this is right on, people seem to forget about the people behind the scenes. willie didnt give castillo a four year deal.
Do baseball managers really make that much of a difference? Joe Torre went from being the best manager to getting run out of town because he couldn't win the world series anymore with the highest paid team. Clint Hurdle most of last year was always saying that he was at a loss as to why the Rockies were playing so bad. Then the Rockies end the season with an unbelievable winning streak up to the world series only to get swept and now they start this season badly. So Hurdle went from almost being fired to being the best baseball manager and now we don't know which Hurdle is going to show up this year. Baseball is not like football where the coaching really makes a difference. How hard is to figure out which pitchers to start and when to bring in a relief pitcher or pinch hitter or try to steal a base or move the infield in. A manager can always make a decision that could be second guessed but it almost always comes down to how well your pitchers pitch and defense is and how well your hitters hit, steal bases, score or drive runs in. And, always remember that baseball is a game of inches. It's not how well you hit the ball but where it ends up after you hit. You can barely make contact with the ball and get a hit or you can hit it really hard to somebody and be out.
Wow, this thread is a depressing read, particularly after a win. The spirit seems to have been sucked right out of everyone.
Casanova with a 2-run HR off Smoltz. Mets up 3-0. A CAT scan of Alou's foot apparently "showed something" in his ankle. He's going to have an MRI tomorrow, but there might be a fracture. Apparently Minaya is also being ridiculously vague about it. How about a prediction that Alou is out until July?
here come the "delgado is back!" talks. we've been hearing "it doesn't all go at once" for the past 2 years now.
Smoltz really doesn't have it today - giving up a hit to Figueroa and a single and HR to Casanova is one thing, but giving up a HR to Delgado means that you're pitching at about a AA level.
intentionally walking delgado! bahahaha as for wright he's looked bad today against smoltz but despite the lack of hits lately he's been having really good ABs. he really is getting absolutely nothing to hit and is probably pressing a little and extending the strike zone rather then walking.
It's only about a week, but I certainly don't think he's having good at bats in this slump - in 24 official at bats he has two singles, and I don't see any evidence that he's hitting the ball hard. And, in fact, the only good thing he has been doing is walking - one time in each of the five games before yesterday - and he only struck out 4 times in the six games before today, which is very consistent with his career average.
You're right, he's not hitting the ball at all, but he's not going up there and popping out on the first pitch either. It seems like he's been 3-2 almost every AB though and seeing alot of pitches. Figueroa really turned back to suck this inning quickly.
