I would love it to be Thome or Konerko, but Robin apparently wants a current or former hitting coach. What is Rudy Jaramillo doing these days?

 

I bet we can entice Don Mattingly to give up his manager job in LA to become a hitting coach here.

Buddy Bell should be next to go

Buddy Bell should be next to go

 

This.

Thank goodness. Some accountability finally. Please fire some more guys and get rid of some of our awful position players.

1. Buddy Bell should be fired to become Jared Mitchell's personal hitting coach in another organization.

 

2. Charlie Manuel would be my choice, but you wonder if he'd want to serve as a hitting coach after being a manager all those years. The guy will be 70 in January.

 

3. Maybe it was intended to put a lot of people on notice that if things don't get better, you're outta here.

 

Amen to that.

I find it odd that experience is preferred for a hitting coach but didn't seem to be a big deal when it came to hiring a manager.

Robin was Kenny's hire not Hahn

Robin was Kenny's hire not Hahn

I know but I'm sure Hahn had some input and he's also letting Robin stay around another year, at least.

 

However, my point was, as an organization, how were they okay hiring a manager that hadn't ever coached/managed a single game in his life yet are looking for a guy with experience at a much less significant position? I don't know if Thome will be a good hitting instructor, or not, but to rule him out based solely on lack of experience doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, even moreso when you look at what they did when hiring Ventura.

Hahn said the rest of the staff stays, Manto is not the only one who should be canned.

I know but I'm sure Hahn had some input and he's also letting Robin stay around another year, at least.

 

However, my point was, as an organization, how were they okay hiring a manager that hadn't ever coached/managed a single game in his life yet are looking for a guy with experience at a much less significant position? I don't know if Thome will be a good hitting instructor, or not, but to rule him out based solely on lack of experience doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, even moreso when you look at what they did when hiring Ventura.

Manager and hitting coach are 2 different animals. Also this inexperience people keep harping about with Ventura is confusing. He played in the major leagues for 15 years. He knows what goes on in the clubhouse. Also, if Ventura had not played for the White Sox, they wouldn't have hired him to manage. They were very familiar with him? The other thing that make it moot is he now does have managerial experience. Also Ozzie never managed a game in his life before he managed the White Sox. Why does being a 3rd base coach qualify you but being a 3rd baseman does not?

 

It will be interesting to see who they hire.

Edited September 29, 201312 yr by Dick Allen

Manager and hitting coach are 2 different animals. Also this inexperience people keep harping about with Ventura is confusing. He played in the major leagues for 15 years. He knows what goes on in the clubhouse. Also, if Ventura had not played for the White Sox, they wouldn't have hired him to manage. They were very familiar with him? The other thing that make it moot is he now does have managerial experience. Also Ozzie never managed a game in his life before he managed the White Sox. Why does being a 3rd base coach qualify you but being a 3rd baseman does not?

 

It will be interesting to see who they hire.

 

Wait, what? How are those two even remotely related, except for having "3rd" in the title.

From the Trib...

 

"You're not going to find a harder working guy," Adam Dunn said of Manto. "You obviously can't fire all of us for what we did. I mean, the bad part about it is that we as a unit cost a man a job. That's hard to take."

Feels like a move for the sake of it. Never really thought to blame Manto much.

Feels like a move for the sake of it. Never really thought to blame Manto much.

At this level, you're very well paid and evaluated by things partially out of your control, but if you can't accept that then don't take the job and enjoy the lower salary.

 

There are dozens of people as experience and well qualified as any hitting coach. If a team falls apart where one big problem is hitting, the hitting coach is a logical place for some blame to fall.

 

Of course, I'd say the same thing about the manager and preparing for te season as well.

It's scapegoat time on the Southside.

Can't possibly be Robin's fault. He's even clowning it up in garbage time. Gotta put the worst hitter at leadoff, L Garcia, because he has speed!

It's scapegoat time on the Southside.

Can't possibly be Robin's fault. He's even clowning it up in garbage time. Gotta put the worst hitter at leadoff, L Garcia, because he has speed!

It's the last game of a dreadful season. Who the f*** cares who's batting where? Besides Little Leury is a prototype leadoff hitter.

