Fire Lou

[Butcher]

<!--quoteo(post=99364:date=Jun 1 2010, 04:15 PM:name=BT)-->QUOTE (BT @ Jun 1 2010, 04:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->It's not the game I was talking about, but it's actually a good example. I could go over the whole post, but my main problems:

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->- In the 7th, Lou pinch hit Colvin for Hill when Soto would have to replace Hill anyway. Why not just pinch hit Soto? It burns a pinch-hitter for absolutely no reason at all.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Of course there was a reason to pinch hit Colvin. Because he is left handed and Soto isn't. I'm not saying it was the best idea, or the right idea, but to claim it was utterly pointless is beyond unfair. A vast majority of major league managers, like it or not, would have done the exact same thing.


<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->- In the 9th inning, Lou had to bring in Aramis in a crucial moment in the game. It was really his only option. EXCEPT...if he didn't burn Colvin in the 7th for no reason, he could have used him here -- instead of Aramis.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Unless I am reading the box score wrong, he "burned" Colvin at possibly the most crucial play of the entire game. Bases loaded, one out. He got a run in. Are you seriously suggesting that the "smart" thing to do would have been to let Koyie fucking Hill bat in that situation, on the off chance that Lou might need Colvin to pinch hit in the 9th? Seriously?

And my favorite:

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->- In the 8th inning, Lou brings OUR WORST POSSIBLE RELIEF PITCHER in to face the fattest part of the Phillies' batting order. Keep in mind, Grabow *does not* pitch more effectively to LHB, so you can't even use the "handedness" argument here.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

WRONG. I absolutely can use the handedness thing here. Other than Utley (who is a lefty, I might add), the other 3 guys are DECISIVELY worse against lefties than righties. Ibanez OPS is 140 lower against lefties. Howard's is 170 points lower. Rollins sample size is too small to make a generalization, but it's 600 points lower than against Righties. This is the point I tried to make earlier in the year. The "handedness" argument doesn't just apply to our guy. It may apply to the guy he's facing as well.

More to the point, who was he supposed to bring in? Again, this was a game that everyone bitched and moaned, wondering why Marshall wasn't brought in. What we didn't know, what Lou DID know, was that Marmol couldn't pitch that day. He was out. So while the message boards clamored for Marshall, because we all know more than Lou, Marshall was being saved to close. Russel had pitched. Grabow was the only lefty in the pen since Marshall was being saved for later. Are you arguing we should have brought in a right to face 3 tough lefties and Rollins? If so, who is this magical righty? If Lou had brought him in, and the righty had been clobbered by a succession of lefties, what are the chances fans would have been OK with that move?

THIS is my point Butch. You come out with decisions that you claim are unequivocally proof that Lou did the "wrong" thing. You argue that the examples are subjective proof. I've given you reasons why he did what he did. They are clearly arguable. They might not be the "right" decisions, but they weren't made by throwing darts at a dart board. They were made with specific FACTS in mind. Another manager may have decided to give more weight to other facts, but the moves are at the very least arguable.
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Sorry, BT -- just because you <i>can</i> argue another side doesn't mean that they are good arguments.

Pinch hitting Colvin for Hill in that situation was stupid because he essentially used two players for one situation. He had to substitute Soto for Hill anyway. Just pinch hit Soto. Then Colvin is still on the bench in case you need him later. And, guess what? We needed him later. Joe Blanton was on the hill -- and if Lou took a moment to look up some stats, he would have found that there is hardly a difference in his splits against hitters on both sides of the plate. In fact, he's slightly more effective against LHB. So, again, the handedness argument doesn't hold water in this situation.

You can argue that bringing Colvin to the plate in that spot was a good decision, but you would be wrong. There's nothing subjective about it.

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->More to the point, who was he supposed to bring in?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Fucking ANYONE. Anyone other than Grabow. Pick a fan out of the fucking stands. I would have been OK with any pitcher in that spot other than Grabow. Name a pitcher on our roster, and I would have been happier with that decision. Despite a whole lot of evidence, everyone on the planet knows that Grabow can't pitch worth a damn. Except Lou. And what does that tell you about Lou?

Grabow should only be used for mop-up or in meaningless situations -- he honestly doesn't even belong in the Majors. If he was LITERALLY the ONLY option out of the pen, then fine. But I don't think that was the case.

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Are you seriously suggesting that the "smart" thing to do would have been to let Koyie fucking Hill bat in that situation, on the off chance that Lou might need Colvin to pinch hit in the 9th? Seriously?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Nope -- I didn't suggest that. I suggested bringing Soto in to pinch hit for Hill, since Soto would have to come in anyway. That wasn't clear?

You can continue to bring up "reasons" for Lou to make the decisions he made. Unfortunately, they're the reasons of a senile old man who doesn't know what the fuck he's doing.