Ranma wrote:Quake Griffin wrote:Get mad at Hatcher. Mad at the ump who squeezed him (surprised nobody is bitching about this. It got Dave run from the game).
Get mad at Blanton.
But stfu about Ross Stripling. If his arm fell off at pitch 101, you wouldn't be arguing tooth and nail having Dave Robert's back like you are trying to slam him now.
Maybe I'm a homer or something, but I acknowledge liking Dave Roberts. However, he still has something to prove and, like I said before, I can't argue vehemently against any of the decisions he has made so far even with the few I happen to disagree with. And even those moments of disagreement on my part are more nitpicky than anything. Actually, I can only think of one thing I've disagreed with at this point. Maybe he'll eventually do something I'll be totally against but he's pushing the right buttons so far and the team just has a different and more positive feel to it to start off the season at least.
Lest we forget, it was Roberts and his staff who chose Ross Stripling as the 5th starter to begin with when the initial expectations had Zach Lee and Carlos Frias more on the inside track. You could argue that, well, Stripling earned his spot in the rotation based on his performance in Spring Training, which is the point. Roberts and the coaching and medical staff know better than anybody what is going on behind-the-scenes.
Of course, there may be something that doesn't pass the smell test to the casual observer, like continuing to play Jimmy Rollins at SS before his injury when Corey Seager was seemingly ready and avaiable last season on Don Mattingly's watch. I'd like to think we could take for granted that the best players are playing, but that wasn't always the case in years past as recently as last season.
To me, the little things seem to be adding up and building something cumulatively positive on the whole. Aside from our bullpen in the last 2 games, most everyone on the team seems to be performing at optimal levels. I mean look at tonight. He literally rushed out to intervene between his players and the umpire in order to save them from ejection by jumping on the grenade himself. He's shown that he's willing to give his young pitchers the opportunity to prove themselves and settle down while also balancing that against their long-term health and development. He also seems to have reached Yasiel Puig, for heaven's sake! What more can you ask of the man?
p.s. I somehow missed the ump squeezing Hatcher with the calls on his pitches, which is why I haven't been upset about it. The one pitch I saw him complaining about on the telecast's pitch-tracker actually fell out of the strike zone, though it was close. However, there seems to be some hubbub online about this. I just can't verify personally how bad the calls were.
Yeah.
He threw ball one but the next 2 were strikes imo (in real time, not just being upset afterwards). Then he gave him a strike on the inner half when the guy was taking on a 3-0 count. 3-1. Hitters count. Hatcher needs a strike. Knows he has to get his fastball a little higher in the zone. Boom.
probably should have walked him and started a new. But a walk there brings Posey up (Bochy sat Posey in case he needed him int he later innings after the tie).
edit:
I've always been a fan of Andrew Friedman. It was a no brainer for me to love him instantly when Ned left and I still like that guy and where he's taking our franchise.
I never had all the same feeling with Dave taking over for Donnie left. But I have always felt that I would give Dave a fair chance to prove himself and ingratiate himself with the fans and myself. So far, so good with everything the players are saying. So far, so good with Puig.
I don't mind disagreeing with a manager on baseball, but as long as you make sense and you make your decision with conviction, I can respect you as a man and a skipper. A lot of times Donnie didn't make sense to me and he had a flippant "stfu I'm Donnie Beisbol, what do you guys know" type attitude, which I think is why he ran to Miami instead of facing that music every day.
Take a look at Dave up until this weekend and tell me he hasn't taken a huge step in gaining the trust of every one in that locker room:
- Has Puig productive again and apparently improved in his relationships in the clubhouse.
- Let's Alex hit and see more hitters.
- Hops on a grenade for Hatcher when he was getting squeezed....and rightfully so.
- Gave Ross a tough pill to swallow (there's a chance Ross was mad and was just saying the right things to the media) in order to look out for his future.
So far, so good.
“I’ve always felt that drafting is the life blood of any organization.” - Jerome Alan West.
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