10/22/10

Cutnpaste: - Bud Selig, Erik Goeddel, Wally, “Safe At Home”, and Gil Hodges




MLB
 Bud Selig:



I think Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig should take notice. He has seen firsthand one of his players literally impaled in the chest with a bat. Fans get bloodied in the stands each year from splintered bats. Yet, Selig does nothing to outlaw the use of maple bats, which are proven to break in a much more harmful way than traditional ash bats, or implement design specifications to ensure stronger handles.


Selig has also ignored the outcry of instant replay the past several years. Not even missing out on a perfect game was reason enough for Selig to implement more instant replay into the game. And we all can remember the look of loss and inepitude on his face during the 2002 All-Star game ending in a tie.


thesportscommentary.  


Erik Goeddel:


Of course not every prospect pans out. But that’s why you have to bring in good scouts with a good eye for talent, and trust them when they say player x is a sound investment at $300K. Let’s look at Erik Goeddel from the 2010 draft as an example. Jason Churchill of ESPN.com recently did an interview with Mike Diaz over at Mets Minor League Blog. In the interview he said about Goeddel that he was the most impressive arm that he saw on the UCLA Bruins last year, including likely top 3 pick in the 2011 draft, Gerrit Cole. Some think Goeddel ends up a closer type rather than a starter, but even if that’s the case, isn’t it a better investment with the $350K the Mets spent to sign Goeddel and develop their own good closer rather than giving out a contract like the one K-Rod received?


stlucietoflushing.


Wally:


Art Howe was a terrible hire, a nice man, but so ill-equipped for New York and the clubhouse he inherited from Steve Phillips that is was pathetic to watch. Had Willie Randolph had spent less time telling everyone that he was a “winner”, done a better job with his bullpen, or had a GM and ownership that shut the door to any players whining about how they were being treated, things might haver worked out. Had the last two and half years been less of a chucklefest, Jerry “Ghandi” Manuel probably would have been fired a lot sooner.


After watching his hand-picked guy spit the bit and head home in mid-1983, Frank Cashen rolled the dice, hiring a brash former second baseman who had been successful as a minor league manager. Three years later, the Mets were World Champions. I am not saying Wally Backman is going to be another Davey Johnson, but one of the reasons Davey won that title is because he believed in Backman


gothamnation


“Safe At Home”


The month of October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, brings with it an exciting opportunity for our Foundation and the children whose lives we affect. The Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation has been selected by Pepsi to compete for a $250,000 grant and the only way to ensure our success is through the support of our friends and their commitment to voting! This grant will go to our signature programming initiative, Margaret’s Place, a safe room in schools that works to promote awareness, prevent violence, and intervene in high-risk situations.


metsreport.


Gil Hodges:


Gil Hodges is the poster child for the dilemma that arises when trying to rate good managers of bad teams. Hodges finished 120 games under .500 with an expansion Washington Senators team that was bad for three years before he got there and for six years after he left.


Then, with the New York Mets, Hodges had one season under .500 before guiding the Miracle Mets to one of the most stunning upsets in baseball history, over the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series.


Hodges enjoyed two more winning seasons before suffering a fatal heart attack just two days shy of his 48th birthday in spring training in 1972.


Hodges was a very good manager with very meager teams, and his overall talent transcends his overall record.


bleacherreport.  

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