Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - QOTD: Teach Your GMs Well

According to his personal Web site, ESPN.com's inimitable baseball scribe Rob Neyer will be team-teaching an online seminar called Baseball General Manager and Scouting Course.

Question of the Day: Forget about the actual course (decription follows); if you were to design a class in this area (online or otherwise), what would be your ideal list of guest speakers, and on what topics?

Be creative -- remember, you're trying to get people to sign up for this -- but also be practical, in that "Britney Spears: Lingerie Modeling" probably doesn't get to the heart of the subject matter, while "Scott Boras: Dealing with the Devil" just might.

Brief Course Description:
The Baseball General Manager and Scouting course will provide an introduction into methods and skills necessary to run a team in the highly competitive industry of professional baseball. The course involves live interactive audio with classmates around the globe, and may be taken online from anywhere in the world At the conclusion of the course, students will have a well-rounded understanding of the methods used by baseball scouts and general managers that have put winning teams on the field. Details ...

Posted by Mick Doherty on Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 10:09 AM EST.

QOTD: Teach Your GMs Well | 37 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

_SF - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 10:37 AM EST (#18749) #

That's two days in a row you've described a writer with the same noteworthy word. Normally I wouldn't mind, but you put me in the same class as the Flannelled One. Why God? Why?

_Mick - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 10:46 AM EST (#18750) #

Sorry, Dr. Prison Fence ... I'm sure as a writer you know full well that you can get a word stuck in your head and keep using it for a few days. I'll consult the thesaurus and go back and change the word describing you yesterday ... there, all done. I assume "nonpareil" is okay with you?

_SF - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 10:59 AM EST (#18751) #

Any description you choose is OK with me -- as long as it doesn't compare me to Neyer, Hitler or Moffatt.

_Spicol - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 11:04 AM EST (#18752) #

I may have said this before but what the does Rob Neyer know about being a GM or a scout? The ideal would be for all of the guest "speakers" to be real GMs and for Rob just to be the guy who introduces them and thanks them for coming.

And I put speakers in quotes, because as far as I can tell, this course is held through 8, 1-hour online chat sessions. For $800.

Yay capitalism.

_Mick - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 11:11 AM EST (#18753) #

what the does Rob Neyer know about being a GM or a scout?

I would think approximately as much as Bill James or (if you're reading, Keith, this is not derogatory, in my opinion) Keith Law.

I should've known using Neyer's name would derail the actual question somewhat ... the point of which was to open it up to what would a class like this teach and who would be your choice to teach the individual topics?

Brian Cashman: "Having Too Much Money Comes with Strings Attached, By George."
Theo Epstein: "Breaking Curses by Signing the Best Player on the Market Seems to Work, as Far as Plans Go."
Joe Morgan: "Measuring Clubhouse Chemistry."

That sort of thing.

Gerry - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 11:16 AM EST (#18754) #

OK, I'll bite.

Negotiating baseball trades - Billy Beane

Player contracts - pick your assistant GM, one with lots of tenure, who can detail all the crazy requests he gets

Roster construction & Working with a budget - Billy Beane or Terry Ryan

Looking for value on a budget - Keith Law, or whoever is doing similar work for the A's

How to succeed on a big budget and avoid signing Raul Mondesi - Theo Epstein

Player aging patterns - Bill James

Traditional scouting approach to player evaluation - Grady Fuson

Statistical based approach to player evaluation - Keith Law

Putting it all together, or how I learned to love the Rogers approach - JP Ricciardi

_Braby21 - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 11:18 AM EST (#18755) #

http://sports.ign.com/articles/564/564890p1.html
For all you baseball video game lovers, the first screenshots of MVP Baseball 2005 is out. The game is reportedly coming out March 2nd.

COMN for the screenshots of the AL gold glove winners, tomorrow they'll have the NL.

Pistol - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 11:20 AM EST (#18756) #

And I put speakers in quotes, because as far as I can tell, this course is held through 8, 1-hour online chat sessions. For $800.

Yay capitalism.

