The JS Sports Staff [Latest: Witrado leaves for Sporting News, replaced by Todd Rosiak]

[RightFieldCoder]

...because the last thing the manager of a major league team should do is make a decision about who plays?

[Invader3K]

The point is that no one wants to be the guy to tell a first ballot future HoFer that he's done. Haudricourt's premise of the article is correct. Yes, technically Macha is the manager and should make these decisions, but it's not that simple in this situation. It's like what the Mariners are faced with regarding Griffey right now.

[bklynbrewcrew]

The point is that no one wants to be the guy to tell a first ballot future HoFer that he's done. Haudricourt's premise of the article is correct. Yes, technically Macha is the manager and should make these decisions, but it's not that simple in this situation. It's like what the Mariners are faced with regarding Griffey right now.

The Brewers cannot be held hostage by Trevor Hoffman. The idea that Hoffman should have to tell the team that he is done is preposterous. As for comparing this to the Griffey situation I say the situations are completely different because Griffey is a hero in Seattle while Hoffman means nothing to the Brewers as he has only been here a little more than a year. This situation is a microcosm of what is wrong with this organization.

 

 

[sheethead]

TH has is half right. Hoffman needs to step up and asked to be removed, but he needs to go to Melvin and tell him he is removing himself from baseball.

[1992casey]

I wouldn't have a problem if TH expressed exactly the opposite opinion as long as the facts he used to back it up were correct and as long as he didn't interject his opinions into articles.

 

My complaints about TH tend to center around lousy research, poor statistical analysis, and expressing his opinions where they don't belong. This piece involves none of that.

[pretendastronaut]

You can disagree with the opinion, but I don't think it makes TH hit a new low by stating it.

 

I think it's a realistic approach honestly. Didn't Gagne remove himself from the closers role? I don't remember people harping on Yost for not doing it instead, but maybe I'm wrong. All TH is saying is Macha is in a crap position, which there's not really any disagreement on, and it would help if Hoffman would man up about it. At this point the Brewers are hardly held hostage by Hoffman, he's not the only one failing out there.

[owbc]

Maybe comments like that are why Yost would get so angry at him.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

I thought TH was spot on. It doesn't mean Macha is being held hostage. He's just saying Trevor should as they say in the corporate world, "decide he wants to spend more time with his family" to save the indignity of being canned. At least he should volunteer to prove he has his act together before he retakes that role.

[benji]

I agree. This is actually a time where I think TH gets something right. There is nothing wrong with this article.

[rluzinski]

Just like Tom wakes up everyday, telling himself what a great writer he is, Hoffman still thinks he's a good closer. It's human nature to not give up on yourself. Most of the time, it's a quality that people admire in a professional athlete.

[endaround]

You may have thought Parra pitched really well last night and then got tired as a guy who only recently returned to starting got over 80 pitches. Well Witrado will set you straight and tell you that Parra pitched like normal and lost "focus" and had to be bailed out:

 

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/95734969.html

[TooLiveBrew]

I can't even bring myself to click that link. Why can't we get some good writing?

[trwi7]

The Manny Parra story is predictable, frustrating and baffling all at the same time.

An enigma no one has been able to figure out, not even the man himself.

The Milwaukee Brewers' hard-throwing left-hander is extremely talented with plus-pitches, making him an attractive commodity in this game.

But there is a reason he has made just three starts this season and spent most of the year in the bullpen, only emerging in the rotation because of injuries and ineffectiveness by others.

Parra lacks control at times and poise at others, and there are times when those two flaws have played off each other. Parra can be magnificent for innings at a time, but sometimes a minor speed bump can cause him to inexplicably lose command of his pitches and melt down.

It has happened several times over Parra's career with the Brewers, and it started to again Sunday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. Fortunately for Parra and the Brewers, the bullpen was able to clean up his mess and the hitters did just enough to eke out a 4-3 victory in 10 innings at Busch Stadium to avoid the sweep with a national television audience watching.

Wow. What a moron.

 

But this really caught my eye.

 

Macha said before the game that he was going to start letting the pitchers not named Yovani Gallardo or Randy Wolf start dictating the rotation based on their performances, and Parra was definitely solid for five innings to get another opportunity, although Macha wasn't sure when Parra's turn would come again.

