The TLR Manager Thread

[Tony]

8 minutes ago, Jerksticks said:

Y’all so full of shit acting like this is an issue of some crazy TLR grandpa thinking vs new school baseball.  
 

bull effing shit.  
 

Yermin knew exactly what he was doing.  He made the choice to be a punk.  Which is fine.  But he made that choice for whatever reason.   Maybe he wanted to give the Twins a big “F-U”, I dunno.  
 

But he knew he wasn’t supposed to do that shit.  And he knew there would be consequences.  He wanted to be a punk… and now he along with everyone else is hiding behind this old school vs new school BS.  I know what he did, you know what he did, the whole twins roster knew what he did.  And everyone is pretending they have no idea what the big deal is.  Bull shit.  
 

He was a punk.  Plain and simple.  Punks get thrown at.  Punks can get hurt.  Punks lead to benches clearing.  Which is fine.  But his ass was getting thrown at the minute he chose to go punk.  
 

Maybe TLR didn’t want all his guys getting beaned and benches clearing the next day…all cuz of the punk.  
 

 

Am I wrong? 
 

 

What did he do wrong? Tell us. 

[Paulie4Pres]

Just now, tray said:

Sportsmanship is not asinine. 

This isn't going to get resolved on the internet by Sox fans who criticize LaRussa  for principles like sportsmanship, not running up the score for no reason.

This is between the Twins and Mercedes and that will ultimately be how this gets resolved.  Next time Mercedes night get a brush back pitch behind his heels.

At least Robin Ventura had the balls to charge Nolan Ryan. Unfortunately he got the worst of it.   Not sure who was managing the Sox  that day..

Where is the sportsmanship in giving up, and putting guys in the game to pitch, that aren't pitchers? Putting in a position player to pitch in a nine inning game is fucking embarrassing, and an insult to your opponent. If you're going to do that, the entire facade of "sportsmanship" goes right out the window, as you're making a mockery of the game.

As for the rest of your nonsense? Nope. This entire situation is over with. The Twins won't do shit to Mercedes, and I would bet on that.

[caulfield12]

1 minute ago, Quin said:

Punks hit home runs and win games.

I'm going to do like Ron and report Jerksticks/aka The Fun Police to the "Yermin's Team" Insta and see what bad things happen to those who mess with TA, Yermin and Lance Lynn.

[caulfield12]

1 minute ago, Paulie4Pres said:

Where is the sportsmanship in giving up, and putting guys in the game to pitch, that aren't pitchers? Putting in a position player to pitch in a nine inning game is fucking embarrassing, and an insult to your opponent. If you're going to do that, the entire facade of "sportsmanship" goes right out the window, as you're making a mockery of the game.

As for the rest of your nonsense? Nope. This entire situation is over with. The Twins won't do shit to Mercedes, and I would bet on that.

Didn't you get the memo....that it is actual highly strategic gamesmanship, preserving your key bullpen arms for the second half of the season while simultaneously providing comic moments for both dugouts.

[caulfield12]

6 minutes ago, Paulie4Pres said:

Where is the sportsmanship in giving up, and putting guys in the game to pitch, that aren't pitchers? Putting in a position player to pitch in a nine inning game is fucking embarrassing, and an insult to your opponent. If you're going to do that, the entire facade of "sportsmanship" goes right out the window, as you're making a mockery of the game.

As for the rest of your nonsense? Nope. This entire situation is over with. The Twins won't do shit to Mercedes, and I would bet on that.

Just wait until Robert and Jimenez are back and they do that!!!

 

On second thought, better hope they don't, or we'll have even more key injuries to overcome.

That said, we should send out Jimmy Buff Arms Cordero to intimidate/fight Tortuga and the Mutant Ninja Turtles.  He can contribute in that meaningful/impactful way...saving or protecting his teammates and potential ring.

Edited May 20, 2021 by caulfield12

[ron883]

12 minutes ago, Paulie4Pres said:

One of the most idiotic comparisons on the planet is comparing professional athletes to other jobs. Just stop.

