you're speaking as if NL managers have a say in whether or not they get a DH. i think obviously they would pick an extra hitter given the choice, but they don't, so their job is harder

6/9/2009 4:25:53 PM

Hey I'm the Reds, I'll put pitcher Micah Owings in to pinch hit

6/9/2009 4:27:24 PM

Quote :

"they have been successful at not winning as many world series as the american league. they have obviously had a committee meeting about how to make decisions to lose world series and recent all star games. thus, their decisions have been spot on on how to make the junior circuit their master."

League pride? Really?

Since 2000, the AL is 5-4 in the World Series. TOTAL DOMINATION!!!!

6/9/2009 4:28:12 PM

just because a job requires more shit to do doesn't make it harder. it just means it's more work.

6/9/2009 4:28:25 PM

well obviously this isn't a qualifiable argument, but since NL managers DO have more work to do, then it could be reasonably surmised that it's more likely they have more difficulty than an AL manager

is that kosher

6/9/2009 4:30:47 PM

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 4:31 PM. Reason : .]

6/9/2009 4:31:05 PM

1) NL Managers have to make more choices about hitting situations because of the pitcher. Granted.
2) AL managers have to make more pitching choices since there isn't a pitcher you can pitch around to get to. No NL fanboy seems to appreciate this.

6/9/2009 4:32:51 PM

I think we can all agree that winning the ASG is a dumb method for selecting home field advantage in the WS

6/9/2009 4:34:19 PM

but this time it counts

6/9/2009 4:34:51 PM

i appreciate it, sure, and i didn't say an AL manager just sits around doing nothing. i just think an NL manager has more to worry about overall

6/9/2009 4:35:04 PM

6/9/2009 4:37:42 PM

Quote :

"2) AL managers have to make more pitching choices since there isn't a pitcher you can pitch around to get to. No NL fanboy seems to appreciate this."

I don't really have a good way to examine this, but by looking over the team games pitched data on baseballcube, the league doesn't really affect number of pitching changes a team makes: over the course of a season, NL and AL teams make roughly the same number of pitching changes.

6/9/2009 4:46:12 PM

you're right. the fact that al pitchers have to face 9 hitters instead of 8 and a warmup coat has no impact whatsoever on how the coach manages his team. he just scratches his balls all game.

6/9/2009 4:52:07 PM

I know I loved watching an aging fat slob like Cecil Fielder throw up three seasons to the tun of a .740 OPS to close out his career! Thanks, DH!

Baseball in its purest sense does not have a DH. For fuck's sake, it was only put in to place because AL attendance sucked so bad they needed a gimmick.

And before anyone says it... no, the wild card is not the same thing. It doesn't alter the very rules of the game.

^^ yeah, that's b/c Tony LaRussa has been a NL manager the last decade...

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 4:54 PM. Reason : this thread has been near the top and no baseball sucks numbnuts... impressive]

6/9/2009 4:52:51 PM

AL starters tend to stay in longer because they aren't pinch hit for

If the pitcher's spot come's to bat in the 6th inning or later with men on, he might get pinch hit for even if he could go another inning or two

While in the AL that never comes into play

6/9/2009 4:54:45 PM

Quote :

"the fact that al pitchers have to face 9 hitters instead of 8 and a warmup coat has no impact whatsoever on how the coach manages his team."

I never said that. I just said that any difference between the two leagues in the number of pitching changes made is negligible. Anyone who argues for the DH is a fucking commie anyway.

^Four of the top nine (excluding Sabathia) innings leaders last year pitched in the NL.

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 4:58 PM. Reason : Good call on LaRussa. I can't believe I didn't think of that.]

6/9/2009 4:55:02 PM

Quote :

"baseball in its purest sense"

stupid

Quote :

"I just said that any difference between the two leagues in the number of pitching changes made is negligible."

based on what? some stat on pitching changes? did you get to look at when or why or who made those changes? I'm talking about how the game is played differently, going back to the kind of decisions AL and NL managers make. pulling your pitcher in the fifth inning to pinch hit (NL) isn't quite the same thing as pulling your pitcher in the bottom of the 8th when the 8 hole is up and there are two runners on (AL). and so on, and so on. it's almost impossible to compare the duties against each other since they aren't the same. but go on with your pride in purity, or whatever the hell you NL fanboys claim.

