3 games over 500 at this point in the season
So maybe we do agree
I agree - Lee was pretty on
But that lineup is just an obvious example of the problem (that I’ve been trying to ignore).
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
Yes, 14th wOBA is true
But that includes the fact they often don’t take advantage of splits, don’t pitch hit with better batters when the occasion arises, etc. There’s room to improve that. How much I don’t know.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
That's a little high...
a think they could be a couple games better than they are right now, but 4-6 is pushing it a little too far.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
We're currently right at our pythag and third-order records, actually
We are who we thought we where.
And we let Cliff Lee off the hook.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
Pythag
I’m arguing that we haven’t prevented as many runs or scored as many run as we otherwise could have
The offense has run itself into the ground with all the bunting and running, true
But the pitching staff is 24th in the majors in FIP and xFIP, and the defense is 9th in UZR and almost exactly mid-pack in DRS.
I’d say we’ve actually prevented quite a few more runs than we probably could have.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
I don't buy that.
Managers shouldn’t be judged by records, they should be judged by how well they do their jobs.
And Ron is very, very poor at the actual managing part of his job.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
I agree with you
But you can’t claim that he isn’t doing his job and he isn’t affecting the team at the same time.
And if, say, he has only cost us one game, then we should praise Ron Washington for at least getting his players to play hard, knowing that his managerial mishaps have no effect.
In a close division though, I think one or two games could have an effect.
Maybe not now, but down the stretch and in the postseason, when small sample size performances become more important – that’s when having a bonehead like Wash is really going to hurt you.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
by LSJ on Jun 8, 2010 8:12 PM CDT up reply actions
"We are who we thought we where."
Not sure I agree with that statement. This is looking like it is about an 85 win team which won’t make the playoffs. While many predicted 85 wins, collectively I think we have bought into “It’s time” and expect this team to win the AL West and not just compete late into Sept.
Thank you Houston for drafting Jason Castro.
Not to this degree.
Most of the time it seems like he makes one or two comments, but today, every link, story, etc. was followed by a dig. Not that I have any problem with it; I agree with everything he said.
To be clear...
…the front office deserves a lot of the blame.
Whether it is because of payroll restrictions or poor personnel decisions, the Rangers went into this season knowing that two lefty-hitting outfielders needed to sit regularly, and had their only backup outfielder be a lefthander who can’t hit lefties.
They went into spring training with Matt Brown as their primary righty first base option.
They went into spring training with no backup plan to Julio Borbon in center.
The front office deserves a lot of criticism for the current roster construction.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 8, 2010 10:17 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Definitely
Credit JD for pulling off the Teixeira blame, but equally blame him for a piss poor roster construction.
"No, I'm not a pessimist. At some point the world shits on everybody. Pretending it ain't shit makes you an idiot, not an optimist."-https://twitter.com/shitmydadsays
Hamilton needs to sit regularly?
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
Yes he does
Against lefties, in day games, and in general just to keep him upright.
by LoneStarBallUser on Jun 8, 2010 12:45 PM CDT up reply actions
I can't really be too mad at the front office about it.
Yeah, they should do more to fix it, but it’s a wonder they can get anything done at all with the financial ruin this team is in right now.
Pitching coach Mike Maddux on Darren Oliver’s 0.00 ERA this spring:
"Economical work. He ain’t getting paid by the hour."
How in the hell can you praise Feldman for giving the team innings?
He had over 100 pitches before finishing the 5th inning.
one and one and one is three
The duality between Feldy's handling and Harden's handling by local media
is puzzling.
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
/Captain Obvious, I know
But Adam just spent a couple hundred words saying ‘Wash isn’t very good at managing’, so, let’s kinda use that as the theme of the day.
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
We've always seen this duality
Some guys just always get killed when they do well, and some guys get nothing but praise even when they suck. I suspect it has a lot to do with who is a nice guy to the media, and who plays catch with Max Newberg.
"No, I'm not a pessimist. At some point the world shits on everybody. Pretending it ain't shit makes you an idiot, not an optimist."-https://twitter.com/shitmydadsays
Or if they're developed by our farm system*
Our replacement level players are better than any other replacement level players!
- Excepting Ceej, of course, because he tweets.
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Exactly
See ARod/Teixeira vs. FOTF.
by LoneStarBallUser on Jun 8, 2010 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions
That's what I was wondering.
I didn’t watch and I haven’t checked the data, but holy crap it sure looks like he was even worse than Harden considering the line up.
I took a pass on yesterday's game as soon as I saw the lineup
Decided to save myself from the aggravation, but seeing that note about Gentry in left field is just appalling. With that kind of reasoning, we’re going to see Hammy in center every game from now on!
Me too
I’m so sick of Washington and our bench is just turrible.
I just hope we don’t let this year go to waste.
