Texsox

He died too young. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/99206

QUOTE (Cerbaho-WG @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 11:33 AM) First, the manager controls the use of the bullpen, the order of the lineup, benching or starting players and in game strategies. To imply that X is a small percentage is unbelievably ignorant. Second, in this organization we have no clue what the overall strategy of the team is. KW will get his way one year (Dunn) and Ozzie will get his way another year (insert any s***ty grinder player here). Strategy without execution is meaningless.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 11:59 AM) As long as you understand that you're not defending Guillen, you're indicting him. Sure. But not nearly to the same degree as placing a majority of the blame on him. Are you not indicting any of the players? or is it all Oz's fault?

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 11:09 AM) This board is sending me into convulsions. We've got DA who says Greg Walker is by no means responsible for anything that's gone wrong with the White Sox offense. Tex is saying as long as KW provides us with a paper champion in March that his job is completed and anything that happens after that is none of his concern. And now TRU is saying that because Ozzie has had bad players this year (I guess Ozzie is the only manager in the history of baseball that's ever had players underperform?) that he is absolved of all blame for this disaster of a season. Well there you have it. White Sox baseball: where infinity-like job security happens! No, that isn't what I am saying. Of course it is his concern. The GM puts together players but they have to play and the manager has to manage. If you leave spring training with a team that has an excellent chance to win the division, he has done a good job. No one expected Dunn to play this bad, it is unfair to blame the GM for that. Same with some of the others. Blame the GM for the GM job, don't blame him for the players or managers. Same as blaming Konerko for not going out and getting a better DH or Oz for not executing a double play. The GM can only play the game on paper.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 11:53 AM) Let me put it this way...I have no idea how the balance goes, but "only a portion of the problem is the manager" tells me that if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Ok, the entire organization is a problem. Same as if the organization wins, everyone shares the credit.

A struggling team was on a roll for a week before getting trounced by the class of the division. I was just thinking, it is amazing this is a second place team. How much talent to you have to start with to play this crappy and be a second place team? Yeah $125,000,000 of talent.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 11:44 AM) And when multiple expensive pieces come to the same team and have craptacular seasons, well, we just throw up our hands in frustration and say that there was nothing that could have been done? No not at all. There is plenty of blame to go around, including the players in question. Is there a manager in the world that you would give a pass to and then blame Dunn and Rios? Oz 10% Players 90% is about my assessment.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 11:27 AM) Tex, want me to take it from here? Cause I agree with you lol. Thanks but a 1,000 posts that Oz sucks and should be fired versus two that it ain't all his fault is about right

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 11:01 AM) If you watched this team this season... Did they come to the season prepared to play? (My answer...look at April's record). Did they regularly come into big games ready to play? These are 2 things that are directly within the manager's sphere of influence. Who is "they"? Do you mean players? Guys that have been playing at the highest levels for years. Suddenly Dunn and Rios don't know how to get ready for a game without a manager telling them? I'm not saying Ozzie doesn't deserve his share of the blame. he's had a season almost as bad as Dunn and Rios. But his craptastic season wasn't nearly as big as problem as the craptastic seasons from major pieces of the team. You've been watching Bad News Bears too much if you think a manager can somehow make up for Dunn playing like a guy that should be a low draft pick in AA. I agree it's time for an organizational shake up, but the next guy is going to inherit the same pile of crap, and if that pile of crap doesn't change, the results will be the same.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 10:58 AM) The obvious question in reply is...what makes a series of guys repeatedly have their worst seasons in their careers? From your standard, the manager is useless. Which is as accurate as saying by your standard players are useless.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 10:55 AM) He's a teacher... of course it is the players faults and not the managers Please check your grammar notes and post again. Was Oz really responsible for 10 losses this season? Five?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 10:53 AM) Let me ask you this hypothetical...if the players did everything right on a franchise and the manager did everything wrong...from bad decisions on the field to making sure players were ill prepared for games, whatever you could imagine...wouldn't that same standard hold true? If you really want to discuss a hypothetical extreme than I would rather the players did everything right and the manager do everything wrong than the manager do everything right and the players do everything wrong. No amount of managing will compensate for players having a season worst than their harshest critics would imagine. In the AL I place the mangers influence as less than 5% of the total. Maybe a handful of games.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 09:42 AM) I was up in the NorthWoods for a few days, now back at home actually trying to be productive. Then hitting up Taste of Polonia for some damn good eats and beer. Where? I miss the Eagle River / St. Germian / Minoqua area.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 10:31 AM) How do you know this? Because I never saw him strike out or give up an earned run.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 10:27 AM) Apparently on this team, the manager controls a whole lot, because he has had veto power over addition of players for several years now. The GM has had only partial control of players and limited control of strategy. I was thinking the manager as compared to the player's control. I'd say the players have a little bit more control of the outcome.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 08:09 AM) What is with you continuing to post this? I don't know of one person that has said that line. It doesn't even f***ing matter, either way. He's unable to properly use his lineup, often his pitching staff, and has a demeanor that has just run its course. Sorry for posting that twice. And thank you for not repeating something you have already posted.

QUOTE (Cerbaho-WG @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 09:21 AM) This is what I don't get about all of the Ozzie supporters. All of you are more or less saying that the manager doesn't matter but you will perform some incredible mental gymnastics to defend Ozzie. Look, you can't have it both ways. Either Ozzie deserves some accountability and actually influences the outcome of the game or we should hire a traffic cone to be manager. How important is the X% that the manager can control. The GM hands him players and a strategy. They have to be working in concert with each other. My defense of Oz is this season, with the level of suck from key pieces of the plan, he's being way over criticized. Bottom line to me, baseball managers get too much credit, and too much blame for the outcome of a season. Perhaps that seems like having it both ways.

Cooper. He's earned it. I can't believe no one has thought of him for the spot.

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 5, 2011 -> 03:13 AM) It's amazing to me in the face of another September when "our fate was in our hands" and we fail miserably, how many people are willing to give our leadership a pass. You all don't want to win as much as being proud of being non confrontational. Leadership by players, coaches, managers, or front office?

Then

Welcome back to SLaM Sox fans. The off season is starting early. Graphically he's where we are at and where we are going

Pinch hitting Dunn the other day was Ozzie's going away present to the organization. The moves and contracts that worked out bad were not even huge risks when they happened. I don't think it was enough to get KW fired. On paper, which is where the GM has to play, this team should have won the division. I'll take that from a GM every season.

Ozzie is not why this team did not win the division this season.

Nada