Bob Melvin fired as Diamondbacks manager, AJ Hinch to take over
by Jim McLennan on May 7, 2009 9:03 PM EDT
in News
212 comments
It appears Bob Melvin has gone from National League Manager of the Year to 'Do you want fries with that?' in barely eighteen months. For according to KTAR:
Sports 620 KTAR's John Gambadoro reports Bob Melvin will be out as manager and the Diamondbacks will have a replacement before the game Friday evening against the Washington Nationals at Chase Field. Multiple sources close to the team have confirmed this report.
The club also fired Rick Schu as hitting coach, while pitching coach Bryan Price resigned. KTAR and Gambadoro report director of player development AJ Hinch is the replacement for Melvin. It appears Jack Howell, the current field coordinator, will be replacing Schu, Mel Stottlemyre Jr. takes over as pitching coach, and Kirk Gibson will remain as the bench coach. Detailed analysis after the jump.
The change doesn't really come as too much of a surprise, especially in the wake of recent comments by Josh Byrnes and Derrick Hall. Byrnes was asked about Melvin's job security, and his response was "The offense has not clicked and we're being thorough and fair in looking at all the reasons for that, everything from how our team is constructed and how it has performed." Hardly a ringing endorsement or backing for Melvin, and on the Doug and Wolf show on KTAR this morning, president and CEO Derrick Hall was asked basically the same question. He responded, "We've all been analyzing what the answer is going to be and what we need to do... The bottom line is...it's unacceptable... There's something missing and it hasn't just been for the 28 games this season... Something's got to give."
Audio courtesy of KTAR 620
Above is the whole interview [Melvin is discussed about 2:40 into it], in which Hall also makes clear his dissatisfaction with the way the season has unfolded so far with regard to the team, and their lack of focus. He also discusses how even though a player has been up in the majors for a couple of years doesn't mean he can't be sent down to the minor-leagues - which seems pointedly directed at Chris Young. Another topic is whether the players are as good as we think they are, and Hall reckons they have all proven themselves capable of contributing, and points out that it's not that long ago people were demanding Justin Upton be sent down to the minors. He also says the decisions need to be made regardless of a win or loss - by the end of the interview, it has to be said, it sounds like Melvin had already been fired. Here are Hall's final comments this morning.
We know something has to be done because we've been grossly underperforming now for five-plus months and it's just not fair to the fans, it's not fair to the organization, it's not fair to the young players that are performing below this team at Triple-A and Double-A that are ready for their opportunity. So a lot goes into consideration... Is it fair to put the blame on one man? No. Does it happen all the time in the major sports? Yes. And sometimes teams do respond and players do respond.
Interestingly, Nick Piecoro reports, "Another reason for the dismissal appears to be what sources describe as a deteriorating relationship between Melvin and Byrnes." I also note the apparent timing of the decision, with the change apparently made on the day the national media are diverted with Mannygate, which will certainly mean the first managerial dismissal of the season gets less attention than it otherwise would. [See the infamous memo sent out by a Labour Party press officer in the UK on 9/11: "It's now a very good day to get out anything we want to bury."] It probably helps that the new manager gets to face the weakest team in the league, the Nationals, at home over the weekend, so has a good chance of a winning start, even if he does nothing at all.
It now seems certain that the new manager is the current director of player development, AJ Hinch. He was a player until very recently - his last game in the majors was September 2004 for the Phillies, and so is pretty young, not turning 35 until a week tomorrow. A Stanford graduate, he was initially hired by the Diamondbacks in November 2005, as manager of the franchise's minor league operations, and was promoted to his current position in August the next year. In that role, he should already be very familiar with most of the roster. He's pulling up some of his colleagues with him. The new hitting coach is Jack Howell, a former MVP [ok, it was in Japan!] who was the minor-league field coordinator, in charge of instructing players. In a March interview, he said, "I think my skills translate best to bench coach. That’s kind of what I am now, in a way, I’m A.J. Hinch’s bench coach." Well, I guess that was close enough, Jack.
Will it make an enormous amount of difference? Probably not immediately, especially if the replacement comes up from within the organization [or especially the current staff, such is Gibson], and thus is more likely to have a similar philosophy. There will probably be some opportunity for what the stock-market refer to as a "dead-cat bounce" - basically, things will get better, because the offense can't really get very much worse. The team's BABIP of .262 is still well short of the league average (.295), and I still expect that to regress as well. The acid test will be whether there is any significant change in the performance of players like the slumping Chris Young. Going by Hall's comments it's not impossible he could be Reno'd, though one wonders whether Gerardo Parra is up to facing major-league pitching on a full-time basis.