This is how I felt
When you have 3 of your back-ups in the game and then decide Gentry should be your LF instead of Hamilton, AND you’re facing Cliff Lee, good things won’t happen. I could get mad, but instead I’ll just pretend yesterday never happened and that we’ll win the next 10 games in a row to make us forget about how piss poor of a lineup we had yesterday.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Every day...
….I seem to be surprised by Washington’s bizarre decisions. Last night may have taken the cake. Gentry and Arias in there are headscratchers, to be kind.
What does this organization have against Boggs?
Is he still hurt, not showing what they want him to show, pissed in somebody’s whiskey, what did the man do?
"Josey drives to games??? I always assumed he rides in on his high horse" jam0152
"dirkatron has his own evaluation metric: rapes above replacement." AJM
We should hit every mailbag with this question until we all can't feel feelings anymore
Or Boggs is on the 25 and playing, whichever happens first.
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
You may not like the answer you get, (which is pretty obvious)
Right now the organization feels that Gentry is the better player.
The reasoning behind that is severely more interesting to me
Of course, why they think Murphy is better for his role than Boggs is interesting to me as well, because I’m not so sure he is.
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
I'm officially calling for Wash's head.
I was hanging on to the end, mainly bc I’m such a nice guy.
But fuck him, can his ass.
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"Baseball's all that's real" - JB
by Cecilio's Guante on Jun 8, 2010 10:09 AM CDT reply actions
Well the Angels are in first place again
so maybe they’ll figure out that Ron is the problem and we can’t keep letting him dilly-dally with himself while the division gets away.
I'm a late convert...
to this way of thinking as well.
But I really can’t see anyway of defending the guy right now.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Maybe it's because I'm more jaded than before
but it really feels like his decisions are getting worse and worse.
I had some hope...
at the beginning of the season that he would improve in that regard, but yeah, it does seem like he’s actually getting worse at what was already his biggest fault as a ML manager.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
What really sucks
Is that when a non-baseball fan questions why I like baseball, one of my stock answers is that it’s more strategy-and-tactics based than others sports (it might not even be true), but then I have to look around and admit that 90% of the guys making strategies and tactics fucking blow at it.
Football is great for strategy and tactics,
but baseball is all by itself in terms of being able to analyze those tactics in sophisticated ways. The average football play has so many more players involved that non-results-based analysis breaks down much more quickly.
Yes.
I love watching and following football more than anything else, but baseball is just such an easy sport to analyze confidently and break down and talk about, I find it to be more social and the after-the-games stuff to be more fun.
I love watching football, especially at the college level,
but my interest in following it continuously, especially in the offseason, is really hampered compared to baseballl by the difficulty of reliably breaking it down and making projections going forward. And I just can’t get into following recruiting — discussing it with other fans seems to result in all the things I like least about following the draft or minors, but on crack. Especially with regard to the homerism.
And then on the other side of the spectrum for me there’s hockey, which I played less of than any of the other major sports, and so understand less about what I’m watching, but get a ton of enjoyment out of the constant fluid action and the up and down the rink style of play.
I actually played and loved playing hockey.
And despise it as a spectator sport and cannot get interested in the NHL to save my life.
I really liked playing it,
I just completely sucked at skating as a kid. (Though in the few times I’ve gone in the past few years, I’ve actually started to pick it up now, for some reason.) Otherwise I probably would’ve tried to play hockey through middle school/high school instead of baseball.
You know
This team appears at peace with the fact that the on-field staff is going to make questionable to the point of bizarre lineup and in-game tactical decisions, and seems to have embraced the notion that the bench needs to consist of guys who can’t hit and that the team is not going to have success against lefthanders.
If that is really true, we might as well trade Vlad and blow it all up again. Because you can pretty much rule out the playoffs if you’re right about the front office not caring about hitting lefties or building a bench.
Although, it is true, much as I want to disagree with that notion, we haven’t seen any indications from this team to the contrary. But for now I’ll console myself with the fact that it’s only the second week of June and pretty much nobody around baseball has made any notable moves as of yet.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
slow down
Wash is not under contract for next year and the FO is constrained by Hicks. Next year they should have a new manager and some money to upgrade the bench.
Thank you Houston for drafting Jason Castro.
You do not need money to upgrade the bench
You just need to be willing to cut bait with Arias.
one and one and one is three
That's a possibility
The FO just can’t afford to go out and hire someone new (although Buechelle could be brought up to replace Hurdle and Hurdle could replace Wash).
My problem is the FO at this exact second. Sure – maybe they don’t want to can Wash right now but someone, anyone, could go tell Wash he being a dumbass. The whole Gentry/Hammy is the most maddening. Hammy was moved from CF to COF because he keeps getting injured. Then he has to sit because a 3 inch needle was stuck in his knee. Then as soon as he comes back you put him in the place where he keeps getting injured? WTF?
