Fire Matt Williams! (2015) - Standard Decision.

[Minty Fresh]

Can we find out who authored that gem?

I'm guessing it was Brandon K...

[varoadking]

I'm guessing it was Brandon K...

Me too... 

[mitlen]

listening to him on the junkies now, I'm really starting to think he's just dumb. I thought he was stubborn and made questionable decisions, but his logic for not using paplebon really comes down to 'he's our closer and we weren't winning' How did he get hired- you'd assume that the guy doing the hiring would run through some scenarios/discuss philosophies - did Rizzo not realize that williams was dumb as a sack of bricks?

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/09/02/matt-williams-defends-bullpen-management-papelbon-is-our-closer/

[BrandonK]

Can we find out who authored that gem?

Guilty.

[varoadking]

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/09/02/matt-williams-defends-bullpen-management-papelbon-is-our-closer/

“All these people want to know why Papelbon isn’t in the game because we lost,” Williams continued. “He’s our closer. He’s the one that closes the game.”

 

[BrandonK]

He really is a special one.

"So 99 times out of 100, every single manager is not going to use their closer on the road in a tie game, because they need somebody to close that game.”

[nfotiu]

Like i said in the gamethread, why does everyone want us to use papelbon when a shutout inning takes us from about a 40% chance of winning to a 45% chance?  Then if we did take the lead, we want to pitch Jansen when he would have taken an 80-90% chance of winning and reduced it to zero?

I get the arguments to use closers in other high leverage situations, but closing a game on the road is about as high leveraged as it gets, while the bottom of the 9th is not a very high leverage situation.

I'm all for firing Williams though.

[Mr Clean]

The Nats should have recalled more pitchers for last night's game. Maybe they didn't want to pay for travel expenses.

[Mr Clean]

Oh my:  http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/02/matt-williams-puts-up-another-strong-performance-in-his-quest-to-get-himself-fired/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs

[mitlen]

I listened to Rizzo at 1:15 on 106.7.    Sounds like he's circling the wagons with Williams (publicly).

[skippy1999]

I listened to Rizzo at 1:15 on 106.7.    Sounds like he's circling the wagons with Williams (publicly).

So freaking stubborn to the detriment of his team, infuriating!!!

[BrandonK]

I listened to Rizzo at 1:15 on 106.7.    Sounds like he's circling the wagons with Williams (publicly).

Any quotes?

[beatdrum]

Like i said in the gamethread, why does everyone want us to use papelbon when a shutout inning takes us from about a 40% chance of winning to a 45% chance?  Then if we did take the lead, we want to pitch Jansen when he would have taken an 80-90% chance of winning and reduced it to zero?

I get the arguments to use closers in other high leverage situations, but closing a game on the road is about as high leveraged as it gets, while the bottom of the 9th is not a very high leverage situation.

I'm all for firing Williams though.

It's pretty simple. You HAVE to extend that game and Papelbon gives you the best chance of extending that game. Imagine this...what if we were down 3 games to 2 in a 7 game playoff series and we have two starters to choose from to pitch game 6-Scherzer and Fister. Your rationale would be, pitch Fister in game 6, because if we get to game 7 we have a better chance of winning with Scherzer. What I'm saying is...pitch your best pitcher. Get to game 7, then go from there.
Also, who's to say that we don't score 4,5,6 runs in the top of the 10th?

[mitlen]

Any quotes?

I'm hopin' it's posted on the 106.7 site later today or tomorrow.   The segment is usually posted the next day.

[BrandonK]

It's pretty simple. You HAVE to extend that game and Papelbon gives you the best chance of extending that game. Imagine this...what if we were down 3 games to 2 in a 7 game playoff series and we have two starters to choose from to pitch game 6-Scherzer and Fister. Your rationale would be, pitch Fister in game 6, because if we get to game 7 we have a better chance of winning with Scherzer. What I'm saying is...pitch your best pitcher. Get to game 7, then go from there.
Also, who's to say that we don't score 4,5,6 runs in the top of the 10th?

Sanity. No urgency in this squad, when they need to be pressing most.

[MarquisDeSade]

I listened to Rizzo at 1:15 on 106.7.    Sounds like he's circling the wagons with Williams (publicly).

I think Rizzo knows that if he fires Williams he's going to pack his bags too. 

[Ray D]

I listened to Rizzo at 1:15 on 106.7.    Sounds like he's circling the wagons with Williams (publicly).

Can you elaborate? I don't know what circling the "wagons" means.

[mitlen]

Can you elaborate? I don't know what circling the "wagons" means.

You never watched Hopalong Cassidy?         He's backing all the moves Williams made against the Cardinals.   You can't get a tissue between their comments/viewpoints.     They're goin' down together on this  ....  that's their story and they're stickin' to it.

[Ray D]

Was he the one with the sidekick Poncho?

[mitlen]

Was he the one with the sidekick Poncho?

Nah, that was the Cisco Kid.         Hopalong's sidekick was Gabby Hayes.

[RobDibblesGhost]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Williams_%28third_baseman%29#Washington_Nationals

It's gotten even better.

[Minty Fresh]

It's gotten even better.

I love the bit in the steroids allegations section.

[BrandonK]

I think Rizzo knows that if he fires Williams he's going to pack his bags too. 

He would've CYA'd himself if he axed Matty awhile back. Now, Lerners sacking MW probably does mean RZO is gone too

[imref]

On October 31, 2013, the Washington Nationals announced that they had hired Williams to replace Davey Johnson as their manager for the 2014 season.[3]. This hiring was solely based on Williams' connections to the Diamondbacks organization, the same organization that used to employ Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo. Despite having perhaps one of the most talented rosters in decades, the Nationals chose to hire Williams, who had no previous managerial experience, than to go with a proven candidate. Even more bewildering, prior to the disastrous 2015 season, the Nationals exercised an option to extend Williams through the 2016 season [4]. He still has not been fired.

someone needs to make a page for him on uncylcopedia

[BrandonK]

It's gotten even better.

 

We're never going to be able to edit a Wiki again! 

On October 31, 2013, the Washington Nationals announced that they had hired Williams to replace Davey Johnson as their manager for the 2014 season.[3]. This hiring was solely based on Williams' connections to the Diamondbacks organization, the same organization that used to employ Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo. Despite having perhaps one of the most talented rosters in decades, the Nationals chose to hire Williams, who had no previous managerial experience, than to go with a proven candidate. Even more bewildering, prior to the disastrous 2015 season, the Nationals exercised an option to extend Williams through the 2016 season [4]. Williams' bullpen usage was often critiqued, once compared to "watching someone slowly pedal a tricycle over a cliff." [5]. He still has not been fired.