Matt Williams' public call out of Bryce Harper

<div style="color: #444444; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harpebr03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harpebr03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Bryce Harper</a></strong> mysteriously disappeared from the Washington Nationals game against the Cardinals. There was speculation that he had re-injured himself. But after the game, <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=willima04,willima09,willima03,willia011mat,willia015mat&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=willima04,willima09,willima03,willia011mat,willia015mat&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Matt Williams</a></strong> made it clear that Harper was pulled for lack of hustle. And Williams made quite a big deal of the decision.</span></div><div style="color: #444444; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Williams indicated that he had an agreement with Harper about the way the game was played and Harper did not hold up his end of the bargain. Williams then went on to say that later in the game, Harper was not in the game in a situation where Harper could have helped the Nationals win which was unfortunate with his fellow players.</span></div><div style="color: #444444; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have three basic problems with this entire situation:</span></div><ol style="color: #444444; line-height: 1.5; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 24px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><li style="line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Harper has always been known as a hustling player. If anything, complaints in the past have been that Harper plays too hard!</span></li><li style="line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The play in question was a when Harper hit a one bounce comeback hit to the pitcher. Even if Harper hustled, he would not have gotten half way to first before the play was over.</span></li><li style="line-height: 1.5; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Williams called out a player, or an employee if you will, in public.</span></li></ol><div style="color: #444444; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Matt Williams made a classic mistake that new managers often make in the real world. Being newly in charge, new managers think they have to be tough and forget all about what it was like to be an employee.</span></div><div style="color: #444444; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the real world, you never want to call an employee out in the public and in front of their peers. Embarrassment leads to inner anger as it is a blow to the ego. Discipline is always best handled in private in a closed door meeting.</span></div><div style="color: #444444; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Williams clearly overplayed his hand in this situation and it will be interesting to see if his actions will lead to problems in the clubhouse going forward.</span></div>

Matt Williams' public call out of Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper  mysteriously disappeared from the Washington Nationals game against the Cardinals. There was speculation that he had re-injure...

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BBA Linkfest - General Marchmellow

<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: justify;"><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Welcome to another installment of the BBA Linkfest where I take a romp around the sites of the General chapter of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. The General chapter is not beholden to any team or theme, but writes about baseball from all angles. So pour another cup of coffee and get ready for some good reading because here they come!</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Shawn Anderson's <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Hall of Very Good</em> has always served up interesting things on his site. This week, he <a data-mce-href="http://www.hallofverygood.com/2014-articles/march/bryce-harper-is-a-good-samaritan.html" href="http://www.hallofverygood.com/2014-articles/march/bryce-harper-is-a-good-samaritan.html" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">catches</a> <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harpebr03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harpebr03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Bryce Harper</a></strong> being a Good Samaritan.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">TheNaturalMevs has been heavily <a data-mce-href="http://diamondhoggers.com/2014/03/14/its-ottoneu-draft-day-lifes-other-plans-are-on-hold/" href="http://diamondhoggers.com/2014/03/14/its-ottoneu-draft-day-lifes-other-plans-are-on-hold/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">preparing</a> for this season's fantasy baseball drafts over at <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Diamond Hoggers</em>.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Over at <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">The Sports Banter</em>, Mike Spiciarich <a data-mce-href="http://thesportsbanter.blogspot.com/2014/03/trade-of-week-cubsmets-swap-prospects.html" href="http://thesportsbanter.blogspot.com/2014/03/trade-of-week-cubsmets-swap-prospects.html" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">dreams</a> of what to him would be the perfect trade.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Hans Weisse of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Dugout 24</em> <a data-mce-href="http://www.blog.dugout24.de/4-geheime-schlagtechniken-von-4-der-besten-hitter-der-welt/" href="http://www.blog.dugout24.de/4-geheime-schlagtechniken-von-4-der-besten-hitter-der-welt/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">looks at</a> four great hitters to help you to become a better hitter yourself: <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cobbty01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cobbty01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Ty Cobb</a></strong>, <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=rosepe02,rosepe01&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=rosepe02,rosepe01&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Pete Rose</a></strong>