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
but...
Washington, though, said Hamilton’s knee is fine and his mind is in a better place when he’s playing center field when Julio Borbon has a night off.
Thank you Houston for drafting Jason Castro.
"his mind is in a better place when he’s playing center field when Julio Borbon has a night off."
What the fuck kind of bullshit line is that?
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
That
is just odd especially when you consider that the organization wanted him to play LF as much as possible.
What if he would have hurt himself last night?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
"Now run along, my question was for Jamey and not the diminutive, sawwed off little twerp from Arkansas who no longer sees the team up close."
Ah, ok.......so players make the decisions now.....
I got it.
Ron is a fucking joke!!
Wash is an idiot....and umpires SUCK!!
That is not okay, being at peace with a craptastic lineup and/or defensive team,
it’s bullshit. How much is this team will to sacrifice with this manager, all being “It’s Time.”
"Josey drives to games??? I always assumed he rides in on his high horse" jam0152
"dirkatron has his own evaluation metric: rapes above replacement." AJM
I think the club is obsessed with their "clubhouse atmosphere"
Apparently they think their players spineless pansies who will immediately get all mopey and depressed if the happy little world of lollipops and rainbows they’ve worked so hard to build for them is disturbed.
I think they honestly believe firing Ron, who is apparently charge of maintaining Lollipop and Rainbow Land day-to-day, will cause the entire team to get butthurt and fall into some kind of slump. That’s why they tried to sweep Ron’s coke thing under the rug, and why they didn’t fire him in 2008. And that’s why they’re not going to fire him at any point this year, either.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
Well, they may be right
about this:
Apparently they think their players spineless pansies who will immediately get all mopey and depressed if the happy little world of lollipops and rainbows they’ve worked so hard to build for them is disturbed.
Maybe not about the spineless pansies part, but that last part, I think, is pretty spot-on.
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
by Keynes on Jun 8, 2010 10:32 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yep
a fear of a player pout-fest really is the only reason I can possibly think of for the Rangers to keep Washington at this point.
Go Rice Owls!
And you know what happens?
This team will lose 5 or 6 in a row and the wolves will start howling (while the local beat writers keep their thumbs buried in their asses so as not to be called racist) and then we’ll see them play well for Wash because they love him and reel off a 7-3 record….and then take two steps backwards once the heat subsides…followed by sustained mediocrity…a losing streak…wolves start howling (local media writers dig thumbs deeper into their asses because they’re afraid to criticize this manager in print), players go to the well once more…
and that’s how you go 30-27 / 83-79.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
"Now run along, my question was for Jamey and not the diminutive, sawwed off little twerp from Arkansas who no longer sees the team up close."
That's one way to explain such stretches of play
May even have some validity to it.
Another would be that it’s what a middle-of-the-road team looks like.
Or they don't want to appear to be
hypocritical, since they pledged their allegiance to Wash after coke-gate.
And what that means is that This Thing
needs to lose 15 of 17 for there to be change.
I don’t see that happening any time soon with this candy-ass schedule up to the ASB but I could very easily see it happening after the ASB.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
"Now run along, my question was for Jamey and not the diminutive, sawwed off little twerp from Arkansas who no longer sees the team up close."
This front office overvalues chemistry and character, and I hate to say it, but possibly defense
The lineup last night was terrible, the decision to leave all those guys on the bench late in the game inexcusable. I HATE it when a team gives up. I even hate it when people here just assume we can’t beat the Yankees or someone like Lee. You do not concede a game before it begins, EVER. You do not concede a game that is as close as 2 runs in the late innings, either.
Having Arias and Blanco both on the roster is the biggest crock of shit perpetrated by the front office this year. Even if you think Kinsler’s ankle is going to flare up at any moment, you can replace Arias off the waiver wire at any time, who gives a shit about Arias?
And I did not like reading about the “character” of our draft picks. I’m not nearly as down on the first three picks as most here, but don’t tell me you picked guys because of character. The Olt pick looks like some scout fell in love with his defense and ignored the holes in his swing. Great, now we two Tommy Mendoncas.
one and one and one is three
by t ball on Jun 8, 2010 10:12 AM CDT reply actions 8 recs
Angry t ball makes a rare appearance
Rec’d.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
What's odd is I am a lot less angry about the draft than most here
but that lineup and the bench situation makes me pretty sour. This draft class was low on premium talent, and I think the Rangers just rolled the dice with some guys they see as high ceilinged gambles. Next year’s class is better, and the team will have more money to spend. And the team has been pretty good at finding later round gems so I’m pretty hopeful they’ll do it again today and tomorrow.
one and one and one is three
Repost
Lonestar Ball: Hope may not be a strategy, but it’s all we have left.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Jun 8, 2010 10:27 AM CDT up reply actions
Agreed
They claim, “It’s Time” but last night seemed like we went into the game with a loser’s lineup/mentality.
