Fire Matt Williams! (2015) - Standard Decision.

[More of #34]

I heard the radio show this morning also.  Williams sounded annoyed and kept defending his position re: Papelbon.  I keep coming back to Mariano Rivera.  He came in sometimes in the 8th and sometimes in the 8th and 9th.  He was the Yankees' best pitcher to put in a ballgame in a close situation.  We've got a great closer but he wasn't available for the last Mets' series or last night's game.  It just doesn't make sense when you're in a desperate situation that you don't use your best.  And because Williams is so rigid and won't use his best, we don't even get to see Papelbon and we continue to lose.  In both of the Cardinals' games, we hit well enough to win.  It's a shame we couldn't capitalize on the offensive performance.

[mitlen]

I heard the radio show this morning also.  Williams sounded annoyed and kept defending his position re: Papelbon.  I keep coming back to Mariano Rivera.  He came in sometimes in the 8th and sometimes in the 8th and 9th.  He was the Yankees' best pitcher to put in a ballgame in a close situation.  We've got a great closer but he wasn't available for the last Mets' series or last night's game.  It just doesn't make sense when you're in a desperate situation that you don't use your best.  And because Williams is so rigid and won't use his best, we don't even get to see Papelbon and we continue to lose.  In both of the Cardinals' games, we hit well enough to win.  It's a shame we couldn't capitalize on the offensive performance.

Rizzo referred to Rivera as well in his talk with Grant and Danny in the afternoon.

[APBA Baseball]

And because Williams is so rigid and won't use his best, we don't even get to see Papelbon and we continue to lose. 

I agree with you. As for the above, I think a big part of the problem is that he is so unsure about things that if he strictly "goes by the book", he will have to answer less questions and he will have a built-in excuse. He might not think he can withstand the problems if he makes an unconventional move and it backfires.

[Mr Clean]

Conspiracy theory: Williams trying to get fired so he can have next year off with pay.

[Natsinpwc]

Headline.

Matt Williams Still Not Fired

[skippy1999]

Conspiracy theory: Williams trying to get fired so he can have next year off with pay.

I saw another on Twitter that he keeps repeating the "Pap is our closer, he closes games" mantra as a dig at Rizzo for agreeing that he'd be used as the closer for the team instead of wherever they need him, ridiculous but some apparently believe it.  The guy is just not smart at managing baseball. 

[Natsinpwc]

I saw another on Twitter that he keeps repeating the "Pap is our closer, he closes games" mantra as a dig at Rizzo for agreeing that he'd be used as the closer for the team instead of wherever they need him, ridiculous but some apparently believe it.  The guy is just not smart at managing baseball.

I like that idea. He probably was angry that they messed with Storen. Of course if he wanted to sabotage in that way he more likely would have brought Papelbon in early for several games.

[whytev]

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?

Even if you buy the closer argument, and even if you want Solis going the distance, your last two outs are Escobar and Desmond, which means you can double switch Espinosa in. Which means the "We had to make it work because the pitcher spot is due up." is an impossibly dumb argument.

[PC]

Boswell:

On Monday and Tuesday, the Nationals, picked by 117 of 118 baseball pundits to win the NL East (the 118th picked the Marlins), held 5-3 leads over the unforgivably blessed St. Louis Cardinals. Both times, the bullpen, inadequately constructed by GM Mike Rizzo and poorly handled by his stiff Dudley Do-Right manager, Matt Williams, torched, squandered and shredded those leads.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/if-misery-loves-company-fans-of-washingtons-teams-will-never-be-lonely/2015/09/02/ed78129c-5171-11e5-9812-92d5948a40f8_story.html

[More of #34]

From the Washington Post, more criticism of Williams:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2015/09/02/matt-williams-two-nights-in-september-two-leads-two-collapses-and-what-impact-they-might-have-on-2016/

[Kevrock]

I didn't think not using Papelbon was a bad move necessarily but he had other terrible moves last night.

Rizzo needs to let go of this dude ASAP.

[aussienatsfan]

I know, I'm normally pretty easy going but these last two games I mean, we had them, we absolutely had them...and yet we found a way to lose   Blowouts suck but are easier to deal with than seeing that within reach and blowing it on stupid play and stupid managerial decisions, SO frustrating losing like that  

probably been 20 separate instances of this in 2015  

[RobDibblesGhost]

I didn't think not using Papelbon was a bad move necessarily but he had other terrible moves last night.

Rizzo needs to let go of this dude ASAP.

This.

[sportsfan882]

This.

Problem is Rizzo thinks Matt has done nothing wrong. Matt will not even be fired during the offseason. Sickens me.

[aussienatsfan]

Problem is Rizzo thinks Matt has done nothing wrong. Matt will not even be fired during the offseason. Sickens me.

is there any way of finding out how many games we have blown due to brutally bad management? whether it be leaving the starter iun too long, the relievers blowing it etc

or how many runners on with no outs we have had and have failed to advance or score in late innings.

i can't recall really more than 1-2 walk offs or late inning comebacks. The m,ain reason being a 1 run game becomes a 5 rund game with this BP

[Ray D]

Problem is Rizzo thinks Matt has done nothing wrong.

We don't really know.  Rizzo rarely gives us much of a clue about what he's really thinking. 

[Mathguy]

Which is very smart of Rizzo's part.  This organization shouldn't be like George Steinbrenner & the Yankees when it comes to personnel decisions & the media

We don't really know.  Rizzo rarely gives us much of a clue about what he's really thinking. 

[PC]

What if they're both, Rizzo and Williams, flipping off the Lerners?

[varoadking]

Which is very smart of Rizzo's part.  This organization shouldn't be like George Steinbrenner & the Yankees when it comes to personnel decisions & the media

Yeah...who wants to win the World Series multiple times anyway... 

[ZIM4MVP]

who wants to start the rumor

[Mathguy]

Tom Boswell refers to Matt Williams as a "stiff Dudley Doright manager".

[varoadking]

Tom Boswell refers to Matt Williams as a "stiff Dudley Doright manager".

I think they've had his nickname wrong all these years...it should be "The Big Maroon."

[FinMcShanty]

Or "the Big Moron"....

[varoadking]

Or "the Big Moron"....

 

[welch]

Should be fired NOW...but looks like Rizzo will defend him until the end. I don't know anything about Mark Lerner's personality, but I've met a lot of guys from Ted Lerner's generation. They measured Calvin Griffith against Clark Griffith, and Calvin came up tiny. They measure a manager against Bucky Harris. George Case III says his dad -- CF fro the Nats and six time SB champ of the AL -- considered Bucky the best manager he ever played for.

Bucky Harris got wins from good teams and mediocre teams. He won a WS with the 1924 Nats and with the '40s Yankees.

Ted wants a pennant. Williams manages as if he's a block of wood.

Williams gets fired next week or at the end of the season. Ted doesn't have many years left. Rizzo can fire Williams soon, or go with him. Ted Lerner can avoid seeing what Sandy Alderson -- a dope -- did at the trade deadline to win this year. Rizzo did almost nothing.