Lol settle down man, it's not that big of a deal. Your claim is baseless. That's all there is to it.

[Paulie4Pres]

1 minute ago, ron883 said:

Lol settle down man, it's not that big of a deal. Your claim is baseless. That's all there is to it.

It's called exaggeration, and hyperbole. The point is that the majority of players would not approve.

Not sure why you think I need to "settle down". I don't really let idiots on the internet bother me.

Edited May 20, 2021 by Paulie4Pres

[Green Line]

24 minutes ago, Jerksticks said:

Y’all so full of shit acting like this is an issue of some crazy TLR grandpa thinking vs new school baseball.  
 

bull effing shit.  
 

Yermin knew exactly what he was doing.  He made the choice to be a punk.  Which is fine.  But he made that choice for whatever reason.   Maybe he wanted to give the Twins a big “F-U”, I dunno.  
 

But he knew he wasn’t supposed to do that shit.  And he knew there would be consequences.  He wanted to be a punk… and now he along with everyone else is hiding behind this old school vs new school BS.  I know what he did, you know what he did, the whole twins roster knew what he did.  And everyone is pretending they have no idea what the big deal is.  Bull shit.  
 

He was a punk.  Plain and simple.  Punks get thrown at.  Punks can get hurt.  Punks lead to benches clearing.  Which is fine.  But his ass was getting thrown at the minute he chose to go punk.  
 

Maybe TLR didn’t want all his guys getting beaned and benches clearing the next day…all cuz of the punk.  
 

 

Am I wrong? 
 

 

Thank you.

Everybody here loves Mercedes because he’s had a great 2 months.  TLR has had a great 4 decades.  I guess he’s just supposed to shut his old man trap if he sees something he disagrees with though.

Its fine if you want to make baseball more popular and start new traditions, but a lot of you just basically have the attitude of “Fuck everything about the MLB before 2018.  It was old and boring and terrible.”  I guess thats going to bring in new fans?

[MeanJoeCrede]

TLR: "I have no problem with what the Twins did"

Can I report TLR for wishing harm on people on the White Sox payroll?

[RagahRagah]

30 minutes ago, tray said:

Sportsmanship is not asinine. 

This isn't going to get resolved on the internet by Sox fans who criticize LaRussa  for principles like sportsmanship, not running up the score for no reason.

This is between the Twins and Mercedes and that will ultimately be how this gets resolved.  Next time Mercedes night get a brush back pitch behind his heels.

At least Robin Ventura had the balls to charge Nolan Ryan. Unfortunately he got the worst of it.   Not sure who was managing the Sox  that day..

You managed to completely miss the point of the only sentence of mine you actually quoted. Wow.

He is literally asking a player to draw an arbitrary line of how many runs is "too many" and once you cross that line, whelp... it's punishment time. And he stated that is for the player to decide so he contradicted himself. 

No, sportsmanship is not asinine. But sportsmanship has nothing at all to fucking do with the point I made. At all. You just saw a word you liked and fixated on it like a kindergartener.

[RagahRagah]

13 minutes ago, Green Line said:

Thank you.

Everybody here loves Mercedes because he’s had a great 2 months.  TLR has had a great 4 decades.  I guess he’s just supposed to shut his old man trap if he sees something he disagrees with though.

Its fine if you want to make baseball more popular and start new traditions, but a lot of you just basically have the attitude of “Fuck everything about the MLB before 2018.  It was old and boring and terrible.”  I guess thats going to bring in new fans?

He's being sarcastic.

None of TLR's "decades" have included the last decade, in which numerous aspects of baseball have drastically changed, and he has not grasped any of them. However long he managed has fuck all to do with how baseball functions NOW.

This is not complicated. 

Edited May 20, 2021 by RagahRagah

[Paulie4Pres]

5 minutes ago, Green Line said:

Thank you.