The players should be fired up to face Cliff Lee and insist on bringing their best
Instead we just bent over and presented ourselves for Lee's enjoyment.
This team is so frustrating.
by DFWAg on Jun 8, 2010 10:35 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
This is why I honestly thought they were going to draft Sale when he fell to them
Hardly a firm commit to Gonzaga, big ceiling and off the charts reports about his makeup.
by LiamP on Jun 8, 2010 10:28 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
And reportedly
not so difficult to sign. Perhaps their MLB marching orders are to stick to slot.
one and one and one is three
I don't normally do this but...
+1
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on Jun 8, 2010 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions
Given
that Lee in the past had over a 9.00 era pitching at RBIA, it seemed to indicate they should put in the best line-up, and played to win. Really, I think the Manager and the GM need to go for all the named reasons.
I feel like we are in bizarro-2009 right now
Angels riding a hot streak in May-June and taking over first place. Rangers manager making questionable decisions. Maybe this is just life.
I really don’t understand what has happened the last couple of days. That line-up was straight non-sense. Hamilton playing the day of the cortisone shot followed up by a start in CF is even more non-sense.
I honestly have no idea what is going on right now.
Trying to be optimistic...
Wash breaking out the give-up roster against Lee despite Lee’s history in Arlington could be a sign that Wash is sophisticated enough to assume that that was probably just a SSS fluke and that Lee had a very good chance of having a great game despite the location.
On the other hand, that seems to contradict a bunch of other Wash moves… I can’t do it. No bright side.
Adam, why "give up" on it? You don't have to relax
and enjoy it and whether or not you realize it, you own the biggest podium and loudest microphone in Ranger Nation. Use it!
Not opening old scabs but merely pointing out other times when you didn’t “give up”…you wanted The Face moved from SS to 3B and didn’t give up.
You wanted Hank F’s ass on the bench or DFA’d last year so Davis could come back and didn’t give up.
The Face’s defense has sent you over the edge and although there is no remedy for this because of The Contract, you haven’t given up your criticism of him.
Ron Washington skull-fucks this team with either unconventional or flat-out dumbass “strategy” 4-5 times per week. Sometimes the team can overcome it, sometimes they can’t but it is unquestionably a problem that keeps getting worse and it has nothing to do with the bar of expectations in 2010 being raised.
JD has put together a very odd roster. His grade comes later (and there have been some good moves) but you’re giving him a pass when he doesn’t deserve it.
Don’t underestimate the power you have or of LSB. If something’s happening that pisses you off…don’t rollover and accept it because you’re frustrated.
Use that podium and use that microphone.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
"Now run along, my question was for Jamey and not the diminutive, sawwed off little twerp from Arkansas who no longer sees the team up close."
by Josey Wales on Jun 8, 2010 10:24 AM CDT reply actions 9 recs
LSB has no "power" with anyone but fans who read it
Ryan, Daniels and Washington are not going to make changes based on what they read here. Furthermore, nothing we say here is something the front office hasn’t already considered.
one and one and one is three
So, you're saying the "lack of influence continues"???
The Texas Rangers have been synonymous with explosive firepower ever since they emptied 130 rounds into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. - Alyssa Milano
I
am missing nellie right now… when will he come off the D.L.?
by I am Neftali Feliz on Jun 8, 2010 10:29 AM CDT reply actions
That was an absolute joke last night
And this is now JD and Nolan’s fault. Wash do what he do. He’s going to keep making shit-awful decisions if you keep giving him the chance to. Either you fire Wash or revamp the bench or both.
I agree there's some FO blame here
But in my mind it’s a little less personnel and more “Hey! Dummy! That fucker over there can’t hit lefties. Stop doing that.”
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
A lot of Wash's stupid decisions...
wouldn’t be possible if the roster was appropriately constructed.
I don't know about this...
I’d like to think this would be the case, but I’m really not sure.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Me neither
You’re going to carry two catchers and Wash decides the playing time. Now Gentry is on the FO. As is carrying Arias and Blanco. But Wash is going to decide who gets a night off and when and he seems to be making the wrong decision on that sometimes and it’s pretty damn obvious when he screws that one up.
There are some other things we don’t know. Maybe the pitchers think Traenor calls the better game and maybe they’re right. But saying Hammy just likes being in CF when Borbon sits is a retarded reason.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
Never underestimate the ability of Wash to fuck things up.
With that said, the way the bench is setup is retarded. It’s like names were drawn from a hat.
Yep.
They’re not gonna fire Wash, we should just accept that.
