Macha: would a mid-season change be appropriate?

[logan82]

Then again, maybe managers just don't matter all that much.

They really don't in my opinion. The problem is that they could.

[topper09er]

Then again, maybe managers just don't matter all that much. I think a mediocre manager with a great team will more than likely beat a great manager with a mediocre team more often than not.

I agree but if Stetter was brought in to face Fukudome and Adam Kennedy (or Narveson since for no good reason at all Stetter is down) we would have 2 more wins this season.

 

 

[logan82]

Then again, maybe managers just don't matter all that much. I think a mediocre manager with a great team will more than likely beat a great manager with a mediocre team more often than not.

I agree but if Stetter was brought in to face Fukudome and Adam Kennedy (or Narveson since for no good reason at all Stetter is down) we would have 2 more wins this season.

Maybe. It would have improved our chances but we all know good moves and bad moves can still have good or negative results.

[joepepsi]

Great managers do make a difference. History has shown there have been precious few great managers.

[bklynbrewcrew]

I wish Macha was fired after last season. As far as Im concerned he brings nothing positive to the table. He doesnt know how to handle a bullpen, he has no personality whatsoever and the biggest issue is that he hates playing the young guys. Gamel was never given a shot last year and he has buried Parra as our last man in the bullpen this year. I definitely see Counsell taking away playing time from Escobar which is criminal. Any manager that thinks that Edmonds is a realistic option for CF is also oput of his mind.

 

Bottom line in my opinion is that the players dont like playing for him and he is strategically inept. As a small market team we should never have a manager that hates the young guys and that is exactly what we have. I will continue to bring up the name Bobby Valentine for this position because he is everything that we need as a manager. He is a proven winner that is an excellent in game manager and he has that fiery personality that young players respond to. He is just the guy we need to get the most out of our talent but I dont trust Melvin to do the right thing. The fact that he interviewed Randolph, Brenly and Macha in his last search tells me all I need to know about Doug Melvins ability to find the right guy. As much as I cant stand Macha I dont see Randolph or Sveum as the answer for us in any way. Randolph is strategically inept and Sveum will have us playing small ball all nine innings. If the choice is Macha or those two I would stick with Macha but Bobby Valentine is the man who would make the perfect choice as manager.

[Ennder]

I definitely see Counsell taking away playing time from Escobar which is criminal. Any manager that thinks that Edmonds is a realistic option for CF is also oput of his mind.

 

A lot of managers believe in protecting young players against pitching matchups that don't favor them, a lot of good managers too. Still not seeing a problem with Edmonds in CF so far this year, he might not be great out there but I'm not wincing when the ball is hit to CF either, offensively he is doing fine so far.

[Mr QL]

I don't expect Macha to be around very long. Unlike Yost, I don't think the players really care for Macha that much. It was pretty telling when there was discussion of not even bringing him back this season. If the team keeps struggling, I would not be surprised at all to see Macha fired before the season is finished. Willie Randolph would get his shot then.

[uwisfan]

I would have to agree with you. The Brewers are loaded with hitting depth in the minors, but lack pitching depth. You can't win many games when you consistently give up 5-8 runs a game. Even the Yankees would have trouble winning with our pitching.

That's not really true. Now the Brewers minor league system has more pitching than hitting, it's just that most of it is at the lower levels.

Brewers have ample pitching throughout the minors, including the upper minors.

[Roscoe Chill]

First of all, what does Yost have to do with Macha? If I had the choice I would take Macha over Yost any day. That said, that doesn't mean anything in regards to who should be the manager of the Brewers. Whoever said that Yost was vilified a couple years ago and was insinuating that the thought has changed is wrong. The same people who loved Yost unconditinally then, are still singing his praisies. Personally, if he's hovering around .500 at the All Star Break it will mean that Macha doesn't deserve to go anywhere. That won't happen though.

[Buckylovesbeer]

To answer the original question.....yep, I think giving Macha the boot would not hurt anything. Could it hurt anything? I agree with many of your arguements in this thread......I just dont see KM leading the crew to "the promised land."

 

That would take Ditka..... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[DHonks]

I guess I find it kind of funny that Ned Yost is being fondly remembered by many on this site currently. I remember quite well how the man was almost universally vilified right before he was fired, and many were ecstatic to be rid of him. My opinion of him is basically unchanged: I think he did a good job taking the team to respectability, but I don't think he was going to get the Brewers to the playoffs.

 

As far as Macha, it's not like he doesn't have a track record of success. This season he will reach his 500th career win as an MLB manager (assuming he doesn't get fired prematurely as some are suggesting). Not too shabby. I'm not a huge fan of the guy, but I guess I get tired of seeing suggestions of changing managers as some sort of "cure all" for fixing a flawed team.

Invader3k,

it may be just me. I was a fan of Yost because I liked what I saw. I loved how he deflected blame from his young players. The only critique I ever had of him was that he was terse with the media and fans in interviews. I generally agreed with his lineup cards and bullpen usage. Heck, every time that it seemed someone on Brewerfan.net complained about Yost's decisions not to use a pitcher, we usually found out that the pitcher was unavailable! He occasionally called for the sacrifice or the steal. Some of my favorite memories were of him running out to pitchers to tell them to stop messing around.

 

I understood his firing given the timing, but I also wished it weren't so. It appears that one of my worst fears was realized...we have a manager worse than Ned. Some people hated Ned so much that they choose to give Macha a free pass. But I firmly believe Ned's presence helped lead the team to a few extra wins each season. Granted that's nothing compared to Sheets or CC, but it's still nice. Macha seems to cost us lots of games.

