Monday, March 23, 2009

Score One for Access

From Bart Given's blog today comes the story of Jim Fregosi (probably my least-favorite Jays manager ever. Bringing in his boy Dave Hollins right after he took the helm summarized everything I hate about closed societies and nepotism. Fuck them both) Late in a game against Seattle; wise sage Fregosi pinch hits for career year-having Brad Fulmer. Fregrosi takes credit after the game for making a prescient managerial decision. The truth is now revealed:
It turns out Fregosi had no intention of hitting for Fullmer, but he never showed and none of the staff could find him in the clubhouse. I’m not sure exactly where he was, but knowing the ultra-intense Fullmer - he was likely waggling a bat somewhere working on his swing.

Fullmer felt terrible and Fregosi didn’t want to embarrass him so he covered with the media.
Well shit. We armchair warriors piss and moan all day about
shitty decisions that are or aren't made in the heat of battle, but it turns out we know nothing.

That actually isn't true. There are many people much smarter than me that know the mathematically or baseball-sensibly sound thing to do at any moment, and that is all we have to go on.

I'm sure Ernie Whitt read this and thought "yeah, that's what I was doing against Italy. I was covering for my no-account scums on the bench. I'm a stand-up guy." I'm positive Ernie Whitt will never read this, nor will he have read Bart Given's blog. Who's taking bets on his ability to send and receive email?

12 comments:

  1. That was an interesting post by Given.

    And fuck Ernie Whitt, the more important question is: do you know when Team Netflix is scheduled to play in Toronto?

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  2. Has Given officially stopped looking for a job with another organization then? One would think sharing inside info online isn't the best way to find new work.

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  3. I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention there. I was too busy trying to figure out the most effective way to bunt David Eckstien.

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  4. I volunteer to be the bat boy for team netflix

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  5. Team Netflix says what?

    re: least favourite manager....real good question. Real tough question. I never warmed up to Carlos Tosca, but by all accounts he was a nice enough guy. I thought I'd love Buck Martinez, but he just looked ridiculous in a uni, and, uh, wasn't very good. I kept picturing him launching into analyst-speak everytime he went to the mound.

    I'll have to sleep on this one.

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  6. I never liked Jimy Williams. It might have had to do with how his named was spelled, but I just couldn't warm to that guy. And the way he was always shaking his head like a disappointed father when he came out to make a pitching change bothered me too. Maybe because I was such a disappointment to my father...hmmm...
    Tim Johnson was the man though. How could the players not respond to a guy like that. He was in 'Nam, man!.

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  7. I have no time for cronyism and that's all fregosi represented to me. Bringing Hollins in cemented it for me. Though fregosi did have a cool scratchy voice. Gargling glass shards

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  8. Cox should get some votes for ditching.

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  9. I can't tell you that. It key to my paper-thin stream of consciousness concept.

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  10. Looks a lot like Maria Menounos. She has better mechanics than half of ML pitchers.

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  11. Yes, it is Maria Menounos... here is the original quote accompanying the photo..

    "Menounos of "Access Hollywood" threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Baltimore Orioles-Chicago White Sox baseball game, Sunday, July 15, 2007."

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