My Disdain for Brewer Managers---Why?

[RockCoCougars]

If Macha doesn't get this team to win at least a few games this week, I'm with the others who are thinking that next Monday might be a 'busy day' around here. It's not really 'early' anymore and we have the precedence of Lopes being canned about 2 weeks into the season.

[Invader3K]

I have to agree with that. The Dodgers and D-Backs are currently tied for last place in their division. Each only has one more win than the Brewers do currently. If we can't muster a decent record against those teams (like at least going 3-3), then I hope Melvin will seriously consider making a change. I'm not even blaming Macha 100% for the team's current woes, but like the old saying goes, "You can't fire the team, so...".

[hawing]

If Macha doesn't get this team to win at least a few games this week, I'm with the others who are thinking that next Monday might be a 'busy day' around here. It's not really 'early' anymore and we have the precedence of Lopes being canned about 2 weeks into the season.

Of course, Lopes was in the midst of a period of epic badness. Just having him around for those two weeks in 2002 brought on the 106 losses. I thought about putting that last sentence in blue and chose not to.

 

Having said that, that Badgerblogger-fueled day of speculation in 2008 was on a Monday in mid-May.

[Baldkin]

Right after they went to Boston, and choked away 2 of three games in the series... and Tony Gwynn, Jr DH'd one of the games.

[joepepsi]

Lopes' Brewers were 3-12 after two seasons of regression, when he was fired.

[brewtank34]

If it weren't for Hoffman, we'd have a winning record right now. Simple as that. Macha isn't the best skipper out there, but he is hardly fireable at this point in the season. Hoffman lterally killed every ounce of enthusiasm this team was riding. The bats are silent right now, but they'll get hot.

The only problem is that we're playing like crud and we're on a west coast swing right now. By the time we get back to Mil-town, we could easily be 10 games under .500. Then it doesn't get any better from there as we play Philly, Cincy and Minny. For that reason, Macha could be in trouble. I say that because the Brewers are simply not as good as those teams/situations (west coast), but Macha will get the ax because our record will be horrendous by the end of May. If Macha gets the ax, I don't see how Melvin doesn't. Either way, Melvin's job with the Crew will depend on how he handles the Fielder trade this July.

In recap, I don't think Macha is to blame but he will get fired eventually because the team that Melvin gave him is just not that good. I blame Hoffman for everything that has occured this season so far.

[rluzinski]

I must have a far lower expectation for the Brewers than most. A good GM can be a huge advantage but cold hard cash simply can't be beat. With three teams in the NL Central alone being able to outspend the Brewers every year, expecting the Brewers to perenially compete for a playoff spot seems like a pipe dream to me. The Brewers have an average payroll with maybe and average GM and the smoke clears, they'll probably have close to an average record. That seems to be the reality of the situation. Once in awhile they'll win 90 or 70 games.

 

It just seems like many MLB fans are in denial about how much cash plays a roll in who wins and loses.

[Buckylovesbeer]

Sheethead said it best to me. I am bored with this team, and its sad. They have got to get the offense going!

[pretendastronaut]

To me, it seems like Macha has sucked the identity out of this team. The team has become an extension of Macha, which is predictably not fun to watch. Then again, Macha may very well be an extension of Melvin. This team makes me want to take a nap. Boring and dabbling in pathetic.

 

 

 

This really sticks with me when I read something like this today;

 

"Get on the roller coaster," manager Ken Macha said. "That first inning we were very aggressive. ... I thought Billingsley then started throwing some cutters the next time through."

 

Leadoff hitter Rickie Weeks agreed with Macha and said the team has to be aggressive to be able to score. Macha cautioned about being too aggressive before the game, saying the hitters had to make sure they forced the opposing pitcher to throw the ball in the strike zone before they pulled the trigger.

 

Weeks hit the first pitch of the game for a single and Braun singled on the first pitch he saw. The first four batters singled off Billingsley, and he threw just nine pitches through the first five guys.

 

"We're a team that has pretty good hitters and we're a good team as a whole," Weeks said. "That's what we gotta do. We're not really a passive hitting team. We're an aggressive team and we have to do that to try to get on the board early."

 

*Emphasis mine

 

JSOnline

 

I think there is a lot to worry about in that quote. As sheethead said, Macha doesn't match the identity of this team, and he's trying to get them to embrace his identity, which doesn't work, and it's fun to watch. Beyond that Macha tells them before the game to not be aggressive, and then Rickie says the team has to be aggressive and played the game aggressively regardless.

[jhart05]

"Macha doesn't match the identity of this team, and he's trying to get them to embrace his identity, which doesn't work"

 

 

Hummm, isn't that exactly what was/is said about the 1982 team and why they made a change that year?

[logan82]

Macha cautioned about being too aggressive before the game, saying the hitters had to make sure they forced the opposing pitcher to throw the ball in the strike zone before they pulled the trigger.

 

They really are not saying two different things. Macha just seems to be saying he wants them to be aggressive in the zone.

