Time for Macha to erupt

[AJAY]

I am so sick of seeing Brewer pitchers walk batter after batter. It's time for Ken Macha to erupt on his pitching staff. I want to see a Mike Ditka or Lou Pinella type of tirade. You know what I am talking about . . . the kind you see over and over on ESPN for years and years.

Something has got to be done.

[bklynbrewcrew]

No tirade is going to make pitchers like Foolio and McClung throw strikes.

[razzzorsharp]

[Brian the Automator]

Ken Macha should start a vent thread.

[rluzinski]

If Macha yelled at me enough, would I be able to throw strikes?

 

Seriously though, this isn't little league. These guys know what they are supposed to do and are plenty motivated. Yelling only makes the manager and the fans feel better.

[Ennder]

This is no different than last year. I just watched as the Reds walked in a run, then I watched the Mets walk in back to back runs. April always has a ton of walks, especially the first couple weeks.

 

7 of 15 teams in the NL have walked over 4 batters per 9 innings at this point. The league as a whole has walked 765 hitters in just 7606 PA. This same exact thing happens every single season in April.

[Buckethead Brigade]

Take the Manny Acta approach. If you can't pitch then you can go to AAA until you can pitch.

[GormanHarvey]

If Macha yelled at me enough, would I be able to throw strikes?

 

Seriously though, this isn't little league. These guys know what they are supposed to do and are plenty motivated. Yelling only makes the manager and the fans feel better.

Well then I am all for it because I think both Macha and the fans deserve to feel better...http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[CWSOmaha]

I think Macha might be thinking..."what in the hell did I get myself into!?" That TV gig in Boston wasn't so bad after all!

 

(edit: exorbitant punctuation --1992)

[davego]

Feeling better isn't that bad?

 

Macha can red-line if he feels it's needed. However, that isn't a card he can go to very often.

[Ennder]

Mota just walked one in for the Dodgers.

 

Contreras has 6 BB for the White Sox.

Washington+Atlanta have combined for 8 BB in 6 innings.

The Reds have walked 6 so far in 6 innings

Houston walked 5 in 5 innings

The Mets have walked 6 through 7 innings

KC walked 8 today

 

 

I have seen 4 runners walked in with the bases loaded so far tonight and I missed the first half of the early games.

[True CryM]

If Macha yelled at me enough, would I be able to throw strikes?

 

Seriously though, this isn't little league. These guys know what they are supposed to do and are plenty motivated. Yelling only makes the manager and the fans feel better.

I think this a common misconception. You're not a professional athlete with the ability to chose between nibbling and pounding the zone. Little league or major league, managers are responsible for regaining their teams' focus. Whether yelling helps or not, we don't know, but you can't discount it as if these players are completely impervious to negative reinforcement.

[dadofandrew]

Macha is not going to embarrass himself. However, I'm sure he will make clear to guys he expects strikes, as he will allow guys who throw strikes to get out of jams, and the high pitch count will force him to have a bit of a quick hook with those who don't.

 

I'm sure the weather is not helping pitchers to get in the groove. It has been cold and wet often thus far.

[SeriesFinale]

I'm sure the weather is not helping pitchers to get in the groove. It has been cold and wet often thus far.

Strangely this only seems to affect the Brewers and not their opponents...talk about your microclimates!

 

I don't know how I feel about the helpfulness of an "eruption"; I'm more upset that Doug and/or Mark A thought this staff as presently constituted was worthy of making a run in these precious few years we're gonna have the majority of our young offensive guns (I know, I know...).

[Ennder]

Strangely this only seems to affect the Brewers and not their opponents...talk about your microclimates!

 

It is pretty much random, same thing happens every single season. About 30% of the pitchers just can't throw strikes and it is different pitchers every year. It seriously is not worth worrying about for a couple weeks still.

[WisconsinSportsRule]

There's no excuse for not throwing strikes. I don't care if it April or September, just throw strikes.

[Ennder]

There's no excuse for not throwing strikes. I don't care if it April or September, just throw strikes.

