Sunday, October 26, 2014

ALL ABOUT THE MANAGERS?

It seems that every other article on the ESPN site is about the two managers. "Bochy did this right; Yost got lucky with his game plan; Yost out-managed Bochy. Read the tweeter's comments on the managers moves."
In a word: Bullroar!
These managers have spent all season learning which of their players does best in certain situations and they apply that knowledge and experience when making critical decisions during the game. Whether they work or not is up to the players, not the manager. If the player succeeds, the manager is a genius, if not, the manager's a bum.
But, let's face it, the World Series is a Monday Morning Quarterback's heaven. Every move, every pitch is analyzed and rehashed ad nauseam. If you watch your team all year, you probably know what a manager will do in certain situations and that doesn't change just because you're in the World Series. That doesn't stop the analysts from second-guessing, though.  They have to: otherwise those genius announcers would have nothing to say.
That probably wouldn't stop them. I watched Erin Andrews do 90 seconds on the cost of a seat in the stadium during the game. And she did it from the stands. Okay, the cost was excessive, but shouldn't that have been part of the all-encompassing pre-game show? Years ago, when Monday Night Football began, sportscasters thought having three men in the booth was a dumb idea. Two men were fine: a play-by-play guy and an ex-jock analyst. And that ex-jock could have eaten a pizza between the times he was asked to speak. Now there are FIVE people doing the broadcast. So many, they have to have the Erin Andrews of the world out roaming the stadium. Maybe tonight, Erin will talk about the concession stands, you know, the history of the hot dog, when people buy the food...things like that. I can hardly wait till they get to the restrooms.
But don't listen to me. Phil Mushnick says it better.   http://nypost.com/2014/10/24/why-foxs-world-series-coverage-is-so-painful-to-the-senses/

** Kevin Long is back in New York. The former Yankee hitting guru who supposedly turned Curtis Granderson's career around, will now be imparting his genius to the Met hitters. I suppose Granderson will be thrilled.

** Joe Maddon has left the Tampa Bay Rays. I love checking out the back page of the NY Post and the Daily News. Their headlines are hilarious. Today's Post headline: Say it ain't Joe. I wonder how they come up with these sayings seven days a week. I picture some 60-year old guy, mostly bald with a small ponytail, wearing cut-up jeans, a tie-dyed t-shirt, loaded with piercings and tattoos who comes in for a hour each day. They load him up with drugs, give him a topic and sit back. Then it's, "Wow. Maynard came up with a beauty this time."              Could happen.

***THEY SAID IT***
"The Nebraska-Rutgers game was so important that ESPN sent its 89th play-by-play team. The Huskers’ last game with Rutgers was in New York in 1920. This may be the weirdest home and away series I’ve seen."  -- Brad Dickson
"Lions running back William Powell flew all the way to London for Sunday’s game — only to get released once the team arrived there. League historians dubbed his 3,760-mile flight home as the longest comeback route in NFL history."  -- Dwight Perry
"Rhetorical question of the week: Where else but in intercollegiate athletics could Idaho be in the Sun Belt Conference?"  -- Jack Finarelli
"When asked if his team prepares any differently for a home game than one on the road: “We don’t get on a plane."  -- QB Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
" Need a reason to root for the SF Giants? Apparently their being in the World Series upset Kanye West’s plans to take over AT&T park for a private concert as a birthday present for Kim Kardashian."  -- Janice Hough
"During a postgame interview, Hunter Pence corrected Erin Andrews and told her she got her facts wrong. He can be suspended for that, right?"  -- Brad Dickson
"American tobacco company RJ Reynolds has instituted a no smoking policy at all its offices. In related news, the manufacturer of Ex-lax has removed all the restrooms from their buildings."  -- Tony Chong
"Luis Suarez — banned for four months after biting an opposing player during the World Cup — finally made his debut for Barcelona on Saturday. It’s probably no exaggeration to say he’s been champing at the bit."  -- Dwight Perry
 "Oops. Broncos practice squad player John Boyett, arrested for public intoxication in Denver, told police to “contact my boss, John Elway.” Make that “former boss.” The Broncos cut him yesterday."  -- Janice Hough
"New Zealand singer Lorde's song Royals has been banned from San Francisco radio during the World Series. For good measure, they banned Justin Bieber, just because"  -- RJ Currie

CP-
















No comments: