Thanks to scms for pointing out the breaking news -- the A's have fired Ken Macha.
Tough gig! Four seasons, two first place finishes, two second place finishes, finally got past the first round ... hit the road, sir!
Darn. As I suggested previously in NFH's weekend POTD, the Cubs job would have been perfect for an underachieving manager like Macha. But it's too late, as it appears they need more excitement on the North Side, so Piniella is in. At least Lou won a title. Who would've thought that Macha would be out and Torre would still be in after these series?
Making the playoffs is one thing, Mick, but not the only thing. When bench players and injured players are not only disfavoured but totally ignored by their manager -- at least according to the players themselves -- it's not a good situation for everyone on a 25-man roster. The team more or less succeeded under Macha's stewardship because Billy Beane had assembled good rosters, not because Macha was uniquely able to basically adhere to Beane's preferred strategies. He can find a better manager of people to do the same thing -- and I have no doubt that he will. Plus, the A's didn't necessarily overachieve under Macha -- I'm not at all sure that the Angels had a superior roster to the A's in '04 and '05, in which Oakland missed the playoffs.
It's easy to wish that personal skills were irrelevant to a manager's job, because they're hard to quantify and it's easier to evaluate managers based purely on their strategy. But it just ain't so.
Are the people on this site generally happy about John Gibbons keeping his job on the Blue Jays?
Hm. Thinking about it myself, I think John Gibbons must be marked on two criteria: 1) managerial competence, and 2) motivating the players.
Ultimately, only the players can motivate the 2nd one. Some people would say if the Jays had a shred of dignity they'd fire Gibbons for the confrontations in the year. To be honest, if the players still respect him and want to win for him, I don't really care. I think the Jays have an above level grade on "team chemistry," if this were an MVP baseball videogame. With Hillenbrand gone, there is no clubhouse cancer left, and only the enigmatic Lilly remains, who I think is a much nicer guy. It's all about finding the right dynamic for the right team and I'm not sure if there are better options around, like if a Lou Pinella fiery type would be right. Maybe.
The first criteria I admit I do not really have a good basis of experience to judge. Sometimes he gives guys days off in the batting order, but otherwise I'd say its usually sensibly constructed. There were many botched hit and runs, and few sacrifice hits (maybe they were all hitting too good).
But the area I would like to see GIbbons improve on is knowing when to keep pitchers in, when to let them work through their troubles (not when they've let in 3 runs in the 4th), and putting the best guys in the highest leverage situations. Maybe if the pitching does a bit better this year it'll force his hand to make the right decisions, but I hope he and JP are aware of this and have a talk in the offseason.
Ultimately, only the players can motivate the 2nd one. Some people would say if the Jays had a shred of dignity they'd fire Gibbons for the confrontations in the year. To be honest, if the players still respect him and want to win for him, I don't really care. I think the Jays have an above level grade on "team chemistry," if this were an MVP baseball videogame. With Hillenbrand gone, there is no clubhouse cancer left, and only the enigmatic Lilly remains, who I think is a much nicer guy. It's all about finding the right dynamic for the right team and I'm not sure if there are better options around, like if a Lou Pinella fiery type would be right. Maybe.
The first criteria I admit I do not really have a good basis of experience to judge. Sometimes he gives guys days off in the batting order, but otherwise I'd say its usually sensibly constructed. There were many botched hit and runs, and few sacrifice hits (maybe they were all hitting too good).
But the area I would like to see GIbbons improve on is knowing when to keep pitchers in, when to let them work through their troubles (not when they've let in 3 runs in the 4th), and putting the best guys in the highest leverage situations. Maybe if the pitching does a bit better this year it'll force his hand to make the right decisions, but I hope he and JP are aware of this and have a talk in the offseason.
Anybody have stat comparisons of Lilly pre- and post- altercation?
I think the shakedown worked. Not particularly graceful, but maybe it was a wake-up call for Lilly.
I'm seeing that incident in a new light now. Here's Ted Lilly with an 8-0 lead and from what I heard, he started trying some new stuff with a big lead. Then when he needed his good stuff back to get guys out, because it was getting out of hand, it was no longer there.
Perhaps it was a last spasm of immaturity and his numbers after that do point to greater focus.
We'll know for sure if he comes back.
Macha - just goes to show, even if you think you're doing a good job, and your numbers show you're doing a good job, it still matters what the man in the corner office thinks.
I think the shakedown worked. Not particularly graceful, but maybe it was a wake-up call for Lilly.
I'm seeing that incident in a new light now. Here's Ted Lilly with an 8-0 lead and from what I heard, he started trying some new stuff with a big lead. Then when he needed his good stuff back to get guys out, because it was getting out of hand, it was no longer there.
Perhaps it was a last spasm of immaturity and his numbers after that do point to greater focus.
We'll know for sure if he comes back.
Macha - just goes to show, even if you think you're doing a good job, and your numbers show you're doing a good job, it still matters what the man in the corner office thinks.
So, the next manager for the A's - who should it be? Odds are a cheap guy who is already in their system but I'm thinking that they have a team that is always close to or in the playoffs so they need a playoff manager. The best one I can think of who is available is good ol' Cito Gaston. A team where most things are set for the regular season but keeps getting knocked out right away sounds right to me for him.
Maybe firing Macha is a statement that the ALCS is not enough. Beane wants the 6 flags over New York trophy and wants his players to know that. Macha was good, but aren't the managers of sabremetric GM's usually a bit more of an outlet for the GM to act.