If you could get those credits transferred to the college you're going to that's dirt cheap.

And even if you can't if you're looking to head in that direction $800 really isn't very much money, especially if you pick up some good contacts.

_Lee - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 11:26 AM EST (#18757) #

Putting it all together, or how I learned to love the Rogers approach - JP Ricciardi

LOL! Classic.

_DeMarco - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 11:29 AM EST (#18758) #

Today's Griffen Column is up to its usual standards.

_Jonny German - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 11:48 AM EST (#18759) #

DeMarco, you'd be in a better position to cast derision in Richard's direction if you spelt his name correctly.

It's been a few years since I read Neyer regularly - When did he become a whipping boy? Was the Amazon.com thing not an isolated incident?

_DeMarco - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 11:56 AM EST (#18760) #

I thought I was leaving it up to the reader to determine whether 'Griffin's usual standards' are worthy of ridicule.

But your comment is duely noted.

_Mick - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 12:15 PM EST (#18761) #

Griffin's column seemed pretty reasonable until this:
The choice had been Prokopec or another Canadian, Eric Gagne. But Canadian or not has never mattered to Ricciardi.
... which, as has been noted numerous times previously, is simply not true.

_Moffatt - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 12:19 PM EST (#18762) #

Any description you choose is OK with me -- as long as it doesn't compare me to [...] Moffatt.

Who could blame you? It's like having an unbelivably successful older brother. You can't possibly live up to his standards. Mom & Dad keep asking you why you can't be more like Michael and you just wish they'd accept you for who you are.

We feel for ya, pal.

_Blue in SK - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 12:51 PM EST (#18763) #

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseball/MLB/Toronto/2004/11/10/708560.html
Bit of a hijack - COMN for an article that suggests Meyers is coming back and Zaun is leaving. Meyers and Q make for a good L/R platoon.

_Jonny German - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 12:53 PM EST (#18764) #

as has been noted numerous times previously

In fact, has been noted so numerously many times previously as to be a dead horse. Has J.P. not screwed anything up recently, does Griff have to keep going back to the same old saw?

Pistol - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 01:04 PM EST (#18765) #

COMN for an article that suggests Meyers is coming back and Zaun is leaving.

I'm not sure it suggests that. Myers is being offered a minor league deal and Zaun is being offered a guaranteed deal. The issue with Zaun is how much other teams are willing to offer him.

It wouldn't shock me if both Zaun and Myers are on the roster to start the season.

_mathesond - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 01:24 PM EST (#18766) #

http://www.mathesond.mindsay.com
QOTD: How to talk out of both sides of your mouth, or, When I said the Rangers organization was set up for an extended run of success I meant, without me, by Alex Rodriguez

(prologue, "When I gave my blessing to bat 6th in the order, I did so knowing I'd bitch about it in October, by Sammy Sosa)

_DeMarco - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 02:02 PM EST (#18767) #

I am also surprised to see people have such a low opinion of Rob Neyer. I used to enjoy reading his article (I haven't read them in a long time), and thought while he may not be the best person to represent the SABR society, at least there was someone using the statistical side of baseball on a major network.

I have no idea what the Amazon.com thing is either.

I would be interested in hearing why people here don't care for him.

_Rob - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 02:04 PM EST (#18768) #

a general manager constantly citing payroll as an excuse for a three-year plan to compete gone awry

Next year, it will be a one-year plan. If J.P. stays on until 2015, will we be hearing about a two-week plan?

_Mick - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 02:05 PM EST (#18769) #

For the record, I am a Neyer fan, have reviewed both of his most recent books here on Da Box, correspond with him occasionally, and also can't figure it out. But it is not wholly unexpected based on past experience, so I can't say I was surprised, just continuing as "baffled."

_DeMarco - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 02:36 PM EST (#18770) #

I'm assuming This is the 'Amazon.com thing'.

_Mick - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 02:59 PM EST (#18771) #

Thanks, DeMarco. That's an awesome -- in the literal, not slang sense, as in awe-inspiring -- story. As above, I can't say that any of Rob's experiences surprise me at all, but they certainly do bother me.

