Pick your manager

[Coldneck]

I wouldn't be upset if Valentine was our manager. Not my first choice, but I think we have a lot of good choices to choose from. I wouldn't listen to the post game press conferences though.

[Rappster]

<!--quoteo(post=107909:date=Jul 26 2010, 08:41 AM:name=stevestonescigar)-->QUOTE (stevestonescigar @ Jul 26 2010, 08:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Valentine is cocky and is a smartass. He also is very smart and doesn't give a shit who you are or about to much of anything. That is the kind of manager I would love to have. To be honest as long as we end up with Brenly, Girardi, or Valentine I will be happy. People need to drop the hate of Valentine because of his announcing. That should have nothing to do with it.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


Bingo...and, yeah...I did listen, Straw. I like him, so that colors things for me. He grew up in the same area in Connecticut that I lived, so I may have a different sense of him. I was also there when he managed the Mets, and thought he did a good job.

And, Coldneck...he's not full of shit. His ideas may be different, and you might not like the way they're presented...but, he absolutely knows his stuff.

[rok]

I don't think Valentine is a bad manager by any means. I just don't care for his style and his personality, that's all.

I feel the same way about him as I did when the rumors first started about Lou wanting to come here back in 2006. I still think we'd be better off with someone who fully understands what he is getting himself into, and I'm not convinced that any of these outsiders get it.

[cigar]

Really? I see him as the total opposite of Lou.

[rok]

<!--quoteo(post=107915:date=Jul 26 2010, 09:15 AM:name=stevestonescigar)-->QUOTE (stevestonescigar @ Jul 26 2010, 09:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Really? I see him as the total opposite of Lou.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I dunno, maybe he's changed since he went off to manage in Japan all those years, but that was always the impression that I got of him. Lou was definitely the bigger hot head, but I'd have to say Valentine at least seemed like a capable manager for the most part. I wouldn't freak out if he were hired, but I still would prefer someone else.

[jstraw]

<!--quoteo(post=107909:date=Jul 26 2010, 08:41 AM:name=stevestonescigar)-->QUOTE (stevestonescigar @ Jul 26 2010, 08:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Valentine is cocky and is a smartass. He also is very smart and doesn't give a shit who you are or about to much of anything. That is the kind of manager I would love to have. To be honest as long as we end up with Brenly, Girardi, or Valentine I will be happy. People need to drop the hate of Valentine because of his announcing. That should have nothing to do with it.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Not if he's obsessed with things he harped on endlessly last night. If that bullshit is any part of his focus as a manager then he's not for me. If it's not what he thinks is important then I don't understand why he's so OCD about it as a broadcaster...I mean all the split second timing of leg kicks and similar minutiae.

[Rappster]

<!--quoteo(post=107917:date=Jul 26 2010, 09:21 AM:name=jstraw)-->QUOTE (jstraw @ Jul 26 2010, 09:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=107909:date=Jul 26 2010, 08:41 AM:name=stevestonescigar)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (stevestonescigar @ Jul 26 2010, 08:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Valentine is cocky and is a smartass. He also is very smart and doesn't give a shit who you are or about to much of anything. That is the kind of manager I would love to have. To be honest as long as we end up with Brenly, Girardi, or Valentine I will be happy. People need to drop the hate of Valentine because of his announcing. That should have nothing to do with it.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Not if he's obsessed with things he harped on endlessly last night. If that bullshit is any part of his focus as a manager then he's not for me. If it's not what he thinks is important then I don't understand why he's so OCD about it as a broadcaster...I mean all the split second timing of leg kicks and similar minutiae.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

We complain about all these broadcasters being boring and lame. Valentine has a different take, and isn't afraid to show it off. He's not mean...he's not Joe Morgan arrogant.

He may be a little full of himself, but I think he's trying to teach the finer points, as he sees them...that's all.

I've met him many times...he owns (or used to) a couple of restaurants in CT, and he seems like a genuinely good guy.

Minutiae is a huge part of measuring the game...we spend hours on it here. He's an intellectual guy with a different take. That's all.

[Butcher]

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->The ESPN analyst and former New York Mets and Texas Rangers manager says he's interested in taking over for the retiring Lou Piniella after this season.

Valentine, who led the Mets to the pennant in 2000, calls the Cubs job "one of the most coveted positions in all of sports" and adds "anybody who thinks of himself as a manager would love to be considered as one of the people who might take his place."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[jstraw]

<!--quoteo(post=107921:date=Jul 26 2010, 09:33 AM:name=Rappster)-->QUOTE (Rappster @ Jul 26 2010, 09:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=107917:date=Jul 26 2010, 09:21 AM:name=jstraw)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (jstraw @ Jul 26 2010, 09:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=107909:date=Jul 26 2010, 08:41 AM:name=stevestonescigar)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (stevestonescigar @ Jul 26 2010, 08:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Valentine is cocky and is a smartass. He also is very smart and doesn't give a shit who you are or about to much of anything. That is the kind of manager I would love to have. To be honest as long as we end up with Brenly, Girardi, or Valentine I will be happy. People need to drop the hate of Valentine because of his announcing. That should have nothing to do with it.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Not if he's obsessed with things he harped on endlessly last night. If that bullshit is any part of his focus as a manager then he's not for me. If it's not what he thinks is important then I don't understand why he's so OCD about it as a broadcaster...I mean all the split second timing of leg kicks and similar minutiae.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

We complain about all these broadcasters being boring and lame. Valentine has a different take, and isn't afraid to show it off. He's not mean...he's not Joe Morgan arrogant.