But what you have to do is take the man’s toys away. Treanor and Arias gotta go.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
Treanor's fine for now - Wash just needs to be told how to use him
Sad to say but someone needs to sit Wash down and explain some basic shit to him. I’m not even saying he shouldn’t be starting 60% because maybe he calls the better game. But I’m sick of his dumb ass in there in late games and then getting pinch run for in the off chance he gets on base.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
JD has said that he talks to Wash
pretty much after every game. He has also said that Wash is the one that makes out the lineup. However, it was reported last Aug that the FO did intervene and tell Wash that Borbon was to hit leadoff.
Thank you Houston for drafting Jason Castro.
If only they had some money to make that happen.
You can’t really blame the front office too much for this. They are severely handcuffed financially in every way and have been for a year. I’m frankly amazed that they were able to make any moves at all in the off season.
Pitching coach Mike Maddux on Darren Oliver’s 0.00 ERA this spring:
"Economical work. He ain’t getting paid by the hour."
Post Game Questions for Wash
Can’t someone in the media ask Wash about his questionable decisions, and when he totally blows with an answer, make him accountable and follow up with something like “what kind of dumb ass answer is that”?(well, maybe something like please clarify that answer because it makes no sense).
They have to give this manager softball
questions and tread very lightly when it comes to criticism of his intelligence or in-game strategy.
Then they wonder why the DMN keeps losing readers.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
"Now run along, my question was for Jamey and not the diminutive, sawwed off little twerp from Arkansas who no longer sees the team up close."
No shit
You would have thought one media member would have asked why you sit Borbon and Smoak (who showed some signs of battling out of slumps) and Elvis in the same game against a divisional elite pitcher at home.
You severely overestimate the baseball IQ of our local media.
Pitching coach Mike Maddux on Darren Oliver’s 0.00 ERA this spring:
"Economical work. He ain’t getting paid by the hour."
Has anyone asked Daniels
when he’s going to fire Ron Washington yet?
or is it just us fans that want him gone? have no media picked up on this?
Oh my god! What can it be? We're all doomed! Who's flying this thing?
-Wash
You know what all of this feels like?
Going into the back yard, putting your arms out, and spinning as fast as you can. Just spin and spin your way around the yard, a bit out of control but doing your best not to fall. You could do this for hours, you think. Then you stop, you try to stand still but the world is still spinning around you. You stumble around, trying to walk straight, but you end up falling through the wooden fence and passing out.
I know that makes zero sense, but reading AJM’s take on last night’s game made that image pop into my head.
ProHockeyTalk: General NHL news, rumors and analysis, from the best hockey mind at NBCSports.com.
by Brandon Worley on Jun 8, 2010 10:34 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
Anybody with a clue...
…as to why Scooter is so hittable this year? Two hits an inning, with an occasional walk, is a pretty bad recipe for winning.
I’m with the rest of you guys who wonder why Feldman gets a free pass whereas Hardin gets crucified by the local media, including Jamey. Hell, I understand MUTRIHOF and all, but that disappeared when “big pay” and “sucking” decided to coincide.
As for JD, yeah, puzzling to be sure. I think we have to assume that their hands are tied, for whatever reason. Nobody can be so stupid as to compose a bench in this way. But, hell, regardless of the bench, what possible excuses are there for rolling out that kind of line-up yesterday? And what possible reason is there to leave good PH on the bench late in the game?
The absolute worst part about the whole thing is that the Angels are doing their thing again.
.336 BABIP this year
And he’s allowing 6% more FB’s and getting about 5.5% less GB’s. He’s actually allowing fewer LD’s and his IFFB% is up 2%, but his magical cutter has gone from being worth 23.7 runs last year to -9.8 this year.
Either the league has adjusted to the cutter or he’s not throwing it near as well. Maybe both.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
cutter is the key
Is it a “feel” pitch? Seems like a tweak in his grip or mechanics would solve the problem. Is his velocity down from last year?
Thank you Houston for drafting Jason Castro.
It is, actually
By a full MPH so far.
Average FB velocity down to 90.4 from 91.6, cutter velocity down to 89.4 from 90.5.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
I don't think the league adjusting is the issue.
I know this is anecdotal, and feel free to fire away, but the cutter just does not look like it did last year. At this point, he seems to have lost confidence, too.
It's funny
the 2-3 times I’ve been able to listen to Nadal during Feldman games this year on XM he states multiple times that this Feldman takes more time between pitches (especially with runners on) and looks like he’s lost confidence.
Drives me crazy to think he was probably one of the brightest pitching stories for us last year, then he shits all over the mound this year.
His cutter and 2 seamer looked like Intellivision Baseball pitches last year.
This year I have a harder time telling a 4 seamer from the cutter….last year it was just so obvious.
He looks like he’s lost the “feel” for the cutter.
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"Baseball's all that's real" - JB
by Cecilio's Guante on Jun 8, 2010 12:40 PM CDT up reply actions
Precisely.
Last year it looked like he had like 6 inches of movement on both his cutter and 2-seamer (in opposite directions of course) which would make it damn near impossible to hit the ball squarely unless the batter guessed the right pitch with the right movement.