Everybody here loves Mercedes because he’s had a great 2 months.  TLR has had a great 4 decades.  I guess he’s just supposed to shut his old man trap if he sees something he disagrees with though.

Its fine if you want to make baseball more popular and start new traditions, but a lot of you just basically have the attitude of “Fuck everything about the MLB before 2018.  It was old and boring and terrible.”  I guess thats going to bring in new fans?

Everybody here loves Mercedes because it's exciting to watch him hit, he's fun, and it's a great story. Nobody gives a fuck about TLR, because people don't buy tickets or change the channel to see a senile old man sitting in the dugout napping. (while his starting pitcher is gassed and needs to be pulled...)

The attitude of "fuck antiquated thinking that provides nothing of value" is the correct attitude to have. Not just when it comes to sports, but everything in life. The majority of these "unwritten rules" are about protecting people's fragile egos, and sucking fun out of the game. Baseball with plenty of emotion, energy, conflict, and animosity sells WAY better than "the gentleman's game". People want to see players whose entire approach is "Fuck you. If you don't like me showing you up, then stop me from doing it."

Too many people that refuse to let go of the past on this planet.

[South Side Fireworks Man]

1 hour ago, VAfan said:

I'm not missing the point.  

First off, I don't know the context of the Tatis slam, so let's leave that out. 

As I said, from a fun standpoint, Yermin swinging made total sense, which is why I didn't have a problem with it in the moment. 

But TLR knew what the repercussions would be, and they in fact played out. So to avoid the risk to his player, he put up the take sign. One pitch. Yermin would have been free to swing away on any other count. 

Those who claim TLR was wrong are ignoring the fact that the game HASN'T changed to the point where the Twins would just take it and not retaliate. It's wishful thinking. 

TLR knew, and was right. And again, had Yermin JUST FOLLOWED THE TAKE SIGN, then NOTHING would have happened. 

LaRussa handled it all wrong.  All he had to do is approach Mercedes in the clubhouse and tell him "the next time you get a take sign you will take the pitch."  

If he felt he had to say something to the media he could have simply said that Yermin didn't see the take sign and simply reacted to seeing a meatball coming right over the plate.

After the Twins threw at Yermin the next day, he should have said while he understands why the Twins were upset at Yermin, throwing at one of his players for hitting a home run is an unacceptable overreaction and he's glad the umpires stepped in and did the right thing and hopefully this closes the matter.

Discipline your players in private if you feel it necessary but have their backs in public.  Tony did the opposite.

And besides, Yermin did nothing wrong swinging at that pitch and the Twins were just being little babies about it.

 

[Jerksticks]

30 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

I'm going to do like Ron and report Jerksticks/aka The Fun Police to the "Yermin's Team" Insta and see what bad things happen to those who mess with TA, Yermin and Lance Lynn.

Why do you do this?  I didn’t say anything remotely close to Fun Police.  Not one shred of what I said could even be twisted into a form of Fun Police.  
 

You constantly quote people and argue against things they never said and infer things that aren’t written.  
 

Like just respond to what’s written.  Shouldn’t that be the minimum standard of respect here?  Reading the words?

[MeanJoeCrede]

2 hours ago, VAfan said:

Here's my take on the Yermin 3-0 HR. 

1. Tony LaRussa, who has managed more than 5,000 games, knew EXACTLY what would happen if Yermin teed off on a 3-0 pitch up 15-4 in the 9th inning. 

2. TLR KNEW, I'm sure because he'd seen it happen before many many times, that the Twins would be pissed, AND WOULD THROW THE BASEBALL AT YERMIN or another Sox player in retaliation because of Yermin's swing. 

3. TLR also KNEW that the risk of injury to his player from being thrown at, while not high, was INFINITELY more important than hitting a HR or a base hit in the 15-4 blowout and showing up the Twins. 

