I believe that Jerry has made his decision!

[BC867]

When you put your heart into something, as we do in our Diamondbacks, it isn't easy to step back and see the overall picture.

I forced myself to, and reached a conclusion! Look at the D'backs now and what do you see?

THE SPARK IS GONE!!!

When that happens to a team, there is only one person you hold accountable. The Manager!
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Bob Brenly was quoted after both recent games vs. the Padres as saying something like, "It doesn't matter what lineup I would have put out there. We would not have beaten them!"

a) It does matter what lineup you put out there, Bob. When are you going to realize that?

b) Gonzo immediately shot him down, taking responsibility on behalf of the team, rather than blaming the opposing Pitcher.

c) Brenly sounds like a man trying to distance himself from the problem. Hey, he's the guy calling the shots?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is one person who will decide if a Managerial change is in order -- Jerry Colangelo. I believe this Padres series triggered one! He is not going to accept this malaise!

It may not happen before the end of the season, but I believe that Jerry has made his decision.

I just hope that he brings in a person with previous National League managerial experience.

Not a control freak, like Buck -- the Little General . . . or one who is not in control, like Bob -- the Man Without a Plan. Neither extreme sustains!
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If he wasn't preparing the fans for it, would Jerry allow Victor Rojas and Thom Brennaman to be so critical of Brenly night after night? I don't think so!

 

[arthurracoon]

well said

 

[green machine]

Jeez what did Brenly do to you? Every day you come up with a new thread on how he should be gone. Why don't you save time and put it all into one thread? What makes you think Jerry made a decision? Maybe Jerry realizes that this just isn't a good team and maybe he feels Brenly has done a pretty good job with all the injuries and rookies and all.

adam

 

[BC867]

And our next Manager will be ...

In today's Republic

(Tommy) Jones (Director of Player Development) said with all the injuries suffered at the big-league level and at Tucson, resulting in seemingly endless player turnover, that Al Pedrique has done one of the best managing jobs around. The Sidewinders were 70-69 entering Thursday's play.

"There are alot of clubs who are aware of what he brings to the table, as a coach, teacher, manager. The word is getting out. He is a solid baseball professional", Jones said. "He is a great communicator with all types of players and sets a great example with his work ethic and knowledge."

Jones said he wouldn't be surprised to see Pedrique get a big-league managing or coaching job in the near future.

Are the D'backs going to let Al Pedrique get away? With that endorsement, and Jerry's record of promoting Head Coaches and Managers from within -- Westphal, Ainge, Skiles, and Johnson (Suns) and Brenly (D'backs) -- I think we just found out who are next Manager is going to be!

 

[AZZenny]

OK! Koplove going on the 60-day DL - AS I PREDICTED! Felix Jose may get called up today - AS I PREDICTED!!
I, TOO, am channelling... but alas, only the relatively mundane thoughts of Joe G Jr. Oh wait - am I receiving, or sending?! Now there's a question! and... Can I have his salary, since I'm doing his work?

 

[BC867]

In the 3rd inning of Sunday's loss to the Giants, Joe Morgan commented on ESPN that both Schmidt and Webb were dominating.

He said that you have to get to a pitcher like that early to take him out of his rhythm.

The Giants used the hit-and-run to score the first run. The D'backs just kept hacking.

They're on top. We're fading fast. Brenly was out-manuevered.

The Manager does make a difference!

 

[green machine]

Originally posted by BC867
In the 3rd inning of Sunday's loss to the Giants, Joe Morgan commented on ESPN that both Schmidt and Webb were dominating.

He said that you have to get to a pitcher like that early to take him out of his rhythm.

The Giants used the hit-and-run to score the first run. The D'backs just kept hacking.

They're on top. We're fading fast. Brenly was out-manuevered.

The Manager does make a difference!

Damn that Brenly! He's the one who made my breakfast taste extra lousy the other day!

 

[BC867]

Originally posted by green machine
Damn that Brenly! He's the one who made my breakfast taste extra lousy the other day!

On Labor Day, ESPN televised the D'backs-Giants game again.

Joe Morgan, after watching our team for the 2nd consecutive day, compared the Managerial style of Felipe Alou to that of Bob Brenly.

He said that Alou "makes things happen" as opposed to "sitting back and waiting for things to happen".

And, once again, Aloe calling for the hit-and-run led to the only 2 runs of the game.

Did Joe Morgan make your breakfast taste extra lousy, too?

 

[AZZenny]

If it's not overmanaging, it's undermanaging.
And Joe Morgan is a self-inflated blowhard as an announcer.

 

[BC867]

Originally posted by AZZenny
If it's not overmanaging, it's undermanaging.
And Joe Morgan is a self-inflated blowhard as an announcer.

No matter what you think of Joe Morgan as a commentator, he was one of the greatest 2B of all time. He knows alot more about the game than any of us.

My point was that, two days in a row, he pointed out that Felipe Alou used some strategy to set up scoring runs -- the initial Giant run on Sunday, and the only runs of the game on Monday . . .

