Comments on: Fantasyland

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:24:59 +0000

FWIW, Dan at #20 (and 21) isn’t the same Dan who usually comments around here.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:23:04 +0000

Dusty image would be much better off taking the Wayne Krivsky approach, maybe something like, “I cannot confirm or deny that I managed in Chicago, and I will not comment on whether or not I knew what a pitch count was when I, did or did not, mangage there.”

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:20:06 +0000

That \”basement\” joke is a great one, to be sure. Never gets old. It\’s \”your mom\’s basement,\” of course.

By: preach

preach — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:08:47 +0000

If the major knock on a manager, rightly or wrongly, is that he overworks starting pitchers and then he makes a statement as above, it’s legitimate to look at the numbers and see what is factual. And maybe I’m looking at something wrong, but it looks like the numbers Chris used seemed to indicate that he puts a heavy workload on his starters. I expect our bullpen to be better this year, but if it’s not significantly better we really better watch out for those young arms. It was a valid fact-check.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:59:54 +0000

Congratulations. You were able to show that Dusty Baker is so insane that he was at least 8 pitches off (in Prior’s case, by your own research) in his memory of a game that happened four years ago. Haha, what a dumbass! You finally got him this time!

I frequently read this website for useful information compiled on prospects in the farm system. For that I thank you. I could do without the self-serving Baker bashing. I’m not asking for you to pump more optimism into your posts, but please just sit tight in your basement and poke a voodoo doll of him until he actually shows that he can’t help the team.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:59:51 +0000

By: preach

preach — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:49:28 +0000

That makes sense, Greg. Whether or not Dusty is being factual, it does show that he has an awareness to either the reality or the perception of how he handles pitchers. Or he’s in complete and utter denial. I’m thinking that the front office does indeed generate some of the policy in that area. Could be the type of thing we have a second GM for: one to look at off-field issues and one for the on-field decisions like pitch counts and clubhouse management.

By: GregD

GregD — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:25:42 +0000

As I posted last week, I think it is very interesting to look at Baker’s pitcher’s pitch counts in San Francisco under GM Quinn (where pitchers rarely pitched over 120 pitches), compared to San Francisco under their current GM and Hendry in Chicago, where the young pitchers often exceeded 120.

It’s an organizational philosphy, and we’ll see very shortly what the Krivsky/Baker plan is. My guess is that it will be more like the Krivsky/Narron plan than the Hendry/Baker plan…meaning we’ll see pitch counts, and guys going over 120, even the veterans, will be the exception rather than the rule.

By: Airguitarducks

Airguitarducks — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:36:10 +0000

why thank you jared now i know im not totally insane

By: Tampa Red

Tampa Red — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:19:38 +0000

Personally, I think Dusty Baker is a perfect fit for the Reds, 2008 version.

There are many, many reasons for this, but take a look at Hal McCoy’s blog entry today on the Dayton News website. What Baker says about the Stanton situation (dead on) and his comments about Affeldt (very insightful, IMO) are perfectly said.

This whole thing about pitch counts and veteran players is a bunch of bullspit. I can’t wait until the season starts, the Reds start winning and the focus can go back to what he does as a RED, not what he did as a CUB.

(Not really directed at you Chris, just making a general statement about seemingly all Reds websites).

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:59:56 +0000

Jared, I most certainly WAS NOT trying to prove anything about how abused those guys were. Read the initial sentence – I said all that is up for debate. And goodness knows I’m sick to death of that particular debate.

My only point was to see if Baker was really pulling young pitchers out of games after 5 IP becuase of pitch counts. That most certainly did not happen.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:51:14 +0000

Hey, it\’s a public service to you, the reading public. I give Dusty four Pinocchios.

By: Jared

Jared — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:47:23 +0000

Wood was not a young pitcher and, for what he was getting paid, should have been able to handle the load that he was given. Turns out he’s fragile and can’t, and thus was overpaid. Period.

Chris — the post talks intends to prove how overused these pitchers were, but you reference a bunch of 100 pitch games for Prior and a couple in which he shouldn’t have been taken out. I think Airguitar’s post is pretty valid.

Zambrano is the only of them, to me, that clearly was overused.

Doug — Aaron Harang had the benefit of one of the best bullpen’s in history, so pulling him early wasn’t as much of an issue. Er… wait..

By: Chris in Venice

Chris in Venice — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:36:06 +0000

This isn’t going to stop during the season.

Every word he utters will be disected more intensely than an Obama campaign speach by Sean Hannity.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:58:28 +0000

It is the offseason. We have to talk about something.