Starting to see what Kendall was saying about Macha

[sweepscc]

As far as feeling like he won't stick his neck out there for you. There's a time to be restrained and a time to go off, imo. It seems like Gardenhire worked over the ump AND Macha tonight. I'd definitely take that call reversal as a sign the ump has no respect for my team and take it personal. Worst of all I just hope guys on the team don't lose faith in Macha's perceived or actual ability to stick up for them. Could create the disconnect that Billy Beane claimed Macha had with A's players.

[Ennder]

I'm confused by the idea that it was a call reversal. I wasn't watching all that closely but the runner went to 1st and the ump went out to look for a mark on his hand to confirm that he was hit even though he had called it a hit batter to begin with. It was call confirmation and not a reversal as far as I could tell. Macha didn't push it because the ball pretty obviously hit Mauer so he had no legs to stand on at all.

[Tailgat0r76]

I'm confused by the idea that it was a call reversal. I wasn't watching all that closely but the runner went to 1st and the ump went out to look for a mark on his hand to confirm that he was hit even though he had called it a hit batter to begin with. It was call confirmation and not a reversal as far as I could tell. Macha didn't push it because the ball pretty obviously hit Mauer so he had no legs to stand on at all.

I completely disagree. You could tell, at least in my opinion, that the ump was calling Mauer back and Mauer started to get upset about it. Then Gardenhire came out and got it reversed.

 

I agree as well that Macha should have gotten ejected. He really looked weak going out there so mild-mannered and not upset that a big call just got reversed.

[Ennder]

Well when Mauer showed him the big bruise on his hand it probably made his point for him, like I said I wasnt' watching that closely but by the time the argument happened Mauer was already at 1B and the replay showed without a shadow of a doubt that he actually got hit. I fail to see how Macha not getting kicked out on a call that was painfully obvious ws correct is a big flaw.

[owbc]

This is probably more game thread related, but this is what I got out of it...

 

1. It was obvious that Mauer got hit in the hand.

2. The umpire didn't seem interested in reversing the call until Gardenhire started yelling.

3. As unlikely as it was that the call would be reversed, there was absolutely zero chance of Macha getting the call reversed again. His only chance would have been to run out of the dugout as soon as there was any indication that the call was going to be reversed.

4. We got swept because we threw gopher balls to all-star hitters.

[Ennder]

4. We got swept because we threw gopher balls to all-star hitters.

 

And to Crede and Cuddyer. The Twins only have 2 good offensive players and they are Mauer and Morneau, when other players on that team beat you there is nothing to be proud of. We got beat by one real pitcher as well and that was Slowey. Baker isn't bad, he is basically Dave Bush and the rookie they sent at us is probably a career minor leaguer.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I guess I'm in the minority that I like having a manager who doesn't run out of the dugout waving his arms and screaming like a 4 year old who can't have a cookie before dinner.

 

I know "that's the way it's always been", but that doesn't mean it's not downright childish for guys like Lou Piniella and the like to be throwing temper tantrums whenever they feel slighted.

[DuWayne Steurer]

 

And to Crede and Cuddyer. The Twins only have 2 good offensive players and they are Mauer and Morneau, when other players on that team beat you there is nothing to be proud of. We got beat by one real pitcher as well and that was Slowey. Baker isn't bad, he is basically Dave Bush and the rookie they sent at us is probably a career minor leaguer.

Cuddyer isn't exactly a chump, and Crede has always had the ability to hit a long ball now and then. The major thing he lacks is the ability to draw walks, but he can still burn you deep.

 

And all I'll say about the rookie pitcher is.....it happens. When you don't have much to go on a guy, they can look like world beaters.

 

I'm sure the Blue Jays thought they should knock Steve Woodard around in his first career start, and I'm sure the Cardinals thought Chris Saenz wasn't going to be tough to score off of either. It happens.

[Never Outhustled]

We got beat by one real pitcher as well and that was Slowey. Baker isn't bad, he is basically Dave Bush and the rookie they sent at us is probably a career minor leaguer.

Baker had a 3.45 ERA last year, pretty impressive in the AL. He's significantly better than Dave Bush. The rookie they sent at us was Anthony Swarzak. He is a 23 year old quality prospect and former 2nd round pick. He has good stuff and had some very good minor league seasons. I don't know why you'd consider him a career minor leaguer.

[Ennder]

Cuddyer isn't exactly a chump,

He has a career OPS of .792 and that is while protecting him vs bad matchups.

 

Baker had a 3.45 ERA last year, pretty impressive in the AL. He's significantly better than Dave Bush.

 

He has a career ERA+ against of 96 going into tonight, Bush has an 102. If anything comparing them is a minor insult to Dave Bush as Baker has had one useful season and it was highly luck based.

[pitchleague]

4. We got swept because we threw gopher balls to all-star hitters.

at least we didn't get beat in Minnesota on dink-and-dunk singles and drag bunt base hits all day long.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

Cuddyer may not be anything special, but if you throw the pitches Parra threw to him, they are going to get hit. Most of those meatballs would have been hit out of minor league parks.

 

 

I don't need Macha to be a rah rah in your face guy, but he should have gotten tossed tonight. The players need to know he has their back too. The ball may have hit his hand, but it hit the knob too. Go back and listen to the sound from the game. It was a foul ball. The ump was wrong and so was Macha. I still like Macha and I think he's done a solid job so far, but this team needed a jolt tonight.

[DuWayne Steurer]

This is what I don't understand. Does a manager getting tossed automatically fire his team up? Is this something that's ever been stated by a player? Has anyone compiled data that would show the W/L percentage in games in which a manager got tossed?