Anybody have stat comparisons of Lilly pre- and post- altercation?
Lilly & Gibbons had their thing on August 21st. In Lilly's next start, he went 5.1 innings and gave up 5 earned runs. After that, he had a very nice September: 36.2 ip, 2.45 ERA, 35 Ks and held batters to a .206 average. Of course, he was also facing Boston, Cleveland, Seattle, Tampa, Boston, and Detroit - not exactly the A-league.
One month is obviously not enough to make a definitive judgement, particularly where Ted the Tease is concerned. His ERA by month goes 3.72, 4.89, 2.76, 4.45, 8.63, 2.45 - some very good, some okay, and some very bad. In summary, who the heck knows?
Lilly & Gibbons had their thing on August 21st. In Lilly's next start, he went 5.1 innings and gave up 5 earned runs. After that, he had a very nice September: 36.2 ip, 2.45 ERA, 35 Ks and held batters to a .206 average. Of course, he was also facing Boston, Cleveland, Seattle, Tampa, Boston, and Detroit - not exactly the A-league.
One month is obviously not enough to make a definitive judgement, particularly where Ted the Tease is concerned. His ERA by month goes 3.72, 4.89, 2.76, 4.45, 8.63, 2.45 - some very good, some okay, and some very bad. In summary, who the heck knows?
Cito might be able to manage for Billy Beane. They share one thing in common: disdain for the sacrifice bunt. However I'm not sure their personalities would mesh too well. They both have very strong personalities and Cito might not take too kindly to Beane's meddling.
As for Mr. Lilly, he was 10-11 in 25 starts, with a 4.64 ERA (4.96 RA) upon his removal and subsequent wrestling match. In the 7 starts after that he was 5-2, with a 3.21 ERA (4.50 RA). What follows are his peripherals pre-blowup/post-blowup:
- H/9IP: 9.34/7.29
- BB/9IP: 4.12/3.64
- K/9IP: 7.67/8.79
- K/BB: 1.86/2.41
- WHIP: 1.50/1.21
- HR/9IP: 1.48/1.07
As you can see he improved in every single peripheral, but I'm not sure the 7 start sample size is enough to conclude 100% that the blowup was what made Theodore Roosevelt pitch better. It could've just been one of those hot streaks that happen during the season. I would say the blowup contributed to his improvement though. Memo to managers of teams that have Lilly in the future: sometimes he just needs you to get in his face. ;)
It would seem like the natural manager for the A's would be Ron Washington. Teams always seem to be contacting him about managing jobs, yet they really never amount to anything. I'd imagine he's primed and ready to go as a full-time MLB manager.
What's up with Davey Johnson? You'd think that he might be a fit in Oakland, at least from the approach perspective. Beane/Johnson could make for some interesting "discussions".
What's up with Davey Johnson? You'd think that he might be a fit in Oakland, at least from the approach perspective.
I agree that on paper, that would be a match made in heaven. I get the feeling, though, that Beane likes lap dogs as managers and likes to make roster usage decisions himself. Not sure how'd he deal with a headstrong manager, even one who generally saw the world as he did.
I agree that on paper, that would be a match made in heaven. I get the feeling, though, that Beane likes lap dogs as managers and likes to make roster usage decisions himself. Not sure how'd he deal with a headstrong manager, even one who generally saw the world as he did.
The best one I can think of who is available is good ol' Cito Gaston. A team where most things are set for the regular season but keeps getting knocked out right away sounds right to me for him.
It is a continuing source of mystery to me why Cito Gaston is not a MLB manager somewhere. Is there another manager out there not named Joe Torre who has won back-to-back championships? Won 4 division titles in 5 years?
I really don't get it.
It would seem like the natural manager for the A's would be Ron Washington. Teams always seem to be contacting him about managing jobs, yet they really never amount to anything. I'd imagine he's primed and ready to go as a full-time MLB manager.
I wondered if the dismissal of Macha was motivated in part by Washington's potential departure to one of the numerous vacant managing jobs in the bigs. If Beane already had reservations about Macha it could have been a final factor in the decision. However, I've also heard that while Washington is praised far and wide for his abilities as an infield coach, he would be a small ball-style manager who would be unlikely to be on the same philosophical page as Beane.
I imagine they'll interview him, but people talk of Bob Geren being the leading internal candidate. Geren has a close relationship with Beane and they're friends from their early days in baseball. It will be interesting to see what happens to Washington this offseason and whether he stays in Oakland or whether he finally gets a shot to manage.
Of all the managers the Jays have ever had, I believe only Bobby Cox and Jim Fregosi had previous ML experience, and only Cox and Jimy Williams got another ML gig after leaving.
Perhaps it's an uneducated viewpoint, but that seems odd to me that Toronto would be a first and last stop on so many resumes. If Gibbons leaves, either of his own volition or if JP gasses him, will he get another hitch?
Perhaps it's an uneducated viewpoint, but that seems odd to me that Toronto would be a first and last stop on so many resumes. If Gibbons leaves, either of his own volition or if JP gasses him, will he get another hitch?
Angry anti-Beane article (read: editorial) in the Star today about the Macha firing. Looks like the boys at the Star haven't forgotten the scathing afterword published in the paperback version of Moneyball, in which Lewis takes them to town for the silliness of the article.
Is that right? Did they talk about "White Jays" in the paperback afterword?