When should Greg Walker be fired?

[Cubano]

I hear about this every year and the guy is still there.

[Brian]

I voted "Right Now", but only because someone has to take the fall and it is never the players. No offense to Greg, just not working right now.

[ThunderBolt]

I voted "Right Now", but only because someone has to take the fall and it is never the players. No offense to Greg, just not working right now.

This is my mindset. I don't know if things will improve without Walker, but they might.

[Texsox]

This is my mindset. I don't know if things will get worse without Walker, but they might.

 

Works both ways.

 

I wish I had the time today, but I have to get to South Padre Island. Would someone take a few minuites and see where the Sox rank in offensive categories? Perhaps check how bad he has been the past three years. I imagine if the team is ranked beloe the top 33% in most categories, it would be pretty obvious he has to go.

 

Objective evidence is usually what is required to fire someone from a job. This should be easy, look at averages, runs scored, you name it. Show how bad the offense really is.

[southsider2k5]

Here is my biggest problem with the idea that this is all Greg Walkers fault. Take the 8th inning yesterday. We had the bases loaded and one out, the only run we got was off of a walk. It wasn't Walker who couldn't lay off of a slider in the dirt, was Anderson and Getz. I blame the guys who are hitting.

[NorthSideSox72]

Here is my biggest problem with the idea that this is all Greg Walkers fault. Take the 8th inning yesterday. We had the bases loaded and one out, the only run we got was off of a walk. It wasn't Walker who couldn't lay off of a slider in the dirt, was Anderson and Getz. I blame the guys who are hitting.

Who said it was all Greg Walker's fault?

 

He's only part of the picture. Some players should lose their jobs too, in some fashion.

 

[DBAHO]

It goes both ways.

 

I think wholeheardtedly the bulk of the Sox's fan base would like to see Walker go, however, usually the bats heat up right around this time.

 

If they don't however, I could actually see something get done by the end of the season, but more likely than not, Greg Walker is still the Sox's hitting coach in 2010.

[Y2HH]

While it's not Greg Walker that's swinging at those sliders in the dirt -- he is the one in charge of it -- and therefore shares the blame. If my entire team stopped doing their jobs properly here at Blue Cross, they'd not only come down on us, but our manager, too.

[CanOfCorn]

Oh look...another fire Greg Walker thread. Now I want the Sox to fire him, just so I don't have to see another one of these threads.

 

I'm not going to defend Walker, but what happens, Walker-haters, when the Sox hire the next hitting coach and the...same...thing...happens? This is what this team is built for. And they aren't doing it. End/of/story.

[Dick Allen]

While it's not Greg Walker that's swinging at those sliders in the dirt -- he is the one in charge of it -- and therefore shares the blame. If my entire team stopped doing their jobs properly here at Blue Cross, they'd not only come down on us, but our manager, too.

Once again how is every hitter's failure on Walker, but pitcher's failures are never on Cooper? Do you know the White Sox have given up 8 or more runs 11 times this year? That's more than they have been shutout.

 

Its the players, not the coach. Change the coach and you will have the same result.

 

Can someone please come up with a replacement when they said Walker must be fired?

[DBAHO]

Once again how is every hitter's failure on Walker, but pitcher's failures are never on Cooper? Do you know the White Sox have given up 8 or more runs 11 times this year? That's more than they have been shutout.

 

Its the players, not the coach. Change the coach and you will have the same result.

 

Can someone please come up with a replacement when they said Walker must be fired?

What's Eddie Murray doing these days?

 

I'd fork out a lot of $$$ to bring in Rudy Jaramillo from Texas though.

[lostfan]

Clockwork

[Y2HH]

Once again how is every hitter's failure on Walker, but pitcher's failures are never on Cooper? Do you know the White Sox have given up 8 or more runs 11 times this year? That's more than they have been shutout.

 

Its the players, not the coach. Change the coach and you will have the same result.

 

Can someone please come up with a replacement when they said Walker must be fired?

 

I agree, I wasn't defending the firing of Walker while ignoring Cooper. They've both had their successes and failures. I don't see people saying Greg Walker is magic with Pods recent success!