This year, his cutter looks nearly straight, and his 2-seam looks like a straight 4-seam. There’s just no movement.
His curveball looks alot better (which I had hoped for to up his Ks a little), but he’s completely lost his other pitches. I’d just as soon see him throw the curveball back in the trash if it meant his cutter and 2-seam/sinker/whatever back to their 2009 movement and velocity levels.
Thanks...
…for the stats analysis, LSJ! Very helpful and seemingly dead-on accurate about the cutter.
by Bats and Balls on Jun 8, 2010 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions
No doubt he's struggled this year
but I believe he’s lasted longer than Harden during most games. And much more was expected of Harden. Seems like lots of folks here kind of anticipated a drop off from last year from Feldman, but maybe not this much.
I don't think you could expect this much of a drop off.
Assuming you’re talking about ERA, because so much of it is due to factors out of his control.
His swinging strike rate is almost exactly the same as last year.
His contact rate is only slightly worse. His K/9 rate is also only slightly worse.
He’s not much more hittable. Hell (and this surprises me), his line drive rate is actually DOWN. He’s getting fewer ground balls, but it’s a small sample size and something that pitchers don’t have a lot of control over.
What’s different is that balls are falling for hits against him, like LSJ said, at a .336 rate. That’s pretty damn unlucky, and his .275 last year was pretty lucky. He’s not more hittable, just not as fortunate.
i
wish the dallas sports media was more like AJM and actually paid attention, so they could ask Wash why hes a dumb motherfucker
by icouldusesomebaseball on Jun 8, 2010 10:41 AM CDT reply actions
i
still dont understand why Elvis needs a day off but they let MY play every day
by icouldusesomebaseball on Jun 8, 2010 10:43 AM CDT reply actions
Veterans
Know how to get it done in those situations.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
Young got a day off in the field the other day
And it was pretty awesome.
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Forgot about that.
Watching Blanco was nothing short of amazing compared to what we have become accustomed to.
Yes, yes
It made my soul happy for a few fleeting moments.
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
He made the top 80 plays of the week on MLBN
Seriously – 80 plays? Yet I sat and watched them all (fast forwarded some). I still don’t get why it isn’t 80 Elvis plays but whatever.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
Does Elvis make 80 plays in a week?
I mean, that’s more than ten per game. So maybe they have to have some non-Elvis ones by necessity.
He makes a few that are 10 plays in one
You just take a few of his plays, put them on a loop for 10 minutes each and the hour-long show’s done.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
I wish Hicks had some money,
and could install a bunch of new cameras all around the ballpark to enable Matrix-style Elvis recordings..
Simple....
Covering the entire left side of the infield tires on out. Standing in one place with an occasional “dive” does not.
The Texas Rangers have been synonymous with explosive firepower ever since they emptied 130 rounds into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. - Alyssa Milano
by bking on Jun 8, 2010 10:45 AM CDT up reply actions 12 recs
If this doesn't go green, nothing else ever should
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
Because a 33yo knows how to handle the heat
better then a 21yo.
Thank you Houston for drafting Jason Castro.
If last night's lineup was considered a "give up" line-up du to facing Cliff Lee.....
….I’d be scared shitless to see tonight’s line-up against King Felix.
Gentry – CF
Young – 3B
Spider for Kins – 2B
Vlad -DH
Hambone – LF
Murph – RF
Smoak – 1B
Treanor – C
Blanco – SS
God help us all….
"Biggest mistake in DFW history?" - Bigger mistake in LSB history.
Wash
will be the reason we don’t make the playoffs this year.
by icouldusesomebaseball on Jun 8, 2010 10:45 AM CDT reply actions
If true
then a lot of blame will have to go on JD and Nolan for refusing to fire him for incompetence.
THIS
We’ve got a dumb dumb at the wheel. This isn’t a new development, it’s been going on for 4 years and some of us have been calling him on it for 4 years.
Wash for this scene your role is to act like a manager who know's what the F he is doing. I know it's a creative stretch 'cus.....he do what he do.
I'm NOT
at fucking PEACE with it.
FUCK WASH! Gahhhhh! ah!
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
I feel better.
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
Bad day yesterday
Rangers lose (roster, line-up and in-game strategy sub-optimal), apparently all the minor league affiliates (that played) lost, uninspiring draft selections…
Had to check to make sure someone hadn’t run over my dog, too. (Thankfully, he’s alive and well.)
Bud Selig ran over my amygdala
(That produces the happy chemicals, yes?)
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Kluver-Bucy!
When you have a damaged amygdala, you get Kluver-Bucy, which was one of the fun diseases to learn about. Symptoms are hyper-orality (literally, put everything in their mouths) and hypersexuality.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
I've known women for whom those are one in the same....
