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The 2008 Ozzie Thread


hi8is

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Not gonna lie, I'm a pretty big Ozzie fan. As a message board, we tend to overanalyze things on a statistical basis, and are therefore hyper-critical of Ozzie's decision-making (a bunch of us said Thome shouldn't start vs. Sabathia but that turned out alright). Overlooked is the fact that he keeps his players loose and cohesive, he takes pressure off of them, he defends them to the press and the umps, and more often than not he DOES make the right in-game decision. You can tell by his record as a manager.

 

Everyone on every team's message board thinks they have a bad manager, though, because they only see one team's mistakes. And they don't realize that if they did away with their current manager there would be absolutely no guarantees that they'd get a more competent replacement.

 

Oh yeah, and he's mostly hilarious. He crosses the line on occasion, but for the most part I think he's pretty amusing. His players sure seem to think so.

 

Anyway, could be worse. We could have Jerry Manual.

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I was thinking the other day that it would be interesting to have a situation where a poster would pick a team and pay attention to it throughout the entire year, and pick apart the moves that each manager made during the game. We could have a drawing where you are assigned a team, and maybe rotate the team from poster to poster so you wouldnt get stuck watching the same team all year.

 

Would any other manager make as many mind boggling moves as Ozzie is percieved to? I dont know, i definitely think it would be interesting to see if the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence

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QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 8, 2008 -> 06:31 AM)
Nobody else that I can remember helped bring a championsihp here, so as far as I'm concerned, Ozzie can do whatever the hell he wants.

 

Even Mike Ditka got fired.....

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QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Apr 8, 2008 -> 06:37 AM)
Even Mike Ditka got fired.....

 

And how well has THAT decision worked out for the Bears? Not saying it would matter either way, but it clearly didn't help them, either.

Edited by Y2HH
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Someone I know argues that the Bears would've won more than one Super Bowl in the Eighties if they had a "real coach" like Parcells or Walsh or Gibbs. But yes, I do love Ozzie. And I'd volunteer for the "follow a team and break them down" assignment but I simply don't have that kind of time right now. I'd guess he'd compare favorably with LaRussa, among others.

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QUOTE (Gregory Pratt @ Apr 8, 2008 -> 06:53 AM)
Someone I know argues that the Bears would've won more than one Super Bowl in the Eighties if they had a "real coach" like Parcells or Walsh or Gibbs.

 

I tend to agree with that sentiment. Ditka brought a toughness to the Bears that was needed. However, Jim Finks and the 1983 draft played a significant role in vaulting the Bears to greatness in the 80s. Ditka fell in love with himself and became a media spokesman far more than a coach. He drove around practice in his golf cart and became known for his binge drinking and unruly behavior. He also lost the players' respect in 1987. The Bears looked awesome going into the strike and everyone thought they were going to be back on top come season's end. His coaching of the scab players and disrespect of the guys who had been with him for years really seemed to take a toll on the rest of the season.

 

Don't get me wrong, the poor health of McMahon and the ineptitude of McCasky also were a huge reason the Bears only won one title, but Ditka does not deserve the extreme reverence that many still display.

 

Back to the topic, Ozzie is great. Although I question his treatment of BA and sometimes get frustrated with his lefty righty bs, the players love him and he delivered a championship to the White Sox. He also helped Garland turn into a legitimate starter after years of Manuel giving him the hook every time he allowed a baserunner in the 5th inning. I can't think of another manager I would trade for him right now. He is like a foulmouthed Tommy Lasorda.

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I'm not an Ozzie guy, but I do like the fact that he defends his team. That umpire is known for his rabbit ears. Taking your mask off and looking into the dugout is showing up the entire team. Umpires don't like to be shown up, they shouldn't show anyone up either. No one came to see them call balls and strikes and call people out. Ozzie did what he had to do yesterday. I love when he starts pointing and bobbing his head.