4. So, to PROTECT HIS PLAYER, and HIS TEAM, TLR gave the TAKE sign to Yermin on the 3-0 pitch.

5. This was ABSOLUTELY the correct call.  

6. TLR was thinking AHEAD at the repercussions of swinging 3-0. 

7. Yermin, meanwhile, was completely consumed into himself when he ignored the TAKE sign and swung away. He didn't know the likely repercussions, because he'd NEVER been in this situation in a major league game.  Tony LaRussa, on the other hand, had managed more than 5,000 such games. 

8. So when Yermin ignored the take sign and hit the HR, LaRussa said he would be disciplined, because he put his health and the team at risk. Whatever discipline it was did not keep Yermin out of the next two games, so it was not severe. But it was enough to get across the point that you need to respect the take sign. There was a logical reason behind it meant to protect his health and the team health. 

9. LaRussa's other comment about Yermin "playing his game" was also appropriate. Players have to play for the team. Tony isn't reigning them in for no reason. He said if he's swung away at 3-1, he would have been fine with it.  But LaRussa knew were the line was in the Twins eyes, and he was 100% correct about that when the Twins threw at Yermin the next game. 

10. Who started the dissension here?  Not TLR.  He put on a take sign that NO ONE would have known about if Yermin hadn't blown it off.

11. The controversy, and the risk, was started by Yermin Mercedes, who ignored the sign because he couldn't help himself, and who certainly wasn't thinking through the consequences. 

12. I'm not defending in any way the Twins getting pissed and throwing at Yermin.  But it was nearly 100% certain to happen once Yermin jacked the ball out of the park. And TLR knew it. 

13. So, I think TLR was the ONLY one thinking ahead, and the only one to put Yermin's health and the team ahead of a meaningless HR in the 9th inning of a 15-4 game. 

14. When I read that Yermin had hit the HR, I personally didn't have a problem with it. Now that I've read some articles about it and realized WHY TLR put on the take sign, I believe that TLR is right. 

15. This has NOTHING TO DO with Old School v. New School.  It has to do with TLR knowing, because he's managed 5,000+ baseball games, EXACTLY what was going to happen if Yermin jacked that 3-0 pitch.  He also KNEW that the game hadn't changed to the point where the Twins would just overlook this and not retaliate. Anyone thinking that WOULDN"T happen is just naive. 

16. Lastly, a lot is being made of TLR not having a problem with the Twins reaction.  I don't think he encouraged or condoned it.  I just think he knew that was going to happen, and when it did, it drove home the point of why he gave Yermin the take sign in the first place. 

17. There have been a LOT of guys injured over the years from being hit by a pitched ball.  There have been ZERO games outcomes changed by swinging at a 3-0 pitch with a 15-4 lead in the 9th inning. 

18. So, anyone criticizing TLR is effectively ignoring the risks of the former for something that might be fun, but has ZERO benefit to winning a baseball game, which is the point of playing them. 

I'm not apologizing for TLR here. I'm saying he was WAY more savvy about the situation than any of his critics have been. And certainly WAY more savvy than Yermin Mercedes, who appears to have only been thinking about himself. 

ABSOLUTE HORSESHIT!

[Quin]

18 minutes ago, RagahRagah said:

He's being sarcastic.

None of TLR's "decades" have included the last decade, in which numerous aspects of baseball have drastically changed, and he has not grasped any of them.

This is not complicated. 

And during TLR's time, baseball wasn't struggling to attract new fans because it was seen as boring. Which was basically the focal point of the Sox "Change the Game" marketing slogan.

You know where they have fun watching baseball / don't worry about unwritten rules? Latin America.

Japan (Here's a paywalled article about celebrations in Japan)

Korea:

And previously, the South Side of Chicago

I get that in the 80s La Russa was used to having home runs create excitement on their own. But now we have a dead ball and (hopefully) none of our players are roid monsters like La Russa is used to trotting out for excitement.