[DHonks]

One complaint I've long had with Macha is how he burns extra relievers. Yost was one of the first I'd seen to allow relievers to go more than one inning based on their previous inning AND game situation. For instance, up big with a starter at 100 pitches through 6, we should not take the Macha approach and have three relievers loosen and get into the game. Instead we should have one reliever throw the 3 innings, save the bullpen, and limit the variability caused when teams change the momentum and bring in new pitchers.

[hawing]

Macha doesn't match the identity of this team, and he's trying to get them to embrace his identity, which doesn't work

I'm on this bandwagon. The mismatch between Ken and the Brewers makes how good or bad a manager he is a moot point.

[rluzinski]

What is Macha's identity, exactly? Looking at Pretendastronaut's quote, managers are always spouting off cliches like that. Well yeh, swing at the strikes and not at the balls. Great.

 

Macha doesn't show much emotion, which fans hate but I don't see how the Brewers will win more games if Macha starts getting fired up. But I don't think Hoffman is blowing games and the offense is stinking because they aren't emotionally motivated either. I just think fans get mad when their team struggles and want to see the managers get mad as. It's the same thing when fans like to read their team's beat writer tear into the team after a bad game or games. Solidarity. It's comforting.

[pretendastronaut]

I don't really care if Macha gets fired up or not, that's a different issue.

 

It makes sense to look at Macha's quote and say it's just some cliche thing, but it's Rickie's quote that is troubling and that's where I'm talking about the identity. This isn't the first time I'm recalling some sort of statement to this effect of "Macha wants this, but we're not that, so we're going to go back to being us". I can't remember where exactly I read these things before, but my mind is triggering statements about Macha not liking the celebrations last year and wanting them to stop this year. I'm recalling either Braun or Gerut saying something about it, and again, essentially saying we're going back to being us. (Have the outfielders been doing their high five in center after victories this year? I don't know for certain, but I don't recall seeing it.)

[logan82]

pretendastronaut wrote:

Have the outfielders been doing their high five in center after victories this year? I don't know for certain, but I don't recall seeing it.

Me either but they haven't really been winning a lot of game this year either.

[bobskube]

I know we all feel warm and fuzzy about winning 5 of 6 but I just can't understand a situation is today's game. Greg Zaun is up 3-0 in the count and decides to swing. Did anyone tell him the bases were loaded with one out and Kennedy was having control problems? It made no sense because Zaun is also a prime candidate to hit into a DP. It is not like Kennedy had amazing stuff that Zaun would not get same pitch at 3-1.

 

Macha is only one that gives green light here. Very poor decision that could have cost Brewers the game.

[TooLiveBrew]

Macha is only one that gives green light here. Very poor decision that could have cost Brewers the game.

 

That was mind-boggling, and I'm glad the Brewers were able to go on to win. However, you have to keep in mind that Macha could put the red light on & Zaun could still decide to swing. It's not as simple as being 100% on Macha.

[young guns]

I don't have a problem if he ends up swinging at the pitch he is looking for, which would probably be a fastball down the middle, which looked like what he got, but just missed it. Zaun has been hitting very well lately, so its not like he's a pitcher or kendall who you really don't want swinging in any situation.

[logan82]

Kennedy intentionally walked McGehee to load the bases, then fell

behind in the count, 3-0, to Gregg Zaun. Manager Ken Macha gave Zaun the green light and later cited three reasons for doing so – Zaun was swinging the bat well, Kennedy had issued no unintentional walks and the count virtually assured a fastball.

Zaun did get a “cut” fastball but fouled out to the catcher. When

Jody Gerut followed with a grounder to first, Kennedy was out of the

inning and the score remained 2-1.

Zaun was so mad at himself for missing that pitch, he claimed he

didn’t enjoy the homer he hit in the eighth after McGehee delivered his

three-run blow.

“I tried to do too much with (the 3-0 pitch),” he said. “It was one

of those pitches if I get 10 more times, I don’t miss it.”

I agree with Macha on this one. All 4 pitches to Zaun could have been called strikes. They all just missed. You are likely to get a get me over strike at 3-0 with the bases loaded. I think the mistake is on the other side. He walked the righty to get to not one but two lefties. Intentionally walking the bases loaded is colossally stupid. It leaves your pitcher in a really bad spot. If the bases are not loaded then you can try to get Zaun on your pitch. This was sound strategy on the part of Macha with bad results. Really bad strategy on the part of A.J. Hinch with good results.

[UndraftedFA]

The Diamondback announcers made points during the game that the Brewers and Kennedy were not matched well to produce double plays. If I remember correctly, Kennedy hasn't induced a single double play all season.

 

Overall I liked Yost as our manager. It took me a while to warm up to Macha, but I don't really have too much toocomplain about him. The quotes from Macha and Weeks don't appear to be in conflict to me. Macha wasn't saying to take a pitch regardless, more or less I took the quote to make sure the batters are swinging at strikes.

 

 

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Moderator note:

 

The original intent of this topic (disdain for Brewer managers in general) has long since run its course and is now focused mainly on Ken Macha. Because similar discussion is occurring in the "anyone else seeing big changes

ahead?" topic, I'm closing this and directing any further discussion about Macha over there.

 

--1992casey

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