Perhaps more problematic is the loss of Bryan Price as pitching coach. He had worked with Melvin since their days in Seattle, and it appears his loyalty extended to falling on his sword when the manager went down. I'm fairly sure the club would have held on to him, had he wanted to stay - while there have been issues in the bullpen, the pitching is not seen as anything like as much a problem as the offense. Mel Stottlemyre Jr. will be taking over, having previously been the minor-league pitching co-ordinator [presumably, another Hinch choice] However, with a mostly veteran rotation, the pitching staff should generally take care of themselves, with the possible exception of Max Scherzer and some of the younger relievers, such as Vasquez.
I feel somewhat sympathetic to Melvin - there is only so much a manager can do, after all. But in the end, as I've said before, a manager lives or dies by the overall performance of his team, and the hitters have undeniably underperformed badly for the past year. And I'm sure Melvin will take the news with the same phlegmatic approach he has managed the team for the past four-plus years. With apologies to Rudyard Kipling, here's his epitaph
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be aManformer major-league manager my son!
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Kirk Gibson
"Chemistry is a class you take in high school or college, where you figure out two plus two is 10, or something."
- Dennis Rodman
KGib.
Or else Chip Hale.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Mark Grace
5/7/2009 - The day Josh Byrnes finally fixed one of his mistakes.
Mark Grace
Will force these guys to play fundamental baseball.
5/7/2009 - The day Josh Byrnes finally fixed one of his mistakes.
hmm
Not a horrible suggestion… but he doesn’t strike me as the “kick in the pants” sort of guy these players need.
5/7/2009 - The day Josh Byrnes finally fixed one of his mistakes.
True,
but he WAS regarded as sort of BoMel’s extension in the locker room during 2007.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Gonzo? ;)
Player manager, he’s probably a better bet in the outfield then what we’ve got ;)
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry that the above statement is probably not far from the truth :(
Time for another drink then?
http://www.wimbles.wordpress.com
Take another drink.
And pray that we hire Bobby Valentine.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
I'd be surprised
If this was the offseason, sure. You can’t make a complete staff change in May, can you?
5/7/2009 - The day Josh Byrnes finally fixed one of his mistakes.
It definitely would be
And I’m not saying I’d be opposed to it.
5/7/2009 - The day Josh Byrnes finally fixed one of his mistakes.
Inside, probably
I’d love someone from the outside, but unless they have been in talks with someone already, there’s no time since there’s a game tomorrow. Not that coming in from the outside would be easy anyway in the middle of the season.
Brett Butler
Is one of the names being tossed around.
5/7/2009 - The day Josh Byrnes finally fixed one of his mistakes.
I think this is the best birthday ever...
First Mandy bust for steroids, now BoMel is fired. AWESOME!
"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair
No it isn't
Because we lost the ballgame :(
Time for another drink then?
http://www.wimbles.wordpress.com
Your birthday AND Wimb's birthday??
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
And welcome back after a long absence.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
I would bet
either Butler or Gibson. Someone with coaching experience and inside the organization still. I just doubt it would be Grace at this point.
Wow.
Didn’t think this would actually happen. I wonder if last night’s win staved this off, or if it was just a matter of getting things in place after the terrible stretch of the week before?
I'm guessing
That’s it’s been in progress the entire road trip.
5/7/2009 - The day Josh Byrnes finally fixed one of his mistakes.
That's my guess too
If the road trip was a winning road trip – 5-3 – then I’d bet this would’ve waited another week or so.
by snakecharmer on May 7, 2009 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions
It was going to happen regardless
After the team got swept by the Dodgers and then amazingly won a game in San Diego after committing 4 errors on the field followed by a game that should have been won today, but the team surprisingly couldn’t hit again. It should have been done after the 6th inning. Maybe Haren should have given him the pink slip after leaving the game.
Well....
somebody’s double-dipping…. welcome back!!
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Alan Hale!
NL West TempestTeapot
Nothing matters , and what if it did?
by victor frankenstein on May 8, 2009 2:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Welcome
to the Snakepit!!