 

I'm sure those guys aren't sitting on the bench thinking "Boy, Macha really went out there and screamed at him, we better get going boys!" I just don't see it. I honestly don't.

 

I think this team has responded very well to Macha's even keeled attitude, rather than Ned "bi-polar" Yost.

[davego]

I tend to agree with RoCo; I rarely see the point in getting anyone kicked out of the game. He also makes a good point that Ned might have hurt his team with his behavior towards the umpires. That conduct (it would seem) would work against you pretty quickly.

 

Unless headhunting is going on, I don't see the point of some crazy scene on the field. For the most part, behaviors like that comes off as self-serving and juvenile.

[RoseBowlMtg]

Interesting if Mauer had such a bruise to show he got hit there that he was high fiving Morneau with his right hand in the dugout after the GS.

[Hate those Rodents]

It doesn't help that Corey Hart, our supposed third best hitter and allstar, is not a good player anymore.

[joepepsi]

I guess I'm in the minority that I like having a manager who doesn't run out of the dugout waving his arms and screaming like a 4 year old who can't have a cookie before dinner.

 

I know "that's the way it's always been", but that doesn't mean it's not downright childish for guys like Lou Piniella and the like to be throwing temper tantrums whenever they feel slighted.

I agree. I suspect these hot head blow as many games as they win with their childish antics. Earl Weaver is the best manager ever in my opinion, but his tantrums were a sideshow. The guy won because he knew how to build a 25 man roster and how to get the most out of his players. He was also well prepared for every batter on the other team.

[MNBrew]

Couple thoughts:

 

- Cuddyer is a very solid hitter who's also been having an extremely hot week. His career hitting trend is upward, but that's gonna look skewed by last year when he fought injuries (that took most of the thump out of his bat) all year long until he was finally lost for an extended time.

 

- Crede's BA has been a bit low but he's otherwise having a pretty good hitting season, coming around from a rather slow start. He was also a legit All-Star last year.

 

- Crede & Cuddyer aren't world-beater-type hitters, but they're hardly chumps.

 

- Scott Baker was the Twins' best starter last year who's off to a slow start, showing some of the ups and downs many young pitchers will show. In that sense, he's a more experienced, advanced, and successful RH version of Manny Parra.

 

- The Brewers' bats just stunk this weekend, the starters didn't pitch nearly well enough to win, the Twins' pitchers weren't walking Brewers like we've gotten used to happening this year, and Macha going into histrionics to get a call re-reversed wasn't going to "jolt" them out of that. Macha's even-keeled approach probably sends a better message about how to handle adversity than throwing a Martin-Weaver-Piniella "Tantrum for the Ages." Macha was going to do the team more good by remaining in the dugout and doing his job trying to lead the team out of a badly played weekend series (see: Hall not covering 3B on Saturday, for instance). No managerial tantrum would've changed the fact that Stetter pitched badly and laid a meat pitch right in Morneau's wheelhouse.

 

- Based on these and the other points discussed above, the original premise of the thread seems like the author is reaching.

[Baldkin]

If you listened to the play, the ball clearly hit the bottom of the bat, your hand doesn't make that sound when its hit by a ball. It hit the bottom of his hand as well, but the ump orginally called it a foul ball, and then reversed his decision and put Mauer on first base.... and remember, "All of America would be sad if Joe Mauer would've been hurt." Yes. All of America.

 

Yep. I turned off ESPN after that line was said.

[Hate those Rodents]

Yep, if Macha gets kicked out just once or twice this year, it'll mean he's legitimately peed and will mean much more for "rallying the troops" than would the fake Yost or frequent Pinella ejections.

[rluzinski]

Macha needs to go out there and make his case, since it could influence a call down the line. Umps are human and people can be biased and not even know it. But to to suggest that players will physically perform better if they see their manager have a hissy fit on the field is implausible, in my opinion.

[steve267268]

If you listened to the play, the ball clearly hit the bottom of the bat, your hand doesn't make that sound when its hit by a ball. It hit the bottom of his hand as well, but the ump orginally called it a foul ball, and then reversed his decision and put Mauer on first base.... and remember, "All of America would be sad if Joe Mauer would've been hurt." Yes. All of America.

 

Yep. I turned off ESPN after that line was said.

Did he say "All of America" or "The people at the Mall of America?"

[sweepscc]

I don't think players will necessarily perform better, I do believe occasionally guys can get emotionally fired up and focus with more intensity for a short period. But that's not really what I'm worried about. I like Macha's cool demeanor but there's got to be a switch too for a manager where he goes all out for the players with a passion. You have to remember Macha's "constituency" is alpha male ball players who may not like it if their manager is showing little emotion when in a heated argument/battle. Some guys are probably immature enough to think it's a sign of weakness.

[TooLiveBrew]

I don't see any connection between the HP ump handling a strange call the way he did & some supposed disconnect between Macha & his players. I have really been happy with Macha so far.

 

 

I like Macha's cool demeanor but there's got to be a switch too for a manager where he goes all out for the players with a passion.

 

His conversation with the ump after Mauer was awarded 1B was pretty animated. Macha imo does a really nice job of toe-ing the line & getting his point across to umps without going all 'you have no choice but to toss me', a la Piniella.

[Eddiehitsthefoulpole]

When I first started coaching basketball I used to complain about every call. Referees hated me and I never got a call. As I got older, I calmed down. I developed some friendships with referees. At the most I would complain about a handful of calls. I noticed that when I would complain about a travel I would get that call shortly after that, same with handchecks, etc.... My long, convoluted point is that most umpires will learn to ignore the constant complainer. When a manager picks his battles the umpire will be more likely to consider that point.