What a great thread this is. We all agree that Melvin is hurting the team. And we have two very good alternatives in Hale and Gibson.
All we need is for the powers that be to make the move before too much damage is done.
If all they care about is revenue, will they react to the D'backs slipping from 1st place to 4th and a .500 record?
Mediocrity on the field is not going to help their pocketbook. Mis-using young talent is not going to help their credibility.
Melvin was signed to a 2-year extension w/an option, however, he is probably being paid the minimum for a ML manager. The Dbacks haven't been afraid to swallow contracts before and of course Gibson or Hale in the interim would come cheaply as well.
I love reading that link I posted earlier...to me these quotes really stick-out:
Outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, a top Arizona prospect, recently learned about Gibson's powers of observation after hitting a routine grounder and running like a fourth Molina brother. Gonzalez later received a visit from Gibson, who calmly inquired if his leg were sore (the answer was no), then posed a hypothetical question.
"If that ball takes a bad hop and bounces three feet to the right of the guy, are you out or safe?" Gibson asked. "Because I think you're still out."
In his next plate appearance, Gonzalez ran as if jet-propelled.
You never know when Gibson might toss out a trivia question. He recently asked the Diamondbacks if anyone has ever scored on a sacrifice fly to the second baseman to win a World Series game.
The answer: Kirk Gibson, who flew home on a popup to San Diego's Alan Wiggins to score the tiebreaking run in the 1984 World Series clincher.
It's not a case of Gibson dredging up old heroics for the sake of ego fulfillment, or romanticizing the past while bemoaning the attitude of the modern player.
"He's not hypercritical of young players like some veteran coaches can be," Byrnes said. "He genuinely likes them and roots for them to succeed."
On the contrary; Gibson simply wants the young Diamondbacks to be ready, and he uses personal anecdotes to convey his message.
"The point is, if you prepare yourself and 'think the game' when you're on the bench, these situations tend to come up," Gibson said. "I'm trying to help these guys develop a mentality to go along with the great physical talent they have."
It just emphasizes how even-keeled he is. He can be very blunt, however, in the process very reassuring at the same time. It takes a rare breed to able to accomplish that.
Snyder should be the 3rd string and I agree w/what AZZenny posted regarding how Melvin is projecting himself onto Snyder. Again, it's Melvin with his L/R/L/R/L/R/L/R pattern he insists on using, however, he again fails to realize that he has Tracy/CoJack going in that sequence. Oh well......
I've mentioned this before, but let's revert back to the 1984 Tiger's line-up
1) Whitaker-2B: he wasn't a proto-typical lead-off hitter whatsoever, but pitchers had to respect his power. He would start off many games by hitting HRs.
2) Trammell-SS: He was ideal in that part of the order because he could spray the ball to all fields, had decent speed, could execute the hit-and-run, was a solid bunter, and would generate power.
3) Gibson-RF: He never was 30/30, but came close on many occasions and would have if it wasn't due to injuries.
4) Lance Parish-C: Just sheer awesome power.
5) Darrell Evans-DH: Again, more power.
6) Chet Lemon-CF: A blend of power/speed.
7) Larry Herndon-LF: He once did possess power and speed, but injuries detracted away, however, they kept him in there due to his defensive skills.
8) David Bergman-1B: Defense and just a plucky veteran who could come thru.
9) Howard Johnson/Tom Brookens-3B: Both could consistently get on base and provide power whenever necessary.
Then. Sparky would platoon Rupert Jones and Johnny Grubb in the OF and Barbaro Garbey at 1B on a regular basis.
In that line-up, Sparky demonstrated the basic formula I posted awhile back:
1)AVG/OPS/SB
2) AVG/OPS/SB
3) OPS/SB/SLG
4) SLG/AVG
5) SLG/AVG
6) SLG/AVG
7) SLG
8) SLG/OPS/SB
Well, Whitaker didn't steal bases, but to obviously to redirect everything about the Dbacks, Chris Young fulfills all the attributes.
Yes, that link does bring-up that Gibson and Melvin have had a long-time friendship and often discussed coaching together, however, I still contend that the Dbacks brass while offering him the bench coaching position promised more.
Gibson was offered before several opportunities to coach elsewhere, but decline because he preferred not to leave the Detroit suburbs (where he was born and raised). True, he left for LA in '88 and continued on playing with the Pirates and Royals, however, it was out of necessity so he could extend his career, then he finally returned back to Detroit in '93. He said then that he never wanted to leave Detroit again, so for him to suddenly bolt out to AZ signifies that he projects something more long-term than just being a bench coach for merely 2-years. If the Dbacks don't hire him in that capacity, then some other team will pursue him. Perhaps the Tigers whenever Leyland does retire.
Lord, I love watching this clip on youtube. True, he was in Dodger Blue, but he forever will be linked to this moment... I just enjoy listening to him analyze the events:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5fdPdy6sKQ