 

It may not be just the players, but a combination is what some people may be getting at. Just blaming Walker isn't right, though, I didn't mean to make it sound like I was saying that.

[southsider2k5]

Clockwork

 

I feel like I am living Groundhogs Day.

[Dick Allen]

What's Eddie Murray doing these days?

 

I'd fork out a lot of $$$ to bring in Rudy Jaramillo from Texas though.

Eddie Murray has been fired as a hitting coach how many times? Didn't Cleveland take off after he was let go? Jaramillo is unavailable. BTW Dontrelle Willis shut out the Rangers this year. Jaramillo must have had a bad day.

 

For the love of God people, look at the White Sox line-up before the game starts and tell me how that line-up is supposed to score a lot of runs. Name another major league team where Wise and Lillibridge would lead off. Just one. No other team wanted Pods, this board didn't even want Pods, now he's a savior. There is a rookie or 2 in the line-up every day. Fields, BA, Wise have been and probably always will be inconsistent and below average. Ramirez is a good hitter, but he is a low OBP guy. Same with AJP. Corky Miller hit 6th for the White Sox. Name a AAA team he would hit 6th for. Quentin, even when he's played hasn't been healthy. Dye and Thome have missed time. This is not a very talented offensive team.

Edited June 8, 2009 by Dick Allen

[lostfan]

I feel like I am living Groundhogs Day.

Seriously. It's all happening exactly on cue.

[shipps]

This is a part of why Whitesox baseball has become so uninteresting. Its the same s*** every year. Its not even fun to discuss this kind of thing because it has been done so many times before.

 

Not only are they bad but they are boring.

[southsider2k5]

Seriously. It's all happening exactly on cue.

 

I GOT YOU BABE!!!

[harfman77]

Once again how is every hitter's failure on Walker, but pitcher's failures are never on Cooper? Do you know the White Sox have given up 8 or more runs 11 times this year? That's more than they have been shutout.

 

Its the players, not the coach. Change the coach and you will have the same result.

 

Can someone please come up with a replacement when they said Walker must be fired?

 

Move Harold off first and make him the hitting coach then hire someone else like Mookie Wilson to coach 1B.

[caulfield12]

Once again how is every hitter's failure on Walker, but pitcher's failures are never on Cooper? Do you know the White Sox have given up 8 or more runs 11 times this year? That's more than they have been shutout.

 

Its the players, not the coach. Change the coach and you will have the same result.

 

Can someone please come up with a replacement when they said Walker must be fired?

 

 

For one thing, the most dominant and successful element of our team right now is the bullpen, which is partially Cooper's oversight.

 

Second, Colon has been getting by with smoke and mirrors (until recently) all season long. How he has done as well as he has with an 84-91 MPH fastball, throwing it 85-90% of the time, is beyond me.

 

Everyone knows Clayton Richard has been a pleasant surprise, compared to the view many had of him this offseason as a pitcher who would get knocked out of the game in the 3rd through 5th innings (second time through the line-up).

 

Contreras was/is coming back from a catastrophic, career-threatening injury at age 40+.

 

Floyd has finally seemed to have righted the ship...and it looks like Danks might be the White Sox version of Cliff Lee (look at some of his inconsistency from year to year, where he goes from the Cy Young to the precipice of AAA and back and forth). The heavy toll/workload HAS to be a factor....it got the 2005 starters in the second half of 2006, their ERA's weren't even close to what they put up in our championship season.

 

Buehrle is Buehrle.

 

I don't know what more anyone could realistically expect.

 

We knew we needed repeats from Quentin, Ramirez, Danks and Floyd, and none of that has happened...so it's really hard to say we can accurately predict how good either Floyd OR Danks can be when both of their careers have been so up and down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caulfield12]

Move Harold off first and make him the hitting coach then hire someone else like Mookie Wilson to coach 1B.

 

 

Lance Johnson

[Dick Allen]

For one thing, the most dominant and successful element of our team right now is the bullpen, which is partially Cooper's oversight.