. . . while our D'backs just kept going up hacking.

And the results showed it!

 

[unc84steve]

Originally posted by BC867
No matter what you think of Joe Morgan as a commentator, he was one of the greatest 2B of all time. He knows alot more about the game than any of us.

My point was that, two days in a row, he pointed out that Felipe Alou used some strategy to set up scoring runs -- the initial Giant run on Sunday, and the only runs of the game on Monday . . .

. . . while our D'backs just kept going up hacking.

And the results showed it!

In my book, hacking = making outs due to lack of patience.

"Strategy" also = tending to make outs due to lack of patience (fan & media patience I mean).

Look at the hit & run logically. You have a runner not getting a maximal jump because he's looking to see where the ball has been put in play (because that's the hitter's job). The batter is swinging at everything to protect the runner. The most likely results are:

1) Grounder that stays out of the DP and advances the runner (aka productive out).
2) A caught stealing (losing a runner and an out).
3) A weaker ball in play (e.g. fly out) "protecting the runner" or an extra strike fouling the pitch off.
4) A stolen base.
5) A ground single through the vacant hole ("Yippee!!, just like it was designed!") putting those runners on 1st & 3rd.
6) What would have been a basehit anyway.

The hit & run came from the dead ball era when runs, were more scarce and bat control was the game. IMO, if you want to move the runner over with an out, do it with a bunt--it's safer and you can take a ball. If you want to try stealing, go for that straight up, or even a "run & hit" where each is doing their job separately.

But people thinking it's easy to place H&R grounders behind the runner are wrong. If it were that simple to place a grounder, batters would just hit holes at will. They don't do that when they are picking out strikes let alone protecting all pitches.

Also, people thinking at tossing away outs in baseball today IMO are foolish second guessers. Bob Brenly has used the hit & run many times with predictably poor results.

 

[BC867]

The philosophy might be right, Steve. But Felipe sent the runner in two spots on Sunday and Monday.

And both times it led to important runs for the Giants. Results, man, results!

 

[AZZenny]

--and Alou has some OFFENSE he can rely on. Brenly doesn't. If this team can't get a hit to save their lives under the best circumstances, what on earth makes anyone think they'll succeed in a more delicate situation? Don't we go down 1-2-3 fast enough for you?

Besides, our announcers spotted a couple failed H-&-R attempts in those games, but they were non-executed so badly that national media may not have even recognized them.

 

[green machine]

Originally posted by BC867
On Labor Day, ESPN televised the D'backs-Giants game again.

Joe Morgan, after watching our team for the 2nd consecutive day, compared the Managerial style of Felipe Alou to that of Bob Brenly.

He said that Alou "makes things happen" as opposed to "sitting back and waiting for things to happen".

And, once again, Aloe calling for the hit-and-run led to the only 2 runs of the game.

Did Joe Morgan make your breakfast taste extra lousy, too?

Brenly tries different lineups, tries to find a hot hand. This is "sitting back and waiting for things to happen"?

I've seen Brenly call for hit and runs, and more often than not the batter misses the ball completely, leaving the runner dead in the water.

You need to make up your mind. Brenly tries different lineups searching for something that works, and you complain. Brenly does things by the book, and you complain. No matter what Brenly can do no right in your mind, so why keep brining it up every other day?

adam

 

[BC867]

Originally posted by green machine
Brenly tries different lineups, tries to find a hot hand. This is "sitting back and waiting for things to happen"?

You and I disagree, Green Machine! "Tries different lineups, tries to find a hot hand" isn't going to lead the pack for long. It's reacting, rather than setting a plan and allowing it to evolve.

As far as "sitting back and waiting for things to happen", Joe Morgan was referring to the American League approach -- swing for the fences; someone is going to hit one out sooner or later. It just doesn't work in the N.L.

I've seen Brenly call for hit and runs, and more often than not the batter misses the ball completely, leaving the runner dead in the water.

Well, if that's not a criticism of the Manager and Coaching staff preparing their team, what is it?

You need to make up your mind. Brenly tries different lineups searching for something that works, and you complain. Brenly does things by the book, and you complain. No matter what Brenly can do no right in your mind, so why keep bringing it up every other day?

"Searching" "Trying" -- At this stage of the season, that sounds like desperation, rather than solid leadership.

Our D'backs have fallen to third place in the Division. We're falling out of the wild card race. We're down to just one game over .500. We're being humiliated by the last place Padres. And it's happening every day, not every other day.

I was a huge Bob Brenly supporter and thought he had the credentials to be a great Manager. Yes, a great Manager!

But he's shown himself to be, from what we see and read, an ineffective communicator, a very bad trainer of fundamentals, less than honest with his ballplayers and the press, and a weak tactician.

Bob Brenly seems to have baseball's version of Attention Deficit Disorder. Each day is a new beginning, without regard for the past or future.

And he is dragging the team down with him. You know our roster is better than the way it's performing. And that is in the hands of the Manager!