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Pat Murphy
This guy doesn’t take crap from anyone and is more than willing to stick it to opposing teams. He exudes confidence and I’m sure he would like to get paid. He has the personality to handle a bunch of limp rags getting paid to disappoint the fans. I feel bad for the starting pitchers. they have been solid this year.
Gibby will probably walk if Melvin is fired as a show of respect, like Yount did when Brenly was fired. I say chip Chip Hale manage with Butler as the bench coach. Fire Shue and bring in any pop warner coach to teach the players hitting techniques. Listening to Grace on TV every game describe pitching counts and hitting drives me nuts because he doesn’t play anymore but he knows pitching counts and pitchers’ strengths and weaknesses, while the players are clueless at the dish.
Hello, Best Week Ever
have you been featured on VH1 yet?
Because I’m having the best week ever.
by emilylovesthedbacks on May 7, 2009 10:30 PM EDT reply actions
I really miss "Pop Up Video"
I dig odd trivia , and they served it up with a dry nod.
Like reporting how Lionel Richie gifted a blind video consultant with a color TV.
NL West TempestTeapot
Nothing matters , and what if it did?
by victor frankenstein on May 8, 2009 2:33 AM EDT up reply actions
By the way I have been saying for weeks now
that Gracie should take over and I hope it happens here.
Why Grace?
Just curious as i wonder what people see in him to think grace would be a good coach.
"If you'd need to know, you'd know. but they decided that you don't need to know,so you don't. So stop thinking about what you don't know because you don't need to know what you think you need to know about!"
by unnamedDBacksfan on May 7, 2009 10:44 PM EDT up reply actions
I think
Grace might make a good bench coach, actually…. keep the kids in order but also keep ’em smiling.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
I like him as a person
And I would have liked him as bench coach, but not as manager.
"Sadly, faced with his mother's twisted, yet impeccable logic, Richard Castle's head exploded."
Heck,
he was our bench coach when we won the series.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Not really shocking
Although I am surprised that Melvin lost his job before anybody associated with the Rockies.
The Monforts
will never fire ANYONE.
If they did, they’d hafta pay them for not working.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
KGib
would be fairly hardcore.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Just FYI,
it makes it much less confusing if you use the “reply” button below a comment to respond to it. ;-)
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Maybe give the job
to Chip Hale or Brett Butler and interim head coach. Then in the offseaason go after someone like Willie Randolph or Larry Bowa.
I blame
your avatar. ;-)
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Football isn't my favorite sport but
I wasn’t about to miss seeing the Cardinals in the playoffs and went to both games here at home. I am still sad though that they lost the big one.
I also went to both
I teared up at the championship game and almost cried at the Super Bowl, when Fitz got that last one man….that was awesome too bad it wasn’t the final TD of the game.
- 1
It's like living with a six-year old.
by 4 Corners Fan on May 7, 2009 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
oh meu deus OBRIGADO!
bye bye BoMel!
I’d love to see Gracie as a bench coach… Helping Gibson manage.
& PLEASE DONT LET PRICE GO!
he’s the best pitching coach in the entire MLB.
Wikipedia is accurate. (citation needed)
The timing
doesnt surprise me too much. After facing Peavy and Young at Petco seems like a politically opportune time to pull the trigger, although I had assumed Wednesday’s victory probably postponed a purge (ie Schu and/or Melvin).
The new manager is almost guaranteed to have the team play better under his watch, for reasons beyond his control. Drew (and eventually Webb) wil return. Upton might be on the cusp of being a day to day franchise player. In terms of regression, you’d expect more collective improvement (Young, Snyder, CoJack, Byrnes, Montero, Tracy) than decline (Lopez? Reynolds? Upton? Augie?). Not the number of guys so much, but that first group has enormous established upside from where they’re currently at. Rotation will have to regress some, bullpen could get better – more or less a wash going forward, hopefully.
In sum, regardless of manager, I see this team playing better than they have to date. In that sense, politically, it sounds like a safe, carefully positioned move. Will it genuinely solve much? I hope so, but as should come as no surprise, am fairly skeptical.
It’s quite possible they find a slightly better manager, but I doubt they’ll find someone markedly better than Bob. This club’s shortcomings run quite a bit deeper than 2007’s NL Mgr of the Yr, imo.
