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Heard two things on satelitte radio today that were both interesting
1) second one first, Buster Olney was being interviewed and he said Mike Trout was easily a better MVP candidate over Miguel Cabrera, but if Detroit makes the playoffs and the Angels don't, he said Cabrera has a legitmate case. HUH? The Tigers play in the weakest division in baseball and if they make the playoffs, it most probably would end with them having a WORSE record than the Angels. If the Angels played in the AL Central they woud be leading it, if the Tigers played in the AL West they would be in 4th place. One of the dumbest arguments I ever heard and Olney just dropped to irrelevant. Your MVP candidacy based on how weak your division is!
2) before that Tony La Russa was on, I followed La Russa closely when he managed the A's for many years (think I went to 14 games in 1988) and with the evolution of the internet etc. have a lot of knoweldge of him from his Cardinal years. I do not know much about him from his White Sox years. I think he knows the importance a strong starting rotation has on a ballclub - giving it stability on a day to day basis and other good things he used to great success. He was one of the weird guys who would make 3 pitching changes in an inning to keep the deficit at 5-2 and I think he WAY overdid that. But there is no question in my mind he has always had - I don't know what to call it - but a major over emphasis on protecting his players on brushback pitches and beanball wars, and his players and pitchers always had the same obsession with it. Heck I think it cost him Game 1 of the 1988 World Series when Stewart obviously hit Sax in retaliation to lead off the game and 2 batters later it was 2-0 Dodgers on their way to an upset world series win. Their have been numerous brawls and hot tempers when he managed the Cardinals but I even noticed it back when he was with the A's. I always theorized there was something way back in his career (playing career?) where his manhood was challenged or something because he and the teams he managed were SO obsessed with it. Then today he was asked what person influenced his managing career and he said "Paul Richards". I will state up front I am NOT a Paul Richards fan and genuinely dislike him. But La Russa said he was told by Paul Richards when he was first assigned to manage a AA team in 1978 that a main job duty of a manager was to make sure pitchers protected their hitters. BINGO. He then went on to say "we never started anything" but we would ALWAYS protect our players (RETALIATE). He then said his teams hit more than 1000 batters or something, you could almost feel his chest thumping coming thru the radio. Well, I guess that explains it. Any half inside slow curve that nicks Albert Pujols, even in a spring training game, we are gonna drill your team. etc. etc. etc. I think his lesson was NOT learned well, and I think it was a major mark on La Russa's style, and any little incident or unintended pitch inside and boy we are going to challenge you macho y macho. At least I NOW know the genesis.
1) second one first, Buster Olney was being interviewed and he said Mike Trout was easily a better MVP candidate over Miguel Cabrera, but if Detroit makes the playoffs and the Angels don't, he said Cabrera has a legitmate case. HUH? The Tigers play in the weakest division in baseball and if they make the playoffs, it most probably would end with them having a WORSE record than the Angels. If the Angels played in the AL Central they woud be leading it, if the Tigers played in the AL West they would be in 4th place. One of the dumbest arguments I ever heard and Olney just dropped to irrelevant. Your MVP candidacy based on how weak your division is!
2) before that Tony La Russa was on, I followed La Russa closely when he managed the A's for many years (think I went to 14 games in 1988) and with the evolution of the internet etc. have a lot of knoweldge of him from his Cardinal years. I do not know much about him from his White Sox years. I think he knows the importance a strong starting rotation has on a ballclub - giving it stability on a day to day basis and other good things he used to great success. He was one of the weird guys who would make 3 pitching changes in an inning to keep the deficit at 5-2 and I think he WAY overdid that. But there is no question in my mind he has always had - I don't know what to call it - but a major over emphasis on protecting his players on brushback pitches and beanball wars, and his players and pitchers always had the same obsession with it. Heck I think it cost him Game 1 of the 1988 World Series when Stewart obviously hit Sax in retaliation to lead off the game and 2 batters later it was 2-0 Dodgers on their way to an upset world series win. Their have been numerous brawls and hot tempers when he managed the Cardinals but I even noticed it back when he was with the A's. I always theorized there was something way back in his career (playing career?) where his manhood was challenged or something because he and the teams he managed were SO obsessed with it. Then today he was asked what person influenced his managing career and he said "Paul Richards". I will state up front I am NOT a Paul Richards fan and genuinely dislike him. But La Russa said he was told by Paul Richards when he was first assigned to manage a AA team in 1978 that a main job duty of a manager was to make sure pitchers protected their hitters. BINGO. He then went on to say "we never started anything" but we would ALWAYS protect our players (RETALIATE). He then said his teams hit more than 1000 batters or something, you could almost feel his chest thumping coming thru the radio. Well, I guess that explains it. Any half inside slow curve that nicks Albert Pujols, even in a spring training game, we are gonna drill your team. etc. etc. etc. I think his lesson was NOT learned well, and I think it was a major mark on La Russa's style, and any little incident or unintended pitch inside and boy we are going to challenge you macho y macho. At least I NOW know the genesis.