tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post2754203672297762343..comments2007-10-14T18:02:48.488-04:00Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697776280178146413noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-61382061725181903892007-10-14T18:02:00.000-04:002007-10-14T18:02:00.000-04:00Besides the fact that Dusty Baker is not a very good manager, the fact that the Reds are bringing in some old 70s ex-Dodger to be the manager makes me sick.<BR/><BR/>Bleh... I grew up following the Reds and HATING the Dodgers. Anything to do with those guys, I despise.<BR/><BR/>Dusty Baker also has led two teams to pull defeat out of the jaws of victory in huge playoff series with the Giants against the Angels and the Cubs against the Marlins. Beyond that, the collapse the next year by the feuding Cubs was disgraceful and to me even worse than game 6 against the Marlins.<BR/><BR/>If Cincy wants to bring in a retread manager bring back Davey Johnson.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-78283267574574796392007-10-14T14:52:00.000-04:002007-10-14T14:52:00.000-04:00daedalus,<BR/><BR/>If Baker didn't have such a long history of being a horrible manager of a pitching staff and horrible job of not playing young players who are better than older players, or a history of comments saying guys who walk just clog up bases for guys who can run, or batting guys with SUB .300 on base percentages LEADOFF for entire seasons.....<BR/>Then yeah, maybe I would say some people are overreacting a little bit. Sad part is, everything I said was true about Dusty Baker. Oh, and his last job as a manager, he won 66 games his final season. AWESOME.<BR/><BR/>Overreaction? Absolutely not.Doug Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06429070071208586169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-34847989129994805152007-10-14T13:46:00.000-04:002007-10-14T13:46:00.000-04:00While the cause of injuries to Prior and Wood can be debated, there is no question that Dusty likes to let his pitchers throw a lot of pitches, especially the young ones.<BR/><BR/>Over the last 15 years, <A HREF="http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/gtww" REL="nofollow">out of the top 10 teams</A> for pushing young starters (age 25 or younger, more than 120 pitches in a game), Dusty Baker managed 3 of the teams. Hopefully Krivsky won't let him get away with it in Cincinnati.<BR/><BR/>By the way, if you click on the individual games link on that report, you'll see some interesting names of pitchers that burned out. However, the most common name on the list is Livan Hernandez, who has made 30 or more starts in 10 straight seasons even with all of those pitches thrown. He's a freak of nature.Joelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-62772727527936927372007-10-14T13:45:00.000-04:002007-10-14T13:45:00.000-04:00Greetings from Bulgaria.<BR/><BR/>I don't understand the hysteria surrounding the hiring. The way I look at managers is this:<BR/><BR/>a bad manager with a bad team doesn't make a difference.<BR/><BR/>a bad manager with a good team can screw up that team's chances with bad decisions.<BR/><BR/>a bad manager with a great team doesn't make a difference.<BR/><BR/>a good manager with a bad team doesn't make a difference.<BR/><BR/>a good manager with a good team will lead that team to october, or at least get close.<BR/><BR/>a good manager with a great team gets to the playoffs every time.<BR/><BR/>obviously baker's three first place finishes and six second place finishes in fourteen seasons means he is at least not a damaging manager to good teams. and the reds are a good team, meaning they are just a couple of impact players away from getting there.<BR/><BR/>my god, the overreaction is ridiculous. thanks for not overreacting here!Daedalushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-89416819482498972382007-10-14T13:32:00.000-04:002007-10-14T13:32:00.000-04:00Dusty DOES practice what he preached though....LOL.....<BR/><BR/>Dusty Baker’s record with the Cubs:<BR/>2003: 88-74, Pthag record 85-77, .323 OBP(13th in NL) 492 BBs(14th)<BR/>2004: 89-73, Pthag record 94-68, .328 OBP(11th in NL) 489 BBs(14th)<BR/>2005: 79-83, Pthag record 80-82, .324 OBP(11th in NL) 419 Bbs(16th )<BR/>2006: 66-96, Pthag record 70-92, .319 OBP(16th in NL) 395 BBs(16th)<BR/><BR/>Other than his 1st year, actual record was worse than pthag record every year. Number of walks declined each year. <BR/><BR/>These stats are from http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/2003.shtmlMike Graysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998163752890514691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-59940753845005497132007-10-14T13:17:00.000-04:002007-10-14T13:17:00.000-04:00meant to say September 2003Doug Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06429070071208586169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-55632513116230500662007-10-14T13:16:00.000-04:002007-10-14T13:16:00.000-04:00I am praying for the Reds pitching staff.<BR/>Mark Prior turned 23 years old the first week of September. How did Baker help him celebrate? By letting him have these pitch counts in September!