If the FO is the focus of anything, something is seriously wrong with the picture ! - unnamedDBacksfan 2/20/09
...and thx for the writeup, Jim
I appreciate the info
If the FO is the focus of anything, something is seriously wrong with the picture ! - unnamedDBacksfan 2/20/09
by Diamondhacks on May 7, 2009 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Per Jon Heyman on Twitter
I am hearing the new Arizona manager was picked from the front office. My latest guess is AJ Hinch, but that’s a guess… i’m hearing it’s not bench Kirk Gibson or Brett Butler.
"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil
No - he only retired in 2005
Per Wikipedia
Even while playing, he was planning his post-playing career. He went so far as to go to the 2003 General Manager’s winter meetings to look for future job opportunites and contacts. In July 2006, Baseball America named him one of baseball’s “10 to watch” in the next 10 years for his promise as a Farm Director and future General Manager. In August 2006, the Diamondbacks named Hinch director of player development.
"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil
by Jim McLennan on May 7, 2009 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions
that is what I thought … will make people who are all about Gracie pissed if they pick someone who has no experience.
Maybe
but Gracie gets a say too. Even if he was the first choice, I’m not sure he wants to be a coach right now.
"We...probed them all the way through. They're completely meat." — Terry Bisson
yeah I agree … I’m not pulling for him other than the fact that it would give the fans some excitement … but these are the same fans that made us keep Eric Byrnes. I bet though, if offered the gig, he would take it. This isn’t an opportunity that comes around all the time.
Good point
and I bet that they never come at the perfect time anyway.
"We...probed them all the way through. They're completely meat." — Terry Bisson
Hinch is a really good guess
but I’ll go out on a limb and say Matt Williams.
If the FO is the focus of anything, something is seriously wrong with the picture ! - unnamedDBacksfan 2/20/09
by Diamondhacks on May 7, 2009 11:54 PM EDT up reply actions
hmm
interesting to see who it’ll be now.
I voted for the Dancing in the street thing, mainly cause he’s too chill as a manager for my liking. Except his taco bell commercial last year….wait it was a frozen drink, so still too chill
"Score some damn runs, or the baby pandas die"
LOL
Yeah… those Taco Bell commercials w/ him and Chip Hale were absolutely hilarious.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
My worry here is about the players
Their under a lot of pressure because they’re not performing and now they have to go through a transition with the manager. Sure, they’re professionals, but they still have to get out of their own heads.
We are naming our kid Emmetalie if we ever get one. The middle name is going to be Baseball. Does that work for you, hon? --Growing Up Cullen
This may alleviate a lot of pressure.
I can think of at least three reasons why:
First, the worst has happened and it happened to someone else. The firing squad (or maybe just the “DFAing Squad”) might not be back for a while.
Second, they can now play the Bob Melvin/Rick Schu whenever they make a mistake. They may not even need to play it themselves. A lot of people may just shake their heads and say “Melvin and Schu really messed these guys up. Give ’em time to recover.”
And finally, I think a new management style may relieve some of the pressure. There were times when some players looked completely lost, in an edge-of-panic sort of way. A new manager may be able to calm them down better than Melvin did.
"We...probed them all the way through. They're completely meat." — Terry Bisson
hell yeah
it’s gotta be Matt Williams and why not bring Gracie along in that capacity…AJ wouldn’t be bad either, but this club would do well to get some 2001 fire lit under their asses…
haah I almost vomited when i followed the link to his page .. gross. You think they’d make him put up a 620 logo instead. what an ass.
Seems
just a little inappropriate…
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
I think
I like this move, but I’m not sure yet….. I think Hinch is young, but he’s a no-bullshit kinda guy.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
on wikipedia
“On May 7th 2009 Hinch was named manager of the Diamondbacks following the firing of Bob Melvin earlier in the day.”
Wikipedia is accurate. (citation needed)
can't be true, Wikipedia
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Too bad
he’s neither….
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
I am seeing on the twitter that Bryan Price resigned. :(
From Noah Coslov of mlb.com
Melvin is out. The club also dismissed Rick Schu as hitting coach and Bryan Price resigned as pitching coach. #Diamondbacks
That's too bad
Price did some good work, I wanted him to stick around.
"Sadly, faced with his mother's twisted, yet impeccable logic, Richard Castle's head exploded."
I did too
But most of our top pitchers can probably take care of themselves for the rest of the year, at least. Maybe a new coach can prop up some of the struggling pitchers. Maybe he’ll be a Rauch whisperer!
