What don't you know? Playing at home isn't an advantage? Being rested isn't an advantage? Being able to set your rotation isn't an advantage? Playing fewer series isn't an advantage? If none of these things are advantageous to the best regular season teams, what would be?

I'm not a Maddon fan. And for the millionth time, I prder not to talk about managers. But Maddon does the make point that managers does have a particular expertise in the way they interact with the players on their teams.

And that's where a manager can make a difference. I just wouldn't call them "good" or "bad." They're like wives or girlfriends. What's a good wife to you, may be a bad wife to me. And vice versa. The thing is, you don't really know until you're in the marriage. That's why it's dumb to get all worked up over who is being hired.

Also, there is the matter of the manager taking the heat for decisions he isn't making. You have fans screaming at you because you brought in Bennett Sousa instead of Kendall Graveman, but the front office ordered you not to use Graveman today. So the fans don't know shit.

Go ahead and keep pitching to Harper in key situations.

Is that "good" or "bad" managing?

I would suggest it's bad.

It usually does for the great ones. For others, the game passes them by, and they are unable to adjust. The truly great managers/coaches are able to evolve with the game for a long period of time.

I would argue that certain managers just fit certain teams. The problem being that you don't know whether they fit until they're actually in the situation.

If you would have said a year ago that the choice between managers was Robby Thomson and Joe Girardi, anyone who preferred Thomson would have been ridiculed. It's easy to look at a team of players performing well and say a guy who sits on the bench as it happens is a great mananger. It's a little harder to decide Robby Thomson is "better" than Joe Girardi before it does. And nobody here would have suggested that he was. That being the case, I don't really see the point in spending so much time fretting about the manager.

I don't know. Is the pitcher's job to limit baserunners? If it is, why would you put anyone on on purpose?

I'm probably butchering this, but for what it's worth Bill James does believe there are good managers. He breaks managing down into 33% in game managing 33% pre-game managing (setting lineup, etc.) and (c) 33% unknown. It's the first two that are pretty easy to recognize a weakness or strength, but the last one is almost impossible to measure, but it's likely there.

I like black prostitutes from the 70's

If they are pitching to him, why didn't they have Hader in the game at that point?

He's slugging .900 and his OPS is 1.35 and he's swinging like pumpkins are coming. There's a 55% chance you can get him out. But if you don't K him, it's down to 50%. He fucking Barry Bonds out there right now. I'll take the 1st and 2nd and nobody out. You take the 50/50.

Saving Hader for Game Six.

No shit - they coveted Hader for years - traded away the farm for him only to leave him in the bullpen when he could have been getting the very out he was traded for to get.

You are the only person I have seen say they traded away the farm for Hader, there is not one Brewers fan that feels that way.

I wonder what he'd say now since so many managers (apparently) have many decisions made for them by the GMs.

I'm not sure what the right decision is there. I don't think I'd intentionally walk anyone except in the rarest circumstance and that wasn't it.

But the larger conversation to me is how much modern statistical analysis has confused the fan. It's become conventional wisdom that "a pitcher's job is to limit baserunners." As you know, I don't think that's a pitcher's job. But if you do believe that's the pitcher's job- I'm not saying you do, though you have mocked my contention that a starter's primary job is making sure his team scores first- how could you ever support putting a man on base on purpose?

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

Would think this week would be the time when something is announced. Get it in before the WS starts.

Unless it is Espada or Long, they may prefer to wait until after the WS so as not to distract from their current team.

I like black prostitutes from the 70's

I wonder if KW is spending this time trying to convince Jerry not to hire Ozzie.

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

It's more fun to be a victim

There will never be an effective vaccine. I'll never get one anyway.

I wonder if KW is spending this time trying to convince Jerry not to hire Ozzie.

Unless it is Espada or Long, they may prefer to wait until after the WS so as not to distract from their current team.

I think you have to think about this in regards to the window. Ozzie has watched this team and his claim of knowing it better than anybody is legit. So I don't think an outsider, with the shortened window, has a more legit claim than the insider Ozzie. Hahn has twice now said he prefers managerial experience. Ozzie wowed KW and JR the first time around. There's a decent possibility he wowed Hahn this time around. Ozzie can be impressive as hell when he wants to be.

My gut feeling is Hahn prefers Ozzie and JR and KW prefer Not Ozzie. Hahn will go byebye this time if he's overruled. He has to be thinking, "I'm an assistant GM, I can be an assistant GM anywhere...and that's at a minimum."

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

If JR doesnt want Ozzie then I have a hard time thinking he would get an interview.

I think Hahn wants someone from outside the organization like Espada.

Dusty may retire if the Astros win the WS. That may be Espada's job. It's also possible that the Astros won't retain Dusty if he loses the WS, and Espada will slide over.

If JR doesnt want Ozzie then I have a hard time thinking he would get an interview.

I think Hahn wants someone from outside the organization like Espada.

It's more fun to be a victim

There will never be an effective vaccine. I'll never get one anyway.

I heard it from a person who is not close to the situation but close to a few of the principals involved, that it is going to be Ozzie.

Skeptical me, of course, called bullshit on it in front of our friends, so the gauntlet is thrown down