_Ducey - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 03:04 PM EST (#18772) #

You could get Joe Garagiola to do a seminar on "The Importance of Managerial Background Checks"

or "How to Kill a Franchise for Fun and Profit" by Jeff Loria

_Shrike - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 03:07 PM EST (#18773) #

Okay, so the salmon joke on the MVP Baseball Gold Glove article was hilarious. It's under Eric Chavez, and it also involves Arthur Rhodes and Eric Byrnes.

_Jordan - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 03:29 PM EST (#18775) #

If I were actually offering such a course, I would reserve two full hours for John Schuerholz to speak to my attendees -- one hour of lecture, one hour of Q-and-A. The last-place Braves hired Schuerholz in 1990: starting in 1991, over the next 14 years, Atlanta has finished first 13 times (with one second-place finish in a strike-shortened 1994). This is a run of success that began with Terry Pendleton and Sid Bream, continued through Ryan Klesko and Denny Neagle, and remains in place today with Marcus Giles and JD Drew. Whatever you think of the Braves, and however much importance you attach to short-series postseason results, you can't deny that they've been a mind-bogglingly successful franchise. Schuerholz is the architect of that franchise, and a criminally underrated one at that; he would be at the top of my speakers list.

_Jim - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 04:12 PM EST (#18776) #

'Why the draft is the Devil's Domain, and other reasons for signing Michael Tucker.' - Brian Sabian

_mathesond - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 04:51 PM EST (#18777) #

http://www.mathesond.mindsay.com
"One World Series Championship Does Not A Genius Make", by Tony LaRussa

On a serious note, were he alive today, I would love to hear Branch Rickey talk about the importance of building a farm system

_mathesond - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 05:00 PM EST (#18778) #

http://www.mathesond.mindsay.com
Looking at it, the importance of building a farm system seems to be an unnecessary topic. Going about building one, though, would be a much better lecture subject, methinks.

Lucas - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 05:39 PM EST (#18779) #

http://rangers.scottlucas.com
"Machiavellian Philosophy: Contemporary Applications," by John Hart, with an introduction by former scouting director Grady Fuson

_braden - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 05:45 PM EST (#18780) #

I'm assuming This is the 'Amazon.com thing'.

Wow. I'd always enjoyed Neyer's columns though I did find he came across as a prententius jackass sometimes.

Reading the Amazon.com thing confirmed my suspicions.

_Mike Forbes - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 06:02 PM EST (#18781) #

I've gotta say this... The 2005 season seems to get bleaker everytime I read an interview with J.p.. Reading the article thats on bluejays.com right now makes me mad.. This team seems to be making no effort to get better. I can see the Blue Jays big offseason move being something stupid and pointless like signing Jeff Suppan to a 2 year deal.

Sorry if i'm coming off really negative but thats how I feel about the direction of this team. As it stands now, the team is No-Hit, Below Average-Pitch. Even mediocre sounds positive right now.

_Jobu - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 06:21 PM EST (#18782) #

The "who the heck are these guys?" line was pretty funny though. Reeks of Bob Uecker in the booth from Major League....and thats a good thing.

_jason - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 06:49 PM EST (#18783) #

If you consider that the dollar has gone up about 15 cents since last year and is still going up jp should have close to 56/57 million just by keeping the payrole the same if they only raise it to 53 they are almost guarenteed to brake even

_Jeff - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 08:45 PM EST (#18784) #

I'd get the fat scout and the old scout from MoneyBall.

Joe - Wednesday, November 10 2004 @ 09:27 PM EST (#18785) #

http://me.woot.net
Holy homophones and misspellings, batman.

The problem with the "Dollar has gone up" argument is that Rogers wouldn't just let their business ride the dollar - they'd be hedging by buying American dollars ahead of time and using them later. That saves them money if the dollar drops and costs them money if it rises, but at least it's a fixed, known cost.

QOTD: Teach Your GMs Well | 37 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.