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I would argue that of all the major professional sports, strategically speaking, the job of manager in baseball is the least important to a winning team compared to a NFL head coach/coordinator or a NBA coach. There are basic things that all managers should know how to do across the board that are done on every team, but overall, a manager can do much more to bring a team down by being a complete moron than he can bring it up by being a genius. A manager is only as good as his players almost all the time, and a lot of things are out of his control.

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QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 8, 2008 -> 09:07 AM)
I would argue that of all the major professional sports, strategically speaking, the job of manager in baseball is the least important to a winning team compared to a NFL head coach/coordinator or a NBA coach. There are basic things that all managers should know how to do across the board that are done on every team, but overall, a manager can do much more to bring a team down by being a complete moron than he can bring it up by being a genius. A manager is only as good as his players almost all the time, and a lot of things are out of his control.

 

162 game season over 6 months or more, at least half of which is on the road with the other half in a clubhouse full of testosterone. I think there is more to managing that waiting for your horses.

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QUOTE (lostfan @ Apr 8, 2008 -> 11:07 AM)
I would argue that of all the major professional sports, strategically speaking, the job of manager in baseball is the least important to a winning team compared to a NFL head coach/coordinator or a NBA coach. There are basic things that all managers should know how to do across the board that are done on every team, but overall, a manager can do much more to bring a team down by being a complete moron than he can bring it up by being a genius. A manager is only as good as his players almost all the time, and a lot of things are out of his control.

I actually agree with most of this sentiment, which is why I value managers who can do the things that don't show up on stat sheets, like keeping a cohesive clubhouse and giving the team a fighting attitude.

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QUOTE (Pants Rowland @ Apr 8, 2008 -> 10:19 AM)
162 game season over 6 months or more, at least half of which is on the road with the other half in a clubhouse full of testosterone. I think there is more to managing that waiting for your horses.

I know, this is why I said "strategically speaking." Keeping the club competitive, managing egos, etc. is a big part of it. ScottyDo hit the rest of it before I did.

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I don't like a lot of the decisions he makes, but I was always an Ozzie fan when he was playing, and I love Ozzie's attitude and general and what he does to motivate his players, at least for the most part.

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Certain managers will work well with a certain mix of players. And the mix is on the field, in the clubhouse, and away from the club. So a guy that is perfect for this group at this time, is not perfect for a different group at a different time, even if they are wearing the same uniform.

 

There are a lot of parallels to Dikta, perhaps too many to be comfortable. I think Dikta was perfect for that group, as was Buddy Ryan, but neither did much after that.

 

Ozzie is crazy, and perhaps the best example of how managing in baseball today may be more locker room and cheerleader than anything else.

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QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 8, 2008 -> 02:27 PM)
The lack of having a speedy leadoff hitter has made Ozzie a better manager. This team should rarely be bunting with all the power we have.

If said speedy leadoff hitter got on base a lot and wasn't hurt all the time this wouldn't be such a point of contention.

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QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Apr 8, 2008 -> 02:30 PM)
I was driving to go get my hair cut today, and had Murph on the radio(my first mistake). Some guy called in saying he has watching all 14 games of Chicago baseball, and hasn't seen any bunting, and it's a huge problem. It's just so funny people can't look past old philosophies, and are unable to look the big picture, and the makeup of this team.

 

My deepest condolescences to you and your family. I can't recall the last time I had the misfortune from having to hear his whiny voice. I did accidentally hear Mike North for a fraction of a second this AM, however. Doing much better now, though.

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QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Apr 8, 2008 -> 01:30 PM)
I was driving to go get my hair cut today, and had Murph on the radio(my first mistake). Some guy called in saying he has watching all 14 games of Chicago baseball, and hasn't seen any bunting, and it's a huge problem. It's just so funny people can't look past old philosophies, and are unable to look the big picture, and the makeup of this team.

As is said, it isn't how it's how many. There have not been too many bunt situations IIRC.

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