Lerners are Cheap - 2017

[PowerBoater69]

Show up 20 minutes after first pitch and you don't deserve a parking space...the plane would have already left as well...

...and if you are a FS SPH...get better parking for god's sake...

By my reading of that Tweet she does have parking as part of her plan, the team didn't hold a space for her. Other than saving a few bucks on the price the primary advantage of pre-paying is having the spot reserved if you get caught in traffic.

[varoadking]

By my reading of that Tweet she does have parking as part of her plan, the team didn't hold a space for her. Other than saving a few bucks on the price the primary advantage of pre-paying is having the spot reserved if you get caught in traffic.

I know...I was joshin'...I'd be pissed too...

[PowerBoater69]

“When you’re this close to winning, you have to make the one move that your team really needs,” said a key member of the Nats, who wished to remain anonymous. “Right now, the Lerners are the problem. They won’t spend, even though it’s not much, compared to how close we are. [General Manager] Mike Rizzo and Dusty aren’t the problem [with the bullpen]. The owners just don’t get it.”

Long ago, a top Nats executive explained to me why the Lerners will, at times, pay large salaries for stars but underpay or look for so-called “cheap help” in so many other parts of the franchise. “They can understand that a superstar athlete is unique. But they think everybody else is interchangeable, replaceable. They don’t value people in all the baseball jobs that they don’t understand,”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/for-nats-extending-dusty-baker-is-a-minor-move-with-major-symbolism/2017/06/08/4cd1cab2-4c70-11e7-a186-60c031eab644_story.html?utm_term=.6a78ca3e14f2

Figured that these quotes from Boz belong here.

The quote about the weak pen is BS. Rizzo was given a very high budget, if the roster has a hole it's the GM's fault. With the team dominating the standings, why throw money at the problem now? The Nats need to improve the pen but there is no rush.

The quote about how the Nats treat managers in particular and employees in general is more on target.

[Optics]

I think the only thing I buy is the owners unwilling to pay big bucks for a Manager. Everything related to the roster they seem to be okay paying for.

[HalfSmokes]

I think the only thing I buy is the owners unwilling to pay big bucks for a Manager. Everything related to the roster they seem to be okay paying for.

they seem to have a Jack Welch outlook- pay your top performers what it takes to retain them, pay the middle enough so the majority won't leave and put no effort into the bottom. For them, manager probably falls into that vast middle that is necessary but not worth paying for 

[aspenbubba]

they seem to have a Jack Welch outlook- pay your top performers what it takes to retain them, pay the middle enough so the majority won't leave and put no effort into the bottom. For them, manager probably falls into that vast middle that is necessary but not worth paying for 

How many games difference between a great manager and a mediocre one? And who was available besides Dusty and Black?

[HalfSmokes]

How many games difference between a great manager and a mediocre one? And who was available besides Dusty and Black?

Who is the last great manager we've had a shot at?

[varoadking]

Who is the last great manager we've had a shot at?

Maddon...

[HalfSmokes]

Maddon...

pretty sure he wasn't coming here

[aspenbubba]

Who is the last great manager we've had a shot at?

Showalter

[HalfSmokes]

Showalter

I guess we could expect greatness after we fired him. If he's your example of a great manager who can make a difference, I'm fine with having an ok manager

[Ray D]

Showalter

The timing was a bit off. He came to the Os about midseason 2010 and we weren't quite ready to dump Riggleman.  But we should have.

[Ray D]

I guess we could expect greatness after we fired him. If he's your example of a great manager who can make a difference, I'm fine with having an ok manager

Showalter has made dramatic improvement everywhere he's been: Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers, and Orioles.  He just doesn't hang around long enough to reap the rewards.   I'd say his credentials are sufficient to describe him as a great manager.

[varoadking]

pretty sure he wasn't coming here

Not for $750k per year like the Big Intern...that's for sure...

[HalfSmokes]

Showalter has made dramatic improvement everywhere he's been: Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers, and Orioles.  He just doesn't hang around long enough to reap the rewards.   I'd say his credentials are sufficient to describe him as a great manager.

exactly, if he's great, I'm fine with OK because none of his teams fell off a cliff without him (actually the opposite)

[aspenbubba]

I guess we could expect greatness after we fired him. If he's your example of a great manager who can make a difference, I'm fine with having an ok manager

WTF, we fired Showalter? I must have been in a coma that month.

[Optics]

I'm not sure there is that much difference between Showalter and Baker to be honest. Showalter's tough guy rah rah rah attitude would get old fast.

[HalfSmokes]

WTF, we fired Showalter? I must have been in a coma that month.

Teams that fire him do well, if he's your example for great, that just proves managers don't matter

[aspenbubba]

Teams that fire him do well, if he's your example for great, that just proves managers don't matter

I've always believed in what Casey Stengal once said and this is not an exact quote but the difference between a great manager and a bad manager is 10 games.

[HalfSmokes]

in that case, why pay for great?

[aspenbubba]

in that case, why pay for great?

I'm not advocating that at all. I was never in favor of or against hiring any of the managers we've had because I don't believe there is that much difference. So why overpay ? I think Rusty is doing a good job of resting regulars at appropriate times . He is also doing well with the hand he was dealt (BP).

[hammondsnats]

LERNERS ARE CHEAP

[spidernat]

WTF! This motherfreaker has been MIA for months (perhaps longer) and he returns to post his classic phrase.

[PowerBoater69]

The Lerners won't follow the big market clubs over the competitive balance threshold but they'll charge $10.50 for a 15 ounce can of Stella.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2017/07/01/the-nationals-are-closer-to-the-competitive-balance-tax-threshold-than-you-think/?tid=sm_tw_ps&utm_term=.1ea5238d697d

[dshawg77]

Do we have any hope Lerner sells? He is an awful owner.

Dusty and Showalter is a perfect comparison. Two of the best during the regular season.

I like Dusty much more in the playoffs. Buck refused to pitch arguably the best pitcher in the game During a wild card game (Britton). Then pitched Ubaldo Jimenez with the season on the Line. Buck gets too cute. Dusty wouldn't dare do something so stupid.

Edit: it's late and was typing on my phone. I did want to clarify this. I think Dusty is better than Buck as a game manager and I would take him over Buck in the playoffs. Having said that Buck is clearly bridging his way to a FO job and that is where he has a lot of skill left to be utilized. His attention to detail will make a valuable FO asset for a franchise for years to come.

Both Buck and Baker are great and perhaps their legacy isn't finished yet. Based on the Orioles pitching this season though, Buck's window just slammed shut