I would be most concerned for Max Scherzer, he doesn’t have the experience to overcome a bad pitching coach. For his sake, I hope the next one is outstanding.
"We...probed them all the way through. They're completely meat." — Terry Bisson
Ed Vosberg?
Wait, he’s coaching the Toros….
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Did I try out??
I haven’t played a lick of organized baseball my entire life!!
Why…. did you?
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Heck no.
I am pretty sure they do not need a light hitting, weak arm, slow outfielder. Although My Zucker if you read this and you do, let me know.
I thought about it for like 13 seconds (trying out). City league softball (not That city league) is about it for me.
Yeah....
our starting pitchers are the most veteran segment of our roster. They’re probably the ones that can most afford to lose a coach.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
That's a bummer...
He’d done a good job with the starting staff of late.
by snakecharmer on May 8, 2009 12:25 AM EDT up reply actions
I knew that would happen.
Loyalty to BoMel. They were together in Seattle, also.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Yeah, where is Price going to follow Bo Mel next. Both good guys. Too bad it did not work out this year.
If the co-worker happens to be my friend and they get fired, I am not quitting, so I guess I am a little confused as to why they do that in sports.
I guess it would depend on the situation
If a friend of mine got fired at work right now I would most likely not follow but hey there are situations that I might quit like that.
so what about it...
we fire the manager to fix hitting problems, but in the other hand we lose the best pitching coach… =[
Wikipedia is accurate. (citation needed)
I'm trying to think of it
as borrowing from a strength to repair a weakness. I’ll let you know how it goes.
"We...probed them all the way through. They're completely meat." — Terry Bisson
According to KTAR
Jack Howell is the new hitting coach.
Supposed to be a press conference a 2 Arizona time tomorrow, I think.
"Sadly, faced with his mother's twisted, yet impeccable logic, Richard Castle's head exploded."
The current field coordinator
"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil
by Jim McLennan on May 8, 2009 12:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Currently
Our field coordinator, according to Wikipedia. I don’t know what the entails.
"Sadly, faced with his mother's twisted, yet impeccable logic, Richard Castle's head exploded."
Yeah....
no idea what a “field coordinator” does.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Per the interview
Venomfan found, “For those that don’t know, the field coordinator isn’t in charge of the fields. I’m in charge of instruction, so maybe minor league on-field instructor might be the more appropriate title.”
"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil
by Jim McLennan on May 8, 2009 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Jack Howell
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/howelja02.shtml
Wikipedia is accurate. (citation needed)
Thanks!
I really want to know what’s up with that 4-year gap from ’92 to ’95.
I’m thinking he was wandering the globe, learning the secrets of every good hitter from cricket to croquet. It’s like he was in training to be a baseball superhero!
"We...probed them all the way through. They're completely meat." — Terry Bisson
Close
He was playing in Japan for the Yakult Swallows (1992-1994), and Yomiuri Giants (1995). He won the Central League Most Valuable Player award in 1992, when he led the league in home runs and batting average.
"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil
by Jim McLennan on May 8, 2009 12:34 AM EDT up reply actions
nice
Lee Harvey Oswald reference by the way, but jeezus, you shot Melvin 4 times and he lives, while LHO only took one in the gut but died anyway.
I actually
thought that was slightly over the top…. BoMel has a wife and kids, you know!
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
All lies
He was training to be a samurai. This guy’s gonna be awesome.
"Sadly, faced with his mother's twisted, yet impeccable logic, Richard Castle's head exploded."
I'm sure teh Swallows gig was just his cover identity
by night he was fighting crime, and wild swings at breaking pitches well out of the zone.
"We...probed them all the way through. They're completely meat." — Terry Bisson
the way some of our hitters are fouling off pitches down broadway
they’d use a katana to slice it completely
Wikipedia is accurate. (citation needed)
Jack Howell Interview from March 2009
http://3daysofcryin.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/where-are-they-now/
Notable quote:
“But, really, I think my skills translate best to "bench coach." That’s kind of what I am now, in a way, I’m A.J. Hinch’s [Diamondbacks’ director of player development] bench coach.”
Nice find
I’m including that link in the body of the article.
"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil
by Jim McLennan on May 8, 2009 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions
i'm surprised
in a good way somehow
but already miss Price =[
Wikipedia is accurate. (citation needed)
Same here
I’m sad to see Price go, but I think Todd is a great addition. Let’s hope his dad has taught him a lot.