He may be a little full of himself, but I think he's trying to teach the finer points, as he sees them...that's all.

I've met him many times...he owns (or used to) a couple of restaurants in CT, and he seems like a genuinely good guy.

Minutiae is a huge part of measuring the game...we spend hours on it here. He's an intellectual guy with a different take. That's all.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

My most charitable guess is that he's a little overwhelmed by the demands of broadcasting and he's leaning heavily on his cheat-sheets of "interesting" statistical factoids. They're not interesting. He's in deep water and treading hard and he can't tell that they're not interesting. Baseball insight gleaned from advanced stats (meaningful ones) would be interesting. Breaking everything down in terms of tenths of seconds for leg kicks and running to first was just demonstrating a fear of having nothing to say.

Talk about baseball. Tell me <i>why</i> a situation might be different of so and so was hitting ninth rather than eighth, <i>without</i> having Hersheiser chide you into it. Toss the boring numbers away. Even if you pick interesting numbers...reading stats just shows me that you're not really familiar with the teams playing the game you're calling. I realize this is always an issue with the guys calling games on national broadcasts.

Now if the ex-pitcher in the booth wants to tell me what the consequences of a slower or faster leg kick are...that might turn out to be interesting. It's just not meaningful insight from a manager.

All that said, it may really have nothing at all to do with the kinds of things he'd focus on as a manager. In that case, he should be cautioned against politicking for the bench coach job and start sounding like a manager.

[jstraw]

<!--quoteo(post=107924:date=Jul 26 2010, 09:48 AM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Jul 26 2010, 09:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->The ESPN analyst and former New York Mets and Texas Rangers manager says he's interested in taking over for the retiring Lou Piniella after this season.

Valentine, who led the Mets to the pennant in 2000, calls the Cubs job "one of the most coveted positions in all of sports" and adds "anybody who thinks of himself as a manager would love to be considered as one of the people who might take his place."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Don't play hard to get, Bobby. At least Ricketts knows who he can get cheap.

[veryzer]

I thought Valentine and Hershiser were both real good last night. I'd love to have Valentine manage, but it's not gonna happen.

If this poll is about who we'd want as manager, I'd say Girardi.

But I thought it was about who we'd think was gonna be manager, so I chose Sandberg.

[willis]

Who I want...Girardi. Who they will get...Sandberg. Ryne Sandberg was my favorite player growing up almost to obession. Have every single one of his baseball cards still today. And I think he will be a great manager. But if the chance to get Girardi is real, you go for that. Sure, Sandberg will be gobbled up by another team but Girardi is still young enough to stick around for years,he is smart and level headed, and as someone mentioned earlier, catchers really get the game and that is what this team needs. Someone who gets the game right now.

No to Torre for sure. Cox would be awesome but that is unrealistic. Now as an advisor position in the front office, perfect. But I think once this year is through, and he has done his best work, he is done in the dugout.

I would also be completely fine with Brenly. He's been there, done that, won a ring, and tells it like it is. He handles egos well and seems like he wouldn't take any shit from all the soft ass crybabies on this team. Also, he has been watching from the booth for years now and he knows what is wrong. And I think he could really fix it. The idea of he and Sandberg in Chicago together is a very intriguing one, and if that were the case and sandberg would be satisfied with that, you do that I think even over Girardi.

My order would be Girardi, Brenly, Sandberg, Valentine. If the Brenly-Sandberg combo can work, that becomes my #1.

[jstraw]

My gut tells me that if someone offers Ryno a managing job and the Cubs didn't, he'd take it. But I'm not sure I understand the belief that some other club would offer him a job at this point in his career. What's this assumption based on? He's the guy with no managing or coaching experience in the majors that the Cubs might take a chance on. I get that. Another club would have to bypass Brenly and Valentine and anyone else with major league managing experience and success...<i>and</i> every other coach in the majors that's been a manager...<i>and</i> every coach in the majors that's not been a manager. Why is Ryno on anyone else's short list?

[funkster]

<!--quoteo(post=107951:date=Jul 26 2010, 11:48 AM:name=jstraw)-->QUOTE (jstraw @ Jul 26 2010, 11:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->My gut tells me that if someone offers Ryno a managing job and the Cubs didn't, he'd take it. But I'm not sure I understand the belief that some other club would offer him a job at this point in his career. What's this assumption based on? He's the guy with no managing or coaching experience in the majors that the Cubs might take a chance on. I get that. Another club would have to bypass Brenly and Valentine and anyone else with major league managing experience and success...<i>and</i> every other coach in the majors that's been a manager...<i>and</i> every coach in the majors that's not been a manager. Why is Ryno on anyone else's short list?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Interesting point, I'd have to say at this point he probably isn't on any anyone's short list.

[willis]

I agreee currently he probably isn't. Nut my reference was if the team goes with Brenly or Girardi or whoever other than Sandberg, with his continued success someone will pluck him, not this year or next, but within a few years. At least for a bench coach. I guess when I spoke and used the word gobbled up I should have said in the next few years if he continues to kick ass as a minor league manager.