The Texas Rangers have been synonymous with explosive firepower ever since they emptied 130 rounds into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. - Alyssa Milano
Well, the good news...
is that starting tomorrow we get a fresh round of bankruptcy talk.
The Texas Rangers have been synonymous with explosive firepower ever since they emptied 130 rounds into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. - Alyssa Milano
by bking on Jun 8, 2010 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Did your mom
get run over by a damned old train?
by bhudson on Jun 8, 2010 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
The most outrageously boneheaded
managerial blunder last night (picking from the long list) was Treanor hitting, instead of MaxRam or Elvis when we had a chance in the ninth. Please…..fire Wash.
I didn't even watch the game - if Wash doesn't care why should I?
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
Traynoor got th' hawt bat. Gotta let 'im 'it in that sichuuachun.
Look at the comments under Jeff Wilson's blog post on dallasnews.com. What a bunch of rocket scientists.- Keith Law
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Murphy hitting before him was pretty boneheaded too.
They both should been PH for.
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
I still have to say Elvis sitting Monday against a lefty was the worst.
Let him sit against a RHP please. Like Sunday? Or tomorrow?
"I don't really like pitchers." - Nelson Cruz
Everybody knows the ice cream schedule
we have turns to shit after the ASB (7 roadies in Bos & Det) and especially when the hell winds of August come and we get quantum portions of Tampa, NYY, Boston, Oakland and (gasp) Minnesota.
I don’t want there to be panic in the streets but in the past 14 games we’re rocking a 5-9. The team that was 25-18 and starting to pull away came back to the pack (actually fell behind) and is doing all it can to keep it’s head above .500.
We had 6 games v Minn & TB (went 2-4) – should go minimum of 3-3 but that’s not the big problem.
The big problem came with the 8 games v CWS, Chi, KC and Sea. We went 3-5 against some of the worst teams in MLB when we should have gone a minimum of 5-3.
The last 14 games were a wasted opportunity and one of the reasons why a team capable of winning 92 games, wins 83 instead.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
"Now run along, my question was for Jamey and not the diminutive, sawwed off little twerp from Arkansas who no longer sees the team up close."
u
are right , we are supposed to be better than this but we arent, mgrs a dumbfuck, bankruptcy issues. It is the dog days of summer and we are going to roll over and die.
by icouldusesomebaseball on Jun 8, 2010 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions
On the bright side (regarding the draft)
we don’t have to listen to the inevitable arguments about whether we should rank an unsigned player #4 in the organization this year
Go Rice Owls!
Hah
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
I have a radical idea
How about this: Cruz is out. we miss his bat.
Young sucks at third base, but he’s still hitting.
How about we stick Michael Young in right field, admit that he still can’t play third, let Blanco play third until either Cruz comes back or we can swing a deal for a third baseman.
so our lineup would be:
God, SS
Face, RF
Kins, 2b
Vlad, DH
Hambone, LF
Smoak, 1b
Mad Max, C
Blanko, 3b
Borbon, CF
when cruz is back, if Hambone can play some centerfield:
God, SS
Face, LF
Kins, 2b
Vlad, DH
Ham, CF
Cruz, RF
Smoak, 1b
Mad Max, C
Blanko, 3b
Oh my god! What can it be? We're all doomed! Who's flying this thing?
-Wash
Nah
If you’re rolling that just put Vlad in OF and MY at 3B. But I don’t really think Vlad should be getting a lot of time in the OF.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
I meant MY at DH
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
The problem is that Young isn't hurt
Vlad still seems a bit slow out on the outfield. Young should be able to handle oufield just fine.
or maybe second base. he’s played there before….
Oh my god! What can it be? We're all doomed! Who's flying this thing?
-Wash
If Ian went down that would make as much sense as anything
But Blanco can also play second and MY (not that I care) would throw a shitfit if he were moved to second for Blanco.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
Young needs someone to tell him
that he can’t play third base……
Oh my god! What can it be? We're all doomed! Who's flying this thing?
-Wash
Mikey would throw his glove and sit down and pout if we told him he had to move to another position this year
"I think it's funny because everybody wants Ozzie Smith range," Young said. "I want people to show me a guy that has turbo range like that."
new ESP MLB pages look great
schedule is new (and not fully integrated yet)
http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/tex/texas-rangers
also, yesterday, today and tomorrow games are in much better format
http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/tex
i’m sure that there’s a lot more…
He's started CoCo-ing it out there
Not really maybe.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
When Yogi says something like that
it’s funny. When Ron says it, it is plain stupid.
Thank you Houston for drafting Jason Castro.
This sounds like the sort of "Type A" personality that a lot of addicts exhibit..
He seems to think that he has to be the one to step up and solve the CF gap if Borbon sits.