Interesting choice...
At first glance, I think I like it.
by snakecharmer on May 8, 2009 12:48 AM EDT up reply actions
Oooh.
I should have read further.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Why does he mention DBBP in his twitter but not us? :P
by snakecharmer on May 8, 2009 12:50 AM EDT up reply actions
DBBP
has been around longer.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
good news
the ladies started the game leading 6-0 after a couple pitches
now they’re trailing 8-6 to the “Natinals”… top of 8th
feel the wind of change?
Wikipedia is accurate. (citation needed)
I'm watching you
Man…
"Sadly, faced with his mother's twisted, yet impeccable logic, Richard Castle's head exploded."
by wikipedia:
As a pitcher, Queen relied almost enirely on his fastball. As Queen said, "I just went to the mound and threw as hard as I could.
Wikipedia is accurate. (citation needed)
Cute
He does indeed still live in Scottsdale, so at least he won’t have to re-locate.
"Win, or die" -- Marquise de Merteuil
Anyone got an opinion on our new manager?
Not that we’ll get any kind of idea about him for a while.
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
Well
This certainly gives me all kinds of stuff to talk about on the radio tomorrow. Can’t complain about that.
Anyone but AJ Hinch
Hinch has done a great job as minor league director but there is NO WAY he is ready to manage! We should go and find a coach from Japan or Korea, at least the teach and live fundamental baseball. I love small ball especially when the team isn’t hitting.
The D-Backs need to start taking infield/outfield EVERY day before games just like we all used to do in little league. BACK to the BASICS.
Whoever takes over the first thing they need to do is send Chris Young to AAA Reno (last year they can do this before he has to clear waivers to send him down) to jump start his bat and have Brett Butler teach him how to run the bases.
As for Managers that would be a great fit for us: Davey Johnson, Bobby Valentine (coaching in Japan) or the Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills. Just need an old fashion kick your ass coach. This team is young and needs someone to light a fire under their ass.
I never did like Bob Melvin because he never showed emotion and jumped down a players throat. All he ever did was stand in the dugout with his jacket on and stare at the field. Thank GOODNESS HE IS GONE!
Peace & Love, Peace & Love.
In 2007
we actually stole bases, we actually go the runner over from second to third with no outs, we actually got a sac fly rather than popping up with man on third and only 1 out. We played much better in 2007 than we have this year or even last year for that matter. Now it just seems our players are trying too hard on offense and just lost how to play small ball when things arn’t going their way.
In 2008
With all our struggles, we actually scored more runs than we did in 2007, so advocating an approach that resulted in fewer runs seems silly. I’m way to lazy to look up the other thing (scoring from second with no outs, from third in one out, etc), but I’m pretty sure these numbers are very similar.
We did steal more in 2007, but you can’t steal first and you can’t steal home, and again, with all the stealing in 2007, we still scored fewer runs than in 2008.
We may have scored more runs last year but
we had a lot of games that ended with us having double digits in runs scored in games and then following that up with a 0-1 loss. Our offense was much more inconsistent last year compared to the 2007 season. Yes, we scored less in 2007 but we were consistent. We would put three runs up a game unlike the 2008 season where we would score all the runs in one game and then follow up the next few with goose eggs.
We played
much closer games in 2007. I don’t know the exact number but I remember us leading the league in wins with only a 1 run lead. I remember us getting the runners on base last season they just only got single, walks, or HBP. I think the offense would have been better if we would have stolen bases like we did in 2007. We might have made it to the playoffs last year also if our pitching didn’t fall apart in the last month or so, to go along with the non existent offense.
We did
Lead the league in 2007 in 1 run wins. Our bullpen blew a lot of those games last year, so that might have been a difference.
The offense would probably have been better if we stole like we did in 2007, but we did lose Byrnes who stole 50…
The bullpen didn't blow
that many more games than we blew the year before. I remember Shulte saying that a little while back, caught me by surprise. Bullpen lost us 20 in 2007 and they lost 23 in 2008.
AJ is only an interim manager.
If he does well, he might be promoted at the end of the season. But this is a short term thing.
"Besides, this is freaking 2009.... WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAMNED FLYING CAR??"
Yeah
This season is probably lost. I mean, Manny suspended or not, we’re not making up 9 games on LA.
If AJ does a good job, he can stay. The hitting coach is more important anyway.