[Green Line]

A lot of people on here seem very insecure about the popularity of baseball and desperate to attract new fans, for whatever reason.  Guess what?  Baseball is going to be around after we're all dead regardless.  I don't care if it doesn't look cool to Generation Z.  I like baseball for what it is and aren't desperate to change every single damn thing about it because "muh unwritten rules are lame" or whatever the issue is.

Let Tony and those that agree have their opinion, and you can have yours.  Stop jumping all over everybody that actually doesn't think baseball in the 70's, 80's, and 90's was shit.  I hope none of you ever wear a throwback jersey or a throwback cap either.  Those are from the bad times where baseball was lame and boring.

Edited May 20, 2021 by Green Line

[South Side Fireworks Man]

6 minutes ago, Paulie4Pres said:

Everybody here loves Mercedes because it's exciting to watch him hit, he's fun, and it's a great story. Nobody gives a fuck about TLR, because people don't buy tickets or change the channel to see a senile old man sitting in the dugout napping. (while his starting pitcher is gassed and needs to be pulled...)

The attitude of "fuck antiquated thinking that provides nothing of value" is the correct attitude to have. Not just when it comes to sports, but everything in life. The majority of these "unwritten rules" are about protecting people's fragile egos, and sucking fun out of the game. Baseball with plenty of emotion, energy, conflict, and animosity sells WAY better than "the gentleman's game". People want to see players whose entire approach is "Fuck you. If you don't like me showing you up, then stop me from doing it."

Too many people that refuse to let go of the past on this planet.

There is such a thing as sportsmanship and some of those "old school unwritten rules" have merit.  For instance, if you're ahead 15-4 in the top of the ninth with a runner on first you're not going to have him trying to steal second base or try to bunt him over so you could scratch out another run.  Or if you have a runner on third and the batter hits a fly ball you're not going to try to bowl over the catcher at home trying to score when you have an 11 run lead.  Things like that.

But you shouldn't start giving away at bats or making outs on purpose.  That's not respecting the game, that's disrespecting it.  The person pitching should be doing his best to get the batter out and the batter should be doing his best to get a hit.  If not, institute a slaughter rule.

[RagahRagah]

1 minute ago, Green Line said:

A lot of people on here seem very insecure about the popularity of baseball and desperate to attract new fans, for whatever reason.  Guess what?  Baseball is going to be around after we're all dead regardless.  I don't care if it doesn't look cool to Generation Z.  I like baseball for what it is and aren't desperate to change every single damn thing about it because "muh unwritten rules are lame" or whatever the issue is.

Let Tony and those that agree have their opinion, and you can have yours.  Stop jumping all over everybody that actually doesn't think baseball in the 70's, 80's, and 90's was shit.  I hope none of you ever wear a throwback jersey or a throwback cap either.  Those are from the bad times where baseball was lame and boring.

No is saying baseball in the 70's, 80's or 90's was shit. They are (correctly) saying THIS ISN'T THE 70'S, 80'S OR 90'S ANYMORE.

[Quin]

5 minutes ago, Green Line said:

A lot of people on here seem very insecure about the popularity of baseball and desperate to attract new fans, for whatever reason.  Guess what?  Baseball is going to be around after we're all dead regardless.  I don't care if it doesn't look cool to Generation Z.  I like baseball for what it is and aren't desperate to change every single damn thing about it because "muh unwritten rules are lame" or whatever the issue is.

Let Tony and those that agree have their opinion, and you can have yours.  Stop jumping all over everybody that actually doesn't think baseball in the 70's, 80's, and 90's was shit.  I hope none of you ever wear a throwback jersey or a throwback cap either.  Those are from the bad times where baseball was lame and boring.

"I don't care about the changing times" - Blockbuster, movie theaters, bookstores, etc. So many industries had this asinine thought and are dying or struggling to hang on. 

I love watching old baseball, I own a '59 throwback, because I can appreciate the past that led to the present day. I also know that if baseball is to survive, it has to change with the times. I know that I'm grateful I got to grow up with a designated hitter, thus getting more Frank Thomas, or would you rather baseball go back to pre-DH days in the AL?