So we're basically going to have two starters stretched out and then go with whoever performs well and if they perform badly they're out of the rotation and you go with someone who isn't stretched out. Don't complain about not having your starters going deep into games when you do this stupid crap. This is worse than Ned's moronic home/road platoon with Bush and McClung.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Yeah, Witrado is just flat out against Manny. I don't get why he has to always convey it in his articles though. C'mon, the guy pitched a great game. Just give him a break and recognize him for that.

[TheCrew07]

I've always wondered what the beat writes are influenced by, because there certainly seems to be some slanted reporting when it comes to players with talent who have under performed early in their careers like Weeks, Parra, and Gamel. Weeks and Ganel have been at least average, and Parra was absolutely filthy last night until the 6th, the first home run wasn't even a strike, it was low and in, and the second he just got beat on questionable pitch selection by the best hitter in the game. Macha was trying to squeeze another inning out of him and it didn't work, the only difference is that I would have had a pitcher up much earlier given Parra's inconsistent workload.

[sheethead]

Yeah, Witrado is just flat out against Manny.

 

To me its fairly clear that Witrado is against the Brewers and the city of Milwaukee altogether.

[thebruce44]

I've always wondered what the beat writes are influenced by, because there certainly seems to be some slanted reporting when it comes to players with talent who have under performed early in their careers like Weeks, Parra, and Gamel. Weeks and Ganel have been at least average, and Parra was absolutely filthy last night until the 6th, the first home run wasn't even a strike, it was low and in, and the second he just got beat on questionable pitch selection by the best hitter in the game. Macha was trying to squeeze another inning out of him and it didn't work, the only difference is that I would have had a pitcher up much earlier given Parra's inconsistent workload.

 

Really until the 6th nobody even seemed to square up on a ball besides that HR on a nearly perfect pitch. Most of the base hits up to that point were bloopers over the infielders on uncomfortable swings. Anyone watching the game not named Witrado could tell he was laboring and lost his control as is to be expected. I can see saying Manny hasn't put togeather many back to back good starts, but I can't see how you can take anything away from his performance last night.

[Invader3K]

To me its fairly clear that Witrado is against the Brewers and the city of Milwaukee altogether.

And also quality journalism. This guy just seems like a total clown.

[sheethead]

To me its fairly clear that Witrado is against the Brewers and the city of Milwaukee altogether.

And also quality journalism. This guy just seems like a total clown.

Completely. He appears to make things up on the fly without actually thinking through what he is saying. Hating the team and the town, he probably really hates his job, and it shows.

[DougJones43]

When I read that article today, I immediately thought of this thread. What Manny Parra showed yesterday was a glimpse of how brilliant he could be. It's not his fault he isn't stretched out enough to have gone farther. I was very enthused my Parra's start, and then coming across that twaddle by Anthony Witrado made me remember why I rarely read the JS for Brewer news. Unfortunately at work I am blocked from forums so I didn't have much choice. What a disappointment.

 

I really don't think Witrado is even trying at this point. He should be fired. There has to be a multitude of better options. A majority of posters on this website could do substantially better than Witrado.

[trwi7]

Witrado does radio spots for WSSP. During the Twins series he was doing his spot. I don't remember exactly what they were talking about, but I do remember him using "swang" instead of "swung" and at first I thought it was just a say before you can think kind of mistake, but then he said it again so he actually thought he should use swang.

[brewmann04]

I am not a big fan of Witrado he comes off as a jerk especially in his chats.But he really does not have clue on what happening with brewer baseball.

[DougJones43]

Anthony Witrado continues his personal crusade against Manny Parra. I really don't understand his disdain for Parra. And I really find his articles unpleasant to read in general.

[crewcrazy]

I just came here to post that, too, DJ43. I have no idea what Witrado has against Parra, but the bias is constantly blatant. At least he bothered to gather some quotes from him this time.

[joepepsi]

Witrado's assertion that it won't be Wolf who's kicked out of the rotation continues Suppan Philosophy that contract decides who plays, not talent.