 

[unc84steve]

Originally posted by BC867
The philosophy might be right, Steve. But Felipe sent the runner in two spots on Sunday and Monday.

And both times it led to important runs for the Giants. Results, man, results!

Wouldn't that "Results, man, results!" philsophy also apply to Bob Brenly's track record of one World Championship & two division titles?

 

[BC867]

Originally posted by unc84steve
Wouldn't that "Results, man, results!" philsophy also apply to Bob Brenly's track record of one World Championship & two division titles?

Definitely! We enjoyed those performances. And now we react to these.

BB's quotes in this morning's Republic don't exactly inspire confidence:

"I'm not sure what to do at this point."

"We've tried mixing and matching, going with the hot hand, trying to give guys extended runs, hoping they'd get something going, and nothing seems to be clicking right now."

Winning an early World Championship brought the D'backs above the radar . . . and made them a target.

BB doesn't seem to be the man to handle it! We're one game over .500 for the season.

 

[moviegeekjn]

Originally posted by unc84steve
Wouldn't that "Results, man, results!" philsophy also apply to Bob Brenly's track record of one World Championship & two division titles?

Too many Arizona fans are spoiled and demand division titles EVERY season without seeing the larger picture that the baseball gods just don't operate that way.

 

[DWKB]

This thread is dripping with irony

 

[DWKB]

BC867, please prove to me the roster is better than the way it's performing. Plese give me some sort of proof that lies in the real world and not in your mind.

 

[AZZenny]

And also, please tell me when the guys in the lineup bear any responsibility for not showing a degree of the discipline at the plate they have shown in past years - in that way I guess I also think they should be somewhat better (or some of them at least) than they are performing. I really don't think it is typical for Gonzo, Fins, and Counsell all to have averaged below .240 for three weeks straight.

But then in April I asked rhetorically (I thought) "What if everyone has a career-worst year all at once?"

Brenly is not the AntiChrist. He is not a kid's T-Ball coach, and he can't go out there and stand behind each batter and put his hands over the player's and coach him through the at bat. Worn as it may sound, these ARE professional hitters. They can play for a wide variety of managers, and presumably pride in their own abilities and skills motivates effort and performance - that's part of being a professional. You do the JOB. Nothing Brenly is doing or not doing is gross enough to prevent all these guys from getting occasional runs across the plate.

I still would like to see a true, Bowa-type, volcanic public meltdown by someone, manager or player. Be a diversion at least. As long as these guys are so anal/uptight and overcontrolled and blathering vaguely about "We got to get on track real soon," they're sunk. Well - they ARE sunk, sad to say. But a last little flurry of actual baseball would be a nice change for the fans.

How about they are banned from all Arizona golf courses for six months unless they come in five games above .500 for the season?

 

[BC867]

Originally posted by DWKB
BC867, please prove to me the roster is better than the way it's performing. Plese give me some sort of proof that lies in the real world and not in your mind.

Your personal comments aside, DWKB, since the All-Star break, the D'backs have had the best pitching and worst hitting in the League, according to the announcers.

Is our 14-man position-player roster really the worst in the League?
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BB told the Press yesterday that he'd rather see 4 singles than 1 HR.

That's a step in the right direction. I hope it's not too late!

Will it just be one of the Managers public relations proclamations that are forgotten the next day, or will he give it positive reinforcement from this point on?

 

[DWKB]

Originally posted by BC867

Is our 14-man position-player roster really the worst in the League?

Yes, we are. Look at our OBP since the ASG: .308.That is beyond pittiful.

But here is the thing. If you go back and look at my projections, the players are performing better in general than I had projected them to.

Now either I'm a genius and I need to sell my method to a MLB team and get hired on as a consultant (the least likely reason) or the DBack hitters are performing right where they would be expected to offensively.

Which is it? I personally believe they are performing to expectations.

You have to understand how an offense works before you can actually decide if it's underacheiving or not.

 

[BC867]

Re: And our next Manager will be ...

Are the D'backs going to let Al Pedrique get away? With that endorsement, and Jerry's record of promoting Head Coaches and Managers from within -- Westphal, Ainge, Skiles, and Johnson (Suns) and Brenly (D'backs) -- I think we just found out who are next Manager is going to be!

It's now September 6th, and the D'backs are adding Al Pedrique to the D'backs Coaching staff for the rest of the season.

Only time will tell whether it's a nice gesture to a guy who did a great job at Tucson this year . . . a move to keep him from leaving the organization if another Major League team beckons . . . or Step 1 in a plan to make him the next D'backs Manager.

 

[FanOfTheGame1]

I think quip in Sunday's Republic sums up a lot of things about the atmosphere in this clubhouse :

(with regard to Spivey being benched of late)

"Spivey said he would not ask Brenly for an explanation."

In other words, Brenly is one of those managers that never lets you know where you stand, is never really clear about his expectations. Having worked for plenty of people like that, I think a change is needed.