Texsox

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 7, 2011 -> 11:55 AM) yes. I thought coming into this season that this was a solid and deep roster and I'll stand by that 100%. Hell, with the emergence of Humber it's actually been a better and deeper roster than I thought it was. I agree 100%. I loved the roster. Now, after how they played this season, are you still in love with it? I'm not. I'm not convinced these same 25 can make the playoffs next season.

The roster is just about set, based on performance and payroll. By the season opener I will have to believe in Balta's mantra, the roster is good enough, we just need a new manager. Pass the koolaid . . .

They are nice wins but I have no confidence in the team beating the Twins next year in a game that actually means something. Sad, but I don't think our team has the confidence either.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 7, 2011 -> 07:51 AM) And I believe this 25 man roster could easily have made the playoffs. I also believe they could easily have made the playoffs but we have different "ifs". Mine is "if" a couple key players played at 80% of potential, (which is why I give KW a passing grade). Based on how they actually performed, I don't believe they could have. You believe a different manager could have taken these same performances and somehow gotten them into the playoffs. I'm not convinced that backups to Dunn and Rios could have made up 8 games. We were clammoring for an upgrade at DH, not many people felt we had anyone in house that could fill the role. Backups would have done better, but Oz gambled, and lost, on Dunn eventually coming around. Obviously you believe the backups would have been enough to win the division. I will agree they would have given us a better chance, but I still do not believe it would have been enough. Are you really that happy with this roster?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 6, 2011 -> 03:43 PM) Way too hard to tell what WILL happen at this point... so here is what I would WANT to happen... Fire Ozzie and basically the entire coaching staff (Except Cooper, who I would strongly suggest the new manager retain) Promote KW to some Team Prez type position, bring Hahn to GM, and let him pick his staff, including #1 input on new manager and coaches Let Pierre, Castro and Pena go If the new manager is OK with it, offer Vizquel a position as a bench coach or base coach, and de facto infield coach Re-sign M56 if at all possible (I will assume in this scenario that it is doable at about 3 years) Keep PK14, Beckham (whose chances I like to improve with the bat), Alexei, Viciedo, Rios (who I think is basically untradeable and may improve with dfferent leadership), Dunn (also untradeable), De Aza, Lillibridge, AJP and Flowers Rotation of M56, Peavy (who I think will be better next year), Floyd, Sale, and one of Humber/Stewart (with the other as the 6th man, and long man in pen) If you can trade Ozzie for Lo Mo, do it. But I will assume not, so... Use Thornton, TCQ, Danks and Morel* as trade bait to get a strong LF (and possibly upgrade 3B if you can, in which case, trade Morel) Try to trade one of the experienced and semi-expensive bullpen arms (Frasor, Crain, Ohman), as part of the LF and 3B upgrades Bullpen of Santos (closer), 2 of Crain/Frasor/Ohman (2 setups), Santiago (left specialist), Reed (MR), Stewart/Humber (long man and 6th starter), and either the remaining Crain/Frasor/Ohman or Infante or some other acquisition as the other MR Bench of Flowers, Lillibridge, Tyler Kuhn and Alejandro De Aza (who would pretty much platoon with the other OF's, making a 4 OF rotation of sorts) ...By my math, but trading Thornton, TCQ and Danks, you save about $18M-$20M in 2012 to go towards M56 and the new LF. I figure M56 will get $12M/year for 2-3 years, if I had to guess. If the new LF is a younger guy and not a pricey free agent, that should be plenty of money to cover. And that leaves the team, more or less, at an even salary level with 2011. Not sure if JR will go for that much salary though. Just what I'd hope is all. AND MY QUESTION TO THE BOARD... who are some good OF candidates that might be available in a trade involving some or all of TCQ/Danks/Thornton? I like all those suggestions. I might even allow the next manager full control of his coaches (even Coop) and then not hire anyone who wasn't interested in keeping Cooper.

It shows how much potential talent there was on this roster, and how weak the central is.

My son is attending Texas State and my girlfriend's son and future daughter-in-law just completed grad school there. I love that town.

QUOTE (TheBigHurt @ Sep 7, 2011 -> 01:55 AM) Of all freaking people to hear such a thing from. That is the very definition of "irony" after making the first post I quoted from you, Tex. You clearly don't take time to read and understand, either... just jump to whatever conclusion you want so you can make a biased argument. I'm sick of guys like yourself arguing as if those of us opposing Ozzie are trying to say the players aren't controlling their own destinies but you use that as a cop-out because you refuse to acknowledge that being as poor an in-game manager as Ozzie loses you a lot of games... and there is no debating that point. If you believe there is no debating the point, why do you keep posting? I've said that players win and lose way more games than the manager. Or let me try this way, the team has almost 70 loses at this point, how many were the player's and how many were Oz? I do not believe this 25 player roster could make the playoffs, no matter who the manager is. If we go into 2012 with the same 25 guys and a new manager, we're still out of the playoffs. But a lot of people believe this is a playoff team with a different manager. If Oz lost you 10 games this year, than that's what you need, and no need to make any roster shift, just change the manager. I'm just not that enamored with these guys. If Oz's decisions cost the team a lot of loses, how many wins did it cost? Or does the manager get tagged with all the bad loses and none of the wins? And what argument isn't biased? An argument is two opposing opinions.