The Texas Rangers have been synonymous with explosive firepower ever since they emptied 130 rounds into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. - Alyssa Milano
Wash leaves you doing this all day, until you rub a hole in your head.
Wash for this scene your role is to act like a manager who know's what the F he is doing. I know it's a creative stretch 'cus.....he do what he do.
OT - Dirkatron's doppleganger found
"what was thought to marijuana"
I guess no one wanted to smell it
><
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
Got tix to go see Big Game Thursday against...
some guy with two last names. Should be a nice big W.
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
Appreciate the mention Adam.
We were not thrilled with Feldman at all, but not using 5 or 6 pitchers was a good thing.
Sure
But the Rangers used fewer pitchers last night because Harrison did his job and the relievers on Sunday didn’t. Given the quality of the opposition, Feldman was probably worse last night than Harden was, but Harden has become the whipping boy of the media, be it print or radio. Being up in D/FW this past weekend and Monday and listening to the sports talk up there drove that home.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 8, 2010 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't think Feldman deserves as much whipping as Harden (or that Harden deserves as much as he's gotten) based off one start.
But that one start probably deserves more than Harden’s against the Rays.
People generally don't take a whipping
because of one start.
The whipping both have taken is because of a season of suck.
"No, I'm not a pessimist. At some point the world shits on everybody. Pretending it ain't shit makes you an idiot, not an optimist."-https://twitter.com/shitmydadsays
well, then he or the manager needs to do something about that then.
We have been hard on scooter too. But when (at times) Feldman manages to get thing together in the middle of a start and make it into the 7th or 8th you tend to give that guy a break.
I guess what I don't get
There’ve been guys who have come here and sucked, or been brought up and sucked. Chris Davis was worse, last year, than Rich Harden has been this year. He was treated with kid gloves by the media.
Jason Jennings was signed as a free agent for similar dollars to Harden, was worse than Harden, then went on the d.l. for the year. He didn’t get beat up like this.
Brad Wilkerson was acquired for Alfonso Soriano, was awful while Soriano was great, and wasn’t this sort of media punching bag.
Vicente Padilla’s 2007 was as bad as Harden’s 2010 has been, and while he got criticized, he wasn’t the lightning rod Harden is.
The only guy in the past ten years I can think of who has gotten this level of scorn, not just from the fans, but from the media, was Chan Ho Park…and it took a couple of years before the Ho got beat up at this level.
I’m sure there’s a variety of reasons for it. Everyone talks about his demeanor, about how he looks like he doesn’t care out there or reacts to things badly, and the fact that he’s a hired gun on a one year deal no doubt contributes to it. But it doesn’t explain how offensive, for lack of a better word, so many seem to find Harden to be. It is as if it has gone beyond his performance and become personal.
The only guy in the last 10 years who I can think of who attracted this sort o
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 8, 2010 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions
For me
its the Bobby Witt impersonation. Though that isn’t it either. Its not that he sucks, its not that he walks a bunch ot people, and its defenitely not his demeanor. It’s just that every at bat against him seems to take forever. He’s the anti-Hunter. the anti-Harrison. He’s not pitching to contact, he’s pitching to get the swing-and-miss. and guys he’s faced just keep making contact, keep fouling balls off, until you get so frustrated you want to scream.
Oh my god! What can it be? We're all doomed! Who's flying this thing?
-Wash
Yeah
I’ve made that comparison before…watching him is like watching the 1986 version of Bobby Witt.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 8, 2010 5:03 PM CDT up reply actions
well....
then you didn’t hear much D-talk last year. Chris Davis was used as a speed bag on our show. Padilla felt some wrath in 2007, but most people lost interest because the team was god-awful. I am actually in the minority here, but I was kinda pissed when they cut him last year. I understand that he might not have played well with the english speaking majority of the team, but I do know that he was viewed in a decent light by some of the other latin players….old story I know.
I absolutely hated Brad Wilkerson and am still trying to forget about his performance while here. He might be the biggest spare they have rolled in over the last decade. But at the time I wasn’t in a position to voice my venom.
Harden reminds me and many others of the douchbag guys that crowd the bars I would like to drink in. He has also been killing the bullpen. Put those two things together and you get a pretty level of disgust.
All in all you might be right about others getting a general pass with the DFW media. But if the team is terrible nobody seems to care. Especially when Cowboys camp gets fired up. Sad. But this is still a football town.
I don't know...
about much of the media coverage in that area, not living out there and all, but it seems to me like Wilkerson, Jennings, and Padilla were often criticized around here.
CD is a different case imo. He’s a young position player who had a good start to his ML career in ‘08 and had really no legitimate competition at 1B last season. So he was given a much longer leash. That doesn’t mean his results were any less disappointing. There just weren’t any other options to turn to when he was struggling.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
I'm talking about the media in particular
Rather than fans.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 8, 2010 5:46 PM CDT up reply actions
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