 

[Green Line]

7 minutes ago, RagahRagah said:

No is saying baseball in the 70's, 80's or 90's was shit. They are (correctly) saying THIS ISN'T THE 70'S, 80'S OR 90'S ANYMORE.

Nobody thinks that its the 90s anymore.. I'm certainly not stuck in a time warp.  Baseball changes like all things do.  Sportsmanship doesn't change all that much though.  And if you ignore a sign from your coach, you might have to deal with a consequence or two.  These seem to be novel concepts to many though.  Maybe it reflects society as a whole.

[Green Line]

Just now, Quin said:

"I don't care about the changing times" - Blockbuster, movie theaters, bookstores, etc. So many industries had this asinine thought and are dying or struggling to hang on. 

I love watching old baseball, I own a '59 throwback, because I can appreciate the past that led to the present day. I also know that if baseball is to survive, it has to change with the times. I know that I'm grateful I got to grow up with a designated hitter, thus getting more Frank Thomas, or would you rather baseball go back to pre-DH days in the AL? 

  

My point was that I don't work for the MLB so I'm not concerned if the unwritten rules look "cool" or not to the next generation.  Baseball might go the way of Blockbuster for all I know, hell.  I don't think that bat flips and 3-0 home runs are going to be the thing that saves it in that case.  If you do, good luck with that.

[Paulie4Pres]

4 minutes ago, Green Line said:

A lot of people on here seem very insecure about the popularity of baseball and desperate to attract new fans, for whatever reason.  Guess what?  Baseball is going to be around after we're all dead regardless.  I don't care if it doesn't look cool to Generation Z.  I like baseball for what it is and aren't desperate to change every single damn thing about it because "muh unwritten rules are lame" or whatever the issue is.

Let Tony and those that agree have their opinion, and you can have yours.  Stop jumping all over everybody that actually doesn't think baseball in the 70's, 80's, and 90's was shit.  I hope none of you ever wear a throwback jersey or a throwback cap either.  Those are from the bad times where baseball was lame and boring.

Mindsets like this drive me nuts. Saying something can be better....doesn't necessarily mean the thing you're trying to improve...was bad. You know what's bad? Not improving things that can be improved because "that's the way it's always been". Especially when the overwhelming majority of the people involved in it, think it SHOULD be changed(and they're right).

"Not showing people up" is one of the most snowflake things I've ever heard when it comes to professional sports. And what's ironic is, that argument is coming almost entirely from the generations that refer to the younger generations are snowflakes... But, it's almost always about projection. After all, the decision to hand out participation trophies wasn't made by Gen X, Millennial, or Gen Z parents...

[chitownsportsfan]

Big Jomboy fan.  Listening to TLR it wasn't like he was even that mad.  I dunno, interesting video. Jomboy has some nuanced takes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjz2UKPdFCU

Edited May 20, 2021 by chitownsportsfan

[Green Line]

8 minutes ago, Paulie4Pres said:

Mindsets like this drive me nuts. Saying something can be better....doesn't necessarily mean the thing you're trying to improve...was bad. You know what's bad? Not improving things that can be improved because "that's the way it's always been". Especially when the overwhelming majority of the people involved in it, think it SHOULD be changed(and they're right).

"Not showing people up" is one of the most snowflake things I've ever heard when it comes to professional sports. And what's ironic is, that argument is coming almost entirely from the generations that refer to the younger generations are snowflakes... But, it's almost always about projection. After all, the decision to hand out participation trophies wasn't made by Gen X, Millennial, or Gen Z parents...

I didnt say “Not Showing people up” so I dont know why that is in quotes.  Maybe you meant to respond to someone else.  But to the point, showing someone up has nothing to do with being a snowflake.  Its purely about respect my friend.

Change in baseball can be bad or good.  Im all for change when I think the change is for the better.  Do I think all the recent changes have been for the better?  NO.  Thats the end of the story.

Edited May 20, 2021 by Green Line