If Davey (and Rizzo) Are So Smart, How Come We’re All Smarter?

[Ziggity]

Seriously? ...

Here's a novel concept... We don't know these guys. DFAing Lidge could be the end of his career. Zim is a great guy, clubhouse leader, etc. sitting him down or moving him down is embarrassing and a big blow.

Not to mention his glove at 3rd.

[Slateman]

Seriously? ...

Here's a novel concept... We don't know these guys. DFAing Lidge could be the end of his career. Zim is a great guy, clubhouse leader, etc. sitting him down or moving him down is embarrassing and a big blow. The personal factor leads Davey and Rizzo to give these guys every opportunity plus a couple more. None of us on here know a tenth of what Davey and Rizzo know. We also don't have to look them in the face.

Seriously?

Here's a novel concept: Win. Davey's here to make the team win. Not make friends. Not be nice to people. To get wins.

If he wants to be the nice guy, he can go back to being in charge of player development. Managers are paid to make tough calls and get production on the field.

I don't remember anyone bringing this up when Matt Stairs wasn't hitting his weight.

[Tyler Durden]

Seriously?

Here's a novel concept: Win. Davey's here to make the team win. Not make friends. Not be nice to people. To get wins.

If he wants to be the nice guy, he can go back to being in charge of player development. Managers are paid to make tough calls and get production on the field.

I don't remember anyone bringing this up when Matt Stairs wasn't hitting his weight.

It's a long season.  If Davey treated every game as a must-win game and started benching people left and right, it wouldn't be good for the team over the course of the whole season. 

[Kevrock]

We're in first place. Davey is getting production on the field.

I don't even understand the beef about Lidge. He hit the DL, came back and wasn't producing and was DFA's after 4 appearances. That's about the fastest this franchise has moved on anything.

[Mr Clean]

Last winter someone wanted to trade Harper for McCutcheon.

[Coladar]

It's a long season.  If Davey treated every game as a must-win game and started benching people left and right, it wouldn't be good for the team over the course of the whole season. 

Exactly. Lidge is DFAed, and Zimmerman's reckoning is coming if this keeps up. They *do* make the tough choices needed to win. But I take issue with faulting them for not doing it the second they should. They do it in the end, but chaos would reign and morale be zero if they jumped the second a fan thinks they should. And like I said, you nor I are around these guys 12 hours a day and know their families. We don't have to look them in the eyes and say your career might be over, tough crap. Considering that factor, faulting Davey and Rizzo for giving them an extra few days when they do end up making the tough calls in the end for the betterment of the team is unrealistic at best.

[NatsDad14]

Head coach: MarquisDeSade
Hitting coach: shoeshineboy
Pitching coach: Minty Fresh
First base coach: Nathan
Third base coach: Lintyfresh85
Bullpen coach: skippy1999
Bench coach: sportsfan882

General manager: JCA
Press relations: Coladar
Jim Bowden Chair of Dumpster-Diving for Free Agents: garbage can dinosaur

Debbi Taylor role: Spidernat

[MarquisDeSade]

FIFY

I'd do Strasburg for Stanton straight up.

[spidernat]

I'd do Strasburg for Stanton straight up.

[Tyler Durden]

I'd do Strasburg for Stanton straight up.

I would too.  Especially considering we'd still have a decent rotation even without Strasburg.

[Slateman]

I'd do Akra staight up, upside down, all around

[Minty Fresh]

Head coach: MarquisDeSade
Hitting coach: shoeshineboy
Pitching coach: Minty Fresh
First base coach: Nathan
Third base coach: Lintyfresh85
Bullpen coach: skippy1999
Bench coach: sportsfan882

General manager: JCA
Press relations: Coladar
Jim Bowden Chair of Dumpster-Diving for Free Agents: garbage can dinosaur

Awwww...  I'm touched.

[shoeshineboy]

Awwww...  I'm touched.

I'll trade positions with you if you want.

[Slateman]

I'll trade positions with you if you want.

Psh, why would he do that? He just sits at the hotel pool all day and shows up to the game in the 6th inning

[Minty Fresh]

I'll trade positions with you if you want.

No thanks.  They're bad enough on their own, they don't need my help. 

[Mattionals]

Who would be advanced catching coach?  Somebody has to teach the boys to take a hit, block the plate, and CATCH THE DANG BALL!

Can I be in charge of beer pricing?

[Smithian]

Seriously? ...

Here's a novel concept... We don't know these guys. DFAing Lidge could be the end of his career. Zim is a great guy, clubhouse leader, etc. sitting him down or moving him down is embarrassing and a big blow. The personal factor leads Davey and Rizzo to give these guys every opportunity plus a couple more. None of us on here know a tenth of what Davey and Rizzo know. We also don't have to look them in the face.

Should it be that way? I don't know.

Is it that way? Yes.

[Coladar]

Should it be that way? I don't know.

Is it that way? Yes.

Oh yeah... By the by, I don't mean to indicate I advocate this system. But it is what it is due to human nature and social relationships. Should it be that way? Probably should. Team comradary and morale take a hit, and it probably balances out by guys that figure it out in the grace period given as those who don't and get cut in the end.

[nats2playoffs]

Davey Johnson said in a pre-game radio interview last week that he often listens to the postgame call-in show after games. 

So that is one way fans might give him perspective on his decisions and the team.  For the WNFF members who dislike Phil Wood, his postgame call-in show on 106.7 The Fan might just give you the ear of the Nationals' manager.  After the Yankees sweep, there were a LOT of calls insisting that Zim-with-1-N should no longer be batting 3rd.  Phil Wood agreed with them.

[Sharp]

I would too.  Especially considering we'd still have a decent rotation even without Strasburg.

Stanton's a full WAR behind Strasburg even this early in the season (WAR and a half if you count Stras's bat), Marlins fans would love you forever if you made that trade

Which goes back to the point that was made pretty quickly--we remember the things we said that worked and forget the ones that didn't.  We suggest all sort of dumb stuff all the time, including me.  If it was up to me Harper probably wouldn't have gotten a shot in the big leagues until much later this year, for example.  And how many of us (again, including me) wanted to send Desmond to the minors or trade him this time last year?  I'm still not completely sold on Desi but he's played way better than I ever expected him to.  That's not to say we should never second-guess the manager or GM--it's a baseball tradition--but they have access to a lot of stuff that we don't and all the stuff we do, and odds are that whether we agree with their decisions or not they are informed ones.

[aussienatsfan]

I could be the international scout, just pay for me to travel the world to watch baseball

[JCA-CrystalCity]

SSB for bench coach.  Gets to whisper intelligent things to MDS, who will go all Grady Little on that stuff. 

NJ Ave - the Bill James adviser under contract to the org. 

Blue911 - gets to be the Don Zimmer of the organization. Can show up whenever he wants, do whatever he wants, and leaves the crowd asking, "Where's he now?"

Hammonds - in charge of interleague scouting so he can spend time in OPACY.

SF - moved from bench coach to talent evaluation / scouting the minors for young talent. 

[spidernat]

Blue911 - gets to be the Don Zimmer of the organization. Can show up whenever he wants, do whatever he wants, and leaves the crowd asking, "Where's he now?"

I can't see this happening to blue.

[Tyler Durden]

Hammonds - in charge of interleague scouting so he can spend time in OPACY.

So who gets to go to Fenway?

[Obed_Marsh]

Clearly you aren't so smart, a lot of talent was passed over when hiring for Team WNFF.