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 5:03 PM. Reason : .]

6/9/2009 4:56:07 PM

I think the average fan could manage a baseball game with a team he's familiar with for one gamemuch easier than a fan with similar knowledge could coach his favorite team in football, hockey, basketball, etc

There's only about 3-4 real "decisions" in any given game

I know thats a gross generalization, but does anyone here think they couldn't manage the Mets, Braves, White Sox, etc. for one game with a similar success level to Jerry Manuel, Bobby Cox, Ozzie Guillen, etc ?

Whereas in football, or basketball, there's so many more choices at such a faster pace than any novice would be overwhelmed

6/9/2009 5:00:42 PM

I think dnl could manage the Mets better than Jerry Manuel... but that is a different story...

6/9/2009 5:02:30 PM

lets see...make sure wright, beltran, etc are in lineup...pitch johan...take him out after 8 for k-rod

sounds easy enough on the surface

6/9/2009 5:03:25 PM

no he would make a beeline for Alyssa Milano's shop and make a fresh stain on a negligee

6/9/2009 5:03:39 PM

I've told myself confidently that I could have managed better than Ozzie Guillen probably 20 times this year.

6/9/2009 5:04:29 PM

You but I bet you couldn't nonsensically speak to the media after every other loss.

6/9/2009 5:05:03 PM

I'd do selfish shit to help my fantasy team if I was a manager...probably wouldn't work out well

^just refer to local sports writers as "a garbage"

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 5:05 PM. Reason : .]

6/9/2009 5:05:08 PM

Quote :

"whatever the hell you NL fanboys claim."

I think you're missing the point that you're the only league fanboy in this discussion.

--

^ Forget for a second that I'm a Braves fan. Now realize that Cox has been one of the most successful managers ever. Also realize there's a lot more that goes into managing a baseball team than "3-4 real decisions" made during the game. Do you really think that some jerkoff plucked from the street could accomplish what he has?

It has nothing to do with the pace of the game and everything to do with the retarded amount of knowledge that goes into preparation and execution. Cox (and most any successful manager) has a baseball IQ that's orders of magnitude higher than mine or yours.

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 5:06 PM. Reason : ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Slave]

6/9/2009 5:05:38 PM

Then why does he just sit there and yell "Get 'em Jeffrey" instead of benching his meathead ass?

6/9/2009 5:06:43 PM

Dude is loyal to a fault.

Nicknames are also a crucial part of his managing repertoire.

6/9/2009 5:07:52 PM

I purposefully said "for one game"

No shit 162 games is hard

but for one game on a given night, a dedicated fan could do a comparable job

I'd argue even a better job, because he would be more focused knowing this is his one shot, while the regular manager know's he has 100 games left after this one

6/9/2009 5:08:16 PM

Just go ahead and make your braindead analogy and get it over with.

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 5:10 PM. Reason : DUDE I COULD COACH THE PANTHERS MY ONLINE MADDEN RECORD IS IMPECCABLE]

6/9/2009 5:09:20 PM

It would be like pinch hitting for Peter North one time...you know its your one shot, so you probably put in a more heated performance than the legend himself, as this is just another day on the job for him

Just for you, Ernie

6/9/2009 5:11:02 PM

I think he already made it

6/9/2009 5:11:05 PM

^^^he admitted that your favorite football, basketball, team etc would be a lot tougher than baseball, which sounds about right

all i'd be worried about as an MLB manager besides trying not to let my starting pitcher throw 150 pitches and end his career is when to steal, when to sac bunt, etc...all that shit depends on the situation

i agree managing 1 MLB game of a team you are familiar with would be a lot easier for most of us than coaching 1 NFL game or 1 NBA game

6/9/2009 5:12:57 PM

Exactly

and I'm not sounding like Joe Dumbass "Anyone can coach a Major League team rah rah rah"

but what calculations and algorithms does a real manager go thru during the game on a nightly basis that tell him exactly when to bring in Buddy Carlyle ?