Did anyone think we were strong enough at DH last season? That the team didn't need to go out and get someone?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 6, 2011 -> 05:26 PM) Do you believe that a manager can have any impact on a player's performance? Of course.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 6, 2011 -> 07:42 PM) And if they weren't...give them a week off. Or if they don't hustle...stop giving them playing time! That would be my first inclination. However, I'm wondering which is more embarrassing and / or motivating to a guy with a $$$$$$$$ contract. Not playing or playing like crap in front of 25,000 fans? Is he going to work harder to get back into the line up or work harder to not look like crap?

Are you connected to Texas State?

Happy Birthday Winodj err Rexkickass

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Sep 6, 2011 -> 04:51 PM) As fathom indicated, the WORST case is Ozzie surviving KW. That will ensure a puppet for a GM and a team full of Juan Pierres. I hear Aaron Miles is available, Punto too! I would rate the possible scenarios from best to worst Kenny promoted, new GM, Oz gone Kenny stays, Oz gone Both gone Both stay Oz stays, KW gone --> that would be a disaster

QUOTE (TheBigHurt @ Sep 6, 2011 -> 02:45 PM) Bulls***, Tex; the biggest arguments to defend Ozzie (as well as Walker) have been cop-outs, one of which has been that manager's decisions don't matter enough to fire Ozzie (which in turn means any manager EVER so why didn't we just keep LaRussa in the first place? LOL) and hire someone else because "who would be better?" and because it's all on the players. The players play and the managers manage; BOTH are vital to winning games. As a manager you are supposed to make the simple decisions correctly (Ozzie consistently fails at this) and put your team in the best position to win. Rarely DOES he. You really don't seem to take the time to read and understand. I will try one last time. IMHO Ozzie alone did not cause this team to miss the playoffs. For that matter, Dunn alone did not prevent this team from making the playoffs. I would rather have a good manger managing players having a good season, but if one group, coaches or players are going to have a bad year, I'd rather it be the coaches. Some people want a computer in the dugout, churning out decisions. While that would probably have been much better than Ozzie this season, it still wouuldn't make up for poor play from a large chunk of the team. I believe the KW - Ozzie tandem needs to end. I believe Oz should take more of the responsibility for the past couple of seasons than KW. Which logically flows he should be gone. You've said that you believe this is a playoff team with a different manager, we disagree. yet you disagreed when I said some people think this magically becomes a playoff team without Oz. You are a moving target, setting up paper tigers with statements I did not make.

It tells me that there is a fundemental flaw in the spring training program. I'm not certain what was different in 2005 to cause the team to shoot out of the gate. Some of the problems have been veterans who I guess suddenly don't remember how to prepare for a season? Probably another good reason for a manager/ coaching staff shuffle.

QUOTE (TheBigHurt @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 11:40 PM) I dunno, must be. There's SOME weird reason the usual few around here still REFUSE to accept the fact that Ozzie's managing is terrible. Nah, managers make no impact on the game at all so it doesn't matter, right? I cringe every time someone makes that argument because it's flat out idiotic. QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 6, 2011 -> 06:58 AM) nobody ever says that Tex, and you know it. I do know no one said that just like no one said the manager makes no impact on the game and doesn't matter. Of course the manager has an impact, it is the level of impact that the argument comes from. I place Oz 4th or 5th on the responsibity list, others place him higher or lower. Players can overcome bad decisions better than managers can overcome bad players.

Some of the video I've been watching is frightening. I was talking last night with a friend in Georgetown and they have not had a decent rain since September 2010.

I was kind of thinking about that and what else I needed to do to make the sale official. I have a paper trail of emails and his cell number. I was really surprised how fast someone called.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 6, 2011 -> 11:21 AM) People forget that... Dunn was in demand. As a matter of a fact the Tigers wanted him really badly, and Washington offered him the same dollars as we did, they just wouldn't go to four years. Those contracts, when offered and signed, were about right. The player's won these. Sometimes the team wins, Loiza for example

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 6, 2011 -> 08:08 AM) The thing is, if the players think it is true, it is. Doesn't matter whether it really was why or not. True.

QUOTE (TheBigHurt @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 11:40 PM) I dunno, must be. There's SOME weird reason the usual few around here still REFUSE to accept the fact that Ozzie's managing is terrible. Nah, managers make no impact on the game at all so it doesn't matter, right? I cringe every time someone makes that argument because it's flat out idiotic. The same cringe I get when someone makes the idiotic argument that players don't matter.

So a friend of mine was selling his son's car, a Chevy Impala. I figure it would be a decent ride for my kid when he comes back home in May. I went over this morning and pick it up. Then I realize hanging onto my Dodge would be silly so I decided to list it on Craig's list at near Kelley Blue Book price. Damn if it didn't sell in less than an hour. Now the guy hands me a pile of cash, the rest of the family is following in a car with Mexico plates, so I assume my car will have to learn to speak Spanish and run on government monopoly fuel at PeMex. Adios little buddy.

we don't need players . . .

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 07:56 PM) Has there been a single season where Ozzie has not inexplicably played and protected some player who didn't belong on the field? I'll go to my grave saying Mackowiak in Cf cost us the division in 2006. Rios and Dunn playing and Viciedo, De Aza, and Lillibridge benched or in AAA has cost more games than that this year. I'm surprised, I'm certain you mean Oz's decision to play Mackowiak cost the division, not how Mack played. It's the decision, not the player ;-) And no, he's done it every season I can think of.