That is all fine and dandy that you think this, but it obviously isn't true. I mean every single season walks are high in April, this isn't some random occurance, it is something that happens every season.

[rluzinski]

You're not a professional athlete with the ability to chose between nibbling and pounding the zone. Little league or major league, managers are responsible for regaining their teams' focus.

 

The theory is that these pitchers would perform better by "pounding the zone" but simply nibble because of raw fear? Or do they just forget what they did to become so successful at their sport that they get to play at the highest level?

 

Pitchers are always working the corners and sometimes they just can't hit them. Yelling at them won't increase their accuracy.

[pretendastronaut]

First, thanks to Ennder for the perspective!

 

I don't think an eruption does much but make us feel better, but I am on the side of the fence, that people need pulled aside from time to time, to get re-focused. They may be major leaguers, but that doesn't mean they don't go through mental lapses like anyone else. I know what I need to do in my line of work every day, but I'm not always focused enough to be doing the best job I can, and it sometimes takes an event to trigger that internal cleansing.

[danzig6767]

This is a bit off topic, but to often when i watch games the strike zone IMO is to small with some of these umpires, especially on pitches that they deem are to high. It drives me crazy when pitches go right down the middle across the belt of the batter and so many umps call it a ball.

[True CryM]

rluzinski wrote:

 

The theory is that these pitchers would perform better by "pounding the zone" but simply nibble because of raw fear? Or do they just forget what they did to become so successful at their sport that they get to play at the highest level?

 

Pitchers are always working the corners and sometimes they just can't hit them. Yelling at them won't increase their accuracy.

I'm not exactly sure what you're saying but, yes, players do often forget what has made them successful. Yelling won't directly improve their accuracy, but it may improve their focus.

[SeriesFinale]

Has being yelled at ever improved your focus as a grown man? Or would it just make you resentful and foster a bad atmosphere in the workplace?

 

These guys aren't children--they're not going to be scared of hearing Macha getting loud and as such improve "their focus."

 

I mean, I guess I'm confused as to what you think they're focusing on now if not painting the corner--a burger after the game? The girl in the second row?

[True CryM]

Has being yelled at ever improved your focus as a grown man? Or would it just make you resentful and foster a bad atmosphere in the workplace?

 

These guys aren't children--they're not going to be scared of hearing Macha getting loud and as such improve "their focus."

 

I mean, I guess I'm confused as to what you think they're focusing on now if not painting the corner--a burger after the game? The girl in the second row?

It's not like these guys are making spreadsheets and phone calls. They are multi-million dollar professional athletes playing in an environment which requires a lot more attention to detail than your everyday "workplace". I'm not exactly sure where the idea that these guys can't be yelled at is coming from. It doesn't matter if it's a burger after the game or the way the hitter's right foot inches towards the plate right after a low and away curve is called. If you think a player has never refocused after being reamed out, then there isn't a conversation here.

[SeriesFinale]

If you think a player has never refocused after being reamed out, then there isn't a conversation here.

The problems we're talking about here as far as any of us know have nothing to do with "focus," however. If Suppan and Julio and McClung and whoever were rookies whose performance was suffering from "lack of focus" (off field distractions, unprofessional manner, muted desire, etc), it'd be one thing. But that doesn't appear to be the case, however.

 

Will yelling improve their vision, their mechanics, their ability to read batters or individual strike zones? No.

It's not like these guys are making spreadsheets and phone calls. They are multi-million dollar professional athletes playing in an environment which requires a lot more attention to detail than your everyday "workplace".

Exactly! Yelling doesn't work when you're dealing with veterans who either a) desperately need the job (Julio) or b) know they have total leverage but are otherwise professional (Suppan).

 

I don't think anybody's saying pros can't be yelled at; what I'm saying here is that I believe yelling won't solve any of the issues at hand and in fact be harmful to clubhouse chemistry in the long run. Nothing has given me the impression that the pitchers think their performance has been acceptable, so let the coaches coach, and leave the reaming out to the fans.

[Never Outhustled]

I think Macha should whatever he did in Oakland when they got off to a slow start every year, and then got hot the rest of the way.