 

In the end, I always say "did we win more games this year that we should have lost...or did we lose more that we should have won?" So far, we're in an awful hole.

[logan82]

Still not seeing a problem with Edmonds in CF so far this year, he might not be great out there but I'm not wincing when the ball is hit to CF either, offensively he is doing fine so far.

 

The question really is whether Edmonds in CF and Hart in RF is better than Edmonds in RF and Gomez in CF or why put Gerut in RF when Edmonds is in CF. Just because you don't cringe when the ball is hit to him doesn't make him the best option. I thought a manager's job was to put his players in the best position to succeed. In my opinion Edmonds is probably the 3rd best option defensively in CF. I would go with Gerut in CF over Edmonds but could see Edmonds offsetting the difference with his bat. When they are both out there, I see no reason for Edmonds to be in CF.

[wishicouldhit]

I personally hate this topic but its 249 a.m. and I am sick of studying organic chemistry. I dont think macha's personality fits the brewers roster at all (therefore bad hire by DM). If the brewers arent going anywhere this season I wouldnt mind seeing Randoph or Don Money get the interim job

[pete]

I think Macha has been great. I can't believe anyone would want Yost back. Billy Hall would still be at 3rd and nobody would ever pick up a start for any of the outfielders. Instead of having an appropriate response to things that happen on the field with umpires or the other team, he would make monkey faces until he exploded over something small. Screaming wildly and spitting on an umpire is stupid over something like a blown call on a tag or the like. Suppan would be locked into the rotation for the year and we'd have press conferences about how Soup pitched great. He loved roles for his bullpen much more than Macha does.

 

 

 

I'd say the players are playing with fire and motivation now. I don't see the value in lying about players to the media in a comical fashion or even something that the players would value. Under Yost, everyone would just keep the same role no matter what. The weird obsession with bunting is the absolute last reason to criticize Macha. I wish they'd have Gomez bunt more, but I'd have the pitchers hit more.

 

 

 

And Dale Sveum? How many liked his decision to start Suppan in the playoffs? How many like how long he left him in there? How many want lots and lots of bunting?

 

He also said he wanted to get Counsell some at bats to start the season and Escobar was the regular shortstop. Is it really so bad to get the bench players a start now and then rather than icing them?

[TooLiveBrew]

I can't believe anyone would want Yost back. Billy Hall would still be at 3rd

 

Hall was Macha's starting third baseman through the first month+ of the 2009 season

 

 

Suppan would be locked into the rotation for the year and we'd have press conferences about how Soup pitched great.

 

This also appears to be Macha's plan.

[logan82]

The weird obsession with bunting is the absolute last reason to criticize Macha.

 

It is bad game strategy in most cases. He is giving up outs. It handicaps you when you only have 24-26 outs instead of 27.

 

Screaming wildly and spitting on an umpire is stupid over something like a blown call on a tag or the like.

 

Maybe, maybe not. Players seem to appreciate the support.

[bucksbeat]

Macha should have never been hired. My impression is that he doesn't defend his players and has no enthusiasm.

 

We are seeing the same thing in Milwaukee that they saw in Oakland when Ken was fired. Something that Billy Beane referred to as "A disconnect on many levels." Something that then A's players Mark Kotsay, Eric Chavez, Barry Zito and our love Jason Kendall elaborated on after his dismissal.

[TooLiveBrew]

I can't take Macha anymore. Prior to tonight's game, I think I felt more of just a distaste for him. Now, it's at a full-blown loathing. Batting Carlos Gomez second is stupid. Bringing in Narveson to pitch to Fukudome & then a bunch of solid righty bats (at least against LHP) is stupid -- especially when you also had Carlos Villanueva, whose changeup makes him an effective option against left-handed hitters as well. Leaving Narveson in, when he clearly didn't have command of his pitches & was getting shelled, was stupid. I know I was corrected a while ago when I wondered aloud whether Macha might just not be that bright... but an engineering degree doesn't mean much, if anything, about baseball. I get the feeling Macha's baseball IQ just isn't very high. It's very frustrating to know your team has to win in spite of its manager. Is it really that hard to put your players in positions to succeed?

[Buckylovesbeer]

I agree with TLB......I can no longer stand Macha anymore for all of the same reasons. He does very little in-game coaching and his decisions with the pitchers are horrible.

 

I also agree with Bucksbeat that Macha sits like a lump on a log during games and displays absolutely no fire during games.

[Baldkin]

At least he didn't let his pitcher hit with guys on base then pull him before he threw a pitch the next inning.

[BrewCrewForever]

As much as I despised Yost, at least he looked like he gave a damn. Showed some fire and wasn't afraid to stick up for players when there was a bad call or a poor strike zone. I was actually surprised when Macha came out of the dugout Friday night when Prince hit what looked like a HR.

[bklynbrewcrew]

Please someone tell me what Macha is good for. He is lifeless, the players hate him and he is strategically inept. He literally brings nothing positive to the table.

[logan82]

How do we know the players hate him?

[jerichoholicninja]

I was actually surprised when Macha came out of the dugout Friday night when Prince hit what looked like a HR.

Well slowly sauntered with his hands in his pockets and head down. He looked like his mother yelled at him to go out there.

[logan82]

Well slowly sauntered with his hands in his pockets and head down. He looked like his mother yelled at him to go out there.

Maybe his wife called and told him to.