I think this is a one season deal for Hinch.
I would bet that next year we have someone else as the manager. I wouldn’t mind Willie Randolph as the next manager.
Dave Bynes seems to think the only reason he is staying
is to help Hinch out since he has never managed before.
Yeah
We covered all that.. Too bad about Price, he seemed to get the best out of our pitchers .. Rauch excluded :)
To early in the morning
was skimming the article before I posted but didn’t see, than went back again after post to make sure and saw it.
Yea going to miss him.
I know I have said this before but it is worth saying again, he is one of the best at his job right now.
True,
he did benefit from having some of the best pitchers the league but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
It's like
How Joe Torre was a bad manager for the Mets, Braves and Cardinals before suddenly becoming a great manager for the Yankees.
Wow, I didn't know he managed the Mets.
I knew he managed the Braves and Cards but didn’t know about the Mets. Learn something every day I guess, not something entirely important but still.
I guess we will see how the pitching responds to Stottlemyre Jr. Hopefully he can be just as good of a coach as his dad.
2?
Last night, I thought Dave Burns gave a number like 6 out of 29.
"Sadly, faced with his mother's twisted, yet impeccable logic, Richard Castle's head exploded."
Oh, I must of thought he was saying 2 succeeded and 29 failed.
Just puts the percentage number up to about 6.8% success rate, so not a huge difference.
wtf
A.J. Hinch? A.J. Hinch!?
I…
A.J. Hinch!??!?
5/7/2009 - The day Josh Byrnes finally fixed one of his mistakes.
I think this move is more for the long term effects.....
rather than the short term. I think management is hoping that putting Hinch as manager will help make the player progress faster. This would make it better for the future if he could succeed on getting them to play the way their supposed to play.
If they wanted to go that route I think they should have went with Brett Butler from AAA.
good point
I like the Butler call, if there aren’t any expectations of fielding a winning team, why not have the best person available develop these guys, rather than what looks like another caretaker. Hinch might do just as good or better of a job, but it smacks wholly of “nothing but development,” while with Butler you might get “development, plus get your asses in gear and win some games.”
to save money
they used 2004’s press release and used “find and replace” to remove “Al Pedrique” and insert “A.J. Hinch”
Such Mixed Feelings
I really liked Bo Mel!!! BUT I still had to question a lot of his recent decisions- bringing in Rauch in close games, leaving in showenwiess in to face rights (more than once), etc etc that I wholly disagreed with, but WTF why are we bringing in someone with no managerial expierience?!?!?!
Chip Hale is a great candidate. I live in S New Mexico (close to El Paso) and I watched Chip manage the El Paso Diablos back in the day, i think of the few times they were winners. He was intense!!! Then I followed him to Tuscon where he again managed to success. Last off season he even interviewed for the Seattle job. If you want to replace Melvin at least go with someone who has succeded in the past!!!!!!!!
Shu sucked and deserved to get fired weeks ago. Well there is my little rant!!
My personal opinion is BoMel didn’t do a particularly great job of handling the bullpen. He certainly didn’t have a handle on using his bullpen the way LaRussa or Cox does. It took him forever last year to realize Qualls was a better closer than Lyons. Pena would’ve been better as well, and Cruz could’ve been of far more value last year if put into more important roles. No way we should’ve let Lyons kill us in such a key role for as long as he did.
Handling a bullpen is a huge part of managing. Let’s see how our new manager does with this.
Mark Davis
EIC
Surprising Comics
Pena also had 5
The bullpen last year was up and down. There was no consistency at all in the pen. I don’t think it was Melvin’s fault that one night they would be brilliant and then the next they would suck.
Lyon’s era was 4.70, which is abysmal for a short reliever. Qualls’ era was 2.81.
Lyon’s whip was 1.483 compared to Qualls’ whip at 1.072. Whip is crucial when you’re coming in with inherited runners. Those are huge differences imho. Cruz came in at 2.61 era and 1.258 whip, and could’ve been utilized later in games last year and been more effective than what we got.
In any event, have you guys ever watched one of the better managers at handing their bullpen?
Mark Davis
EIC
Surprising Comics
Qualls came in A LOT last year
with inherited runners. That’s part of the reason why he had so many blown saves. Lyon was much more likely to open his own inning.
Jim Zorn, 55. Sean Miller, 40. AJ Hinch, 34. Notice a pattern here?
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