<BR/><BR/>131<BR/>129<BR/>109<BR/>124<BR/>131<BR/>133<BR/><BR/>Those were his pitch counts for every start in September, on a 23 year old pitcher who had thrown 180 + innings heading into the month already.<BR/><BR/>If someone doesn't step in with pitch counts on EVERY pitcher we have, I fully expect the Bats rotation to be the Reds rotation in 2009.Doug Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06429070071208586169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-47111654995584017222007-10-14T12:59:00.000-04:002007-10-14T12:59:00.000-04:00Well, I have no problem with letting a guy hit 3-0 as long as you're selective (one pitch, one specific zone), because you have a good chance at receiving a fat fastball down the middle.<BR/><BR/>As for the rest of it... uhh... oh shit.<BR/>-jJustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697776280178146413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-81913129272168418212007-10-14T12:51:00.000-04:002007-10-14T12:51:00.000-04:00Dusty Baker is the "anti-Bill James".<BR/><BR/>Interesting web site: http://firedustybaker.blogspot.com/<BR/><BR/>Dusty quote on walks and OBP: <BR/>“No. 1, I’ve let most guys hit 3-0 (in the count). That’s one reason. . . . I think walks are overrated unless you can run. If you get a walk and put the pitcher in a stretch, that helps, but the guy who walks and can’t run, most of the time he’s clogging up the bases for somebody who can run.”<BR/><BR/>“Who have been the champions the last seven, eight years? Have you ever heard the Yankees talk about on-base percentage and walks? . . . Walks help. They do help. But you aren’t going to walk across the plate, you’re going to hit across the plate. That’s the school I come from.”<BR/><BR/>“Everybody can’t hit with two strikes, everybody can’t walk,” Baker said. “You’re taking away some of the aggressiveness of a kid if you’re telling him to go up there and try to work for a walk. . . . It’s like when I see kids in Little League and they make the small kids go up there and try to get a walk. That’s not any fun. . . . Do you ever see the top 10 walking (rankings)? You see top 10 batting average. A lot of those top 10 do walk, but the name of the game is to hit.”Mike Graysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08998163752890514691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-67276951330136732272007-10-14T12:09:00.000-04:002007-10-14T12:09:00.000-04:00It'll be interesting to see. Some of the veteran players these days seem a lot more aware of some of the research than the current managers. I heard Jeff Cirillo cite zone rating and the fielding bible as good efforts to better understand defense in a radio interview recently.<BR/><BR/>I am doubtful that we'll get a hard core stat geek in there any time soon. After all, as Joel pointed out in my google map post, we're all just sitting in our parents basements in front of a computer all day anyway. I don't know how well we'd do in a job that requires you to be outdoors most days, for half a year at least!!<BR/><BR/>But I think we might get folks who are progressively more open to and aware of the big ideas. ... after all, they should help you win more games, right? <BR/>-jJustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697776280178146413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-87370105268996465472007-10-14T11:34:00.000-04:002007-10-14T11:34:00.000-04:00Justin, that's an interesting point that while managers certainly COULD make a bigger difference on the game, there aren't many (any?) managers straying far from tradition. Manny Acta's probably the furthest from the stereotype. I wonder when we'll first get a manager who's out and out a statgeek, but also a talented enough leader to get his players to buy into all the differences in expectation. Within five years?Skyhttp://greenmen.org/skyking162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-13626535799963705222007-10-14T11:33:00.000-04:002007-10-14T11:33:00.000-04:001. Studies trying to detect managerial influence have found a very small effect, if any at all, of manager identity on team performance. Doesn't mean there's no effect, but it's not huge.<BR/><BR/>2. Managers don't operate in a vacuum. Decisions regarding player usage, in particular, will need to be agreeable to the rest of the Reds' front office.<BR/><BR/>I'm not saying he's going to be good for the Reds. But I have to think that this isn't as catastrophic as most of the commentary from Reds fans would have you think it is. ... at least, that's what I have to keep telling myself. -jJustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697776280178146413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23241716.post-37378950486522633302007-10-14T11:11:00.000-04:002007-10-14T11:11:00.000-04:00Oh, the manager matters. Dusty is a horrific in-game manager, downright awful at managing pitchers' workloads, is obsessed with putting fast guys who can't reach base in the leadoff spot, and will bench younger players for veterans no matter how bad an idea it is.<BR/>In other words, believe the stats you just cited, say good-bye to Homer Bailey's health, hasta la vista Hamilton and Votto, and hello 700 PA's for Freel.Harry Pavlidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811251154267943034noreply@blogger.com