The Sox immediate future offensive success is heavily dependent on Viciedo and Garcia developing quickly and being really good. I wonder if that is what cost Manto his job. I have a feeling Jaramillo is coming even though he won't appease saberheads, and for all the "lift and pull" people who thought that was Walker's way will find it is more Rudy's way. He has been the hitting instructor with a lot of young Latin players having success. They wouldn't have to pay him what the Cubs paid him, and JR doesn't mind big name hitting coaches. Charlie Lau, Walt Hrniak.

Edited September 29, 201312 yr by Dick Allen

According to Hahn they want a hitting coach with experience which would rule out Thome.

 

Walt Hriniak where are you?

As we discuss these coaching situations, and the actions of the FO bringing former players back into the fold, I can't help but feel that the 800 lb. gorilla is ultimately being ignored. Specifically, is JR, as he ages, running the team more and more like a family, and less and less like a business, as he needs to?

 

Position player drafting and development philosophies throughout our org. need a serious enema, but will RH be able to do the housecleaning that's necessary? Just one of many ?'s I have about our future. Is the "Reinsdorf Ring of Loyalty", as flavum hilariously called it, inhibiting us from making the necessary changes?

 

When I see what the Pirates have accomplished this year by lowering BABIP Against through defensive positioning in conjunction with pitching strategy, and what Maddon accomplishes in this area annually, it seems obvious that we seriously need some new approaches to get with the times. The way we seemingly value power more than hit tool/OBP in our draft/development looks like a strategy better suited to 2000, than to 2013 onward. Does it trickle down from a narrow "we play in a HR hitters park, therefore, we need to develop HR hitters" mindset, rather than a (preferably to me) "become a good hitter FIRST and trust that the power will come" philosophy?

 

I fear that we won't get to where we all want to be until JR moves on. Probably a topic for a new thread, but I'm lazy.

Edited September 29, 201312 yr by Stan Bahnsen

Make Hawk the hitting coach!!!!!

As we discuss these coaching situations, and the actions of the FO bringing former players back into the fold, I can't help but feel that the 800 lb. gorilla is ultimately being ignored. Specifically, is JR, as he ages, running the team more and more like a family, and less and less like a business, as he needs to?

 

Position player drafting and development philosophies throughout our org. need a serious enema, but will RH be able to do the housecleaning that's necessary? Just one of many ?'s I have about our future. Is the "Reinsdorf Ring of Loyalty", as flavum hilariously called it, inhibiting us from making the necessary changes?

 

When I see what the Pirates have accomplished this year by lowering BABIP Against through defensive positioning in conjunction with pitching strategy, and what Maddon accomplishes in this area annually, it seems obvious that we seriously need some new approaches to get with the times. The way we seemingly value power more than hit tool/OBP in our draft/development looks like a strategy better suited to 2000, than to 2013 onward. Does it trickle down from a narrow "we play in a HR hitters park, therefore, we need to develop HR hitters" mindset, rather than a (preferably to me) "become a good hitter FIRST and trust that the power will come" philosophy?

 

I fear that we won't get to where we all want to be until JR moves on. Probably a topic for a new thread, but I'm lazy.

 

QFT. Beautiful post.

One thing I do question, how does the hitting coach get canned but the assistant keep his job?

Cause Harold is symbolic at best. He's here because of the former player BS

QFT. Beautiful post.

 

As far as not getting good again til JR moves on, why can't Cuban own a baseball team? Why does baseball not want him in? I'd love to see him take over for JR and throw his tantrums at the umps, etc., and maybe put the pressure on some people to turn the Sox into a Central Division power. If we could just win the division every other year, I'd be pleased. It's not a difficult division in theory.

As far as not getting good again til JR moves on, why can't Cuban own a baseball team? Why does baseball not want him in? I'd love to see him take over for JR and throw his tantrums at the umps, etc., and maybe put the pressure on some people to turn the Sox into a Central Division power. If we could just win the division every other year, I'd be pleased. It's not a difficult division in theory.

 

Funny enough, JR was the one who blocked him from getting the Cubs. Cuban was on Olbermann a few weeks ago, said he made a tour around baseball and had 6 owners who said they would vote to have him get the Cubs. He met JR and JR told him to not even bother, he had no chance. He didn't bother listening to JR, but was indeed blocked from buying the Cubs by him. I've also heard in a different interview, he won't pursue another ballclub until Selig is gone.

 

Edited September 30, 201312 yr by nitetrain8601