 

Second, Colon has been getting by with smoke and mirrors (until recently) all season long. How he has done as well as he has with an 84-91 MPH fastball, throwing it 85-90% of the time, is beyond me.

 

Everyone knows Clayton Richard has been a pleasant surprise, compared to the view many had of him this offseason as a pitcher who would get knocked out of the game in the 3rd through 5th innings (second time through the line-up).

 

Contreras was/is coming back from a catastrophic, career-threatening injury at age 40+.

 

Floyd has finally seemed to have righted the ship...and it looks like Danks might be the White Sox version of Cliff Lee (look at some of his inconsistency from year to year, where he goes from the Cy Young to the precipice of AAA and back and forth). The heavy toll/workload HAS to be a factor....it got the 2005 starters in the second half of 2006, their ERA's weren't even close to what they put up in our championship season.

 

Buehrle is Buehrle.

 

I don't know what more anyone could realistically expect.

 

We knew we needed repeats from Quentin, Ramirez, Danks and Floyd, and none of that has happened...so it's really hard to say we can accurately predict how good either Floyd OR Danks can be when both of their careers have been so up and down.

I don't know what everyone can realistically expect out of an offense that was so poorly put together, Dewayne Wise and Brent Lillibridge led off multiple games. Their best hitter has been hurt. Dye and Thome have missed time. A rookie is at 2b. The C and SS while decent hitters are low OBP, the 3rd baseman is a low OBP high K guy coming off a horrific stint in AAA, but yet when the Sox lose 8-4 the when will Greg Walker be fired thread begins. It is ridiculous. Again, be careful what you wish for. Everyone wanted Uribe and Crede out, you got it. Here's Lillibridge and Fields, what an upgrade. If the White Sox get better hitters, they will hit better. If they continue to trot out mediocre line-ups, mediocre results will follow.

[caulfield12]

I don't know what everyone can realistically expect out of an offense that was so poorly put together, Dewayne Wise and Brent Lillibridge led off multiple games. Their best hitter has been hurt. Dye and Thome have missed time. A rookie is at 2b. The C and SS while decent hitters are low OBP, the 3rd baseman is a low OBP high K guy coming off a horrific stint in AAA, but yet when the Sox lose 8-4 the when will Greg Walker be fired thread begins. It is ridiculous. Again, be careful what you wish for. Everyone wanted Uribe and Crede out, you got it. Here's Lillibridge and Fields, what an upgrade. If the White Sox get better hitters, they will hit better. If they continue to trot out mediocre line-ups, mediocre results will follow.

 

 

Buehrle offered $1 million of his salary to keep Uribe. I would have loved to bring him back, but at a minimum of $3.6 million (20% cut), he would have been pricey for a bench player.

 

Then again, he might have ended up becoming the starting 2B or 3B on this team and really shoring up the infield defense, particularly at third.

 

All I know is we won in 2005 and 2008 with Juan Uribe, for whatever that's worth.

 

In fact, I would have kept Uribe OVER Crede simply because Joe seemed done and Boras wanted him out of here anyway...not to mention the injury probability.

 

Uribe was the one "glue" that everyone in the clubhouse seemed to love, white/black/Hispanic...and he cracked everyone up on a daily basis that was around the team. His presence is sorely missed when the team is going through these "blah/down" spells. My favorite Uribe story is the time he was going up and down the bench pointing at players, "white guy, black guy, white guy...then he came to JD and made a smirk and said "white guy." Gotta to love Juan and his blonde goatee, it was so much better than Jenks'.

 

Now we have Nix, Getz and had Betemit when we really would have been better off with Uribe all along. Ironic.

Edited June 8, 2009 by caulfield12

[greg775]

Buehrle offered $1 million of his salary to keep Uribe. I would have loved to bring him back, but at a minimum of $3.6 million (20% cut), he would have been pricey for a bench player.

 

What? I never read that. If that is true Mark is an idiot. His family could use that 1 million instead of giving it to a free swinging hack like Uribe.

[Paint it Black]

Am I still the only person here that doesn't think Walker should be fired?