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 5:20 PM. Reason : x]

6/9/2009 5:20:00 PM

they use scouting reports

6/9/2009 5:20:29 PM

actually, Earl might be better at coaching basketball

have you seen some of the plays he's drawn up?!?!

6/9/2009 5:22:36 PM

yeah scouting reports are the best

how else would Willie know exactly when to put in Heilman and Schoenweiss last year

6/9/2009 5:24:21 PM

OK, I'll give you the one game argument, but

Quote :

"but what calculations and algorithms does a real manager go thru during the game on a nightly basis that tell him exactly when to bring in Buddy Carlyle ?"

The actual analysis by some GMs, managers, and scouting crews is far more intense than your run-of-the-mill NFL or NBA front office (where they just watch tape and scratch their nuts).

6/9/2009 5:27:15 PM

Actually NBA sabermetrics have drastically increased in recent years, especially with the Houston organization

But Ok, I'll admit the scouting in baseball is more in depth...it has to be, with such a huge pool of players

And over the course of a season, those reports probably pay off in the form of a few wins over a team that just goes by instinct and common sense with their matchups

But in one game, I'd argue that playing matchups and going with the common sense move has just a change of succeeding as the properly scouted approach...the pitcher is still going to win 70 percent of the time in any scenario

Where in football, you have to make 70 different play calls on offense, and 70 on defense...Do I go for it or punt...do I kick the XP or go for 2....every 60 seconds there's a major decision

To a lesser extent in basketball, but the substitution patterns, especially in the 4th Q, would be too much for a first timer to master

6/9/2009 5:36:00 PM

Quote :

"those reports probably pay off in the form of a few wins over a team that just goes by instinct and common sense with their matchups"

I hope as a Mets fan you aren't discrediting the value of a few wins!

Quote :

"every 60 seconds there's a major decision"

And in baseball, every pitch is a major decision: make the wrong call and it's slama-lama-ding-dong. It's the same with defensive alignment, baserunning, and anything else.

6/9/2009 5:52:23 PM

Enough talk of managing. Today was the first part of the draft.

Of course the Nats took Strasburg. Ackley went 2nd to Seattle and White went 15th to the Indians.

Not sure we will even have a player drafted this year.

6/10/2009 3:12:19 AM

Just heard the Indians have been setting off fireworks to disperse the swarms of seagulls as often as every half-inning during this latest homestand.

6/14/2009 8:16:18 PM

Good news Nationals fans!

I know this guy was mentioned somewhere on here, but I can't find it.

Bryce Harper (the Babe Ruth of baseball) is leaving high school at 16 to pursue his GED and can potentially enter the draft next year.

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=955764

6/16/2009 12:38:49 PM

Quote :

" Bryce Harper (the Babe Ruth of baseball)"

wat?

that's like saying sidney crosby (the wayne gretsky of hockey)

6/16/2009 12:46:49 PM

exactly

6/16/2009 12:51:05 PM

The Nationals will win 2 of 3 from the Yankees.

6/16/2009 1:24:59 PM

Hahaha, in the top of the eighth last night, the Brewers scored six, including a Fielder grand slam. After the third out, Cleveland set off fireworks to scare off the birds

6/16/2009 1:47:30 PM

Doesn't the top draft pick cycle between the leagues ?

So wouldn't the worst AL team get the 1st pick and Harper ?

6/16/2009 1:49:18 PM

the worst team in baseball gets the best pick in baseball

6/16/2009 1:50:28 PM

It used to be the way I said, but apparently they changed it a few years back

6/16/2009 1:52:03 PM

i thought we already knew like several years ago that Sammy Sosa tested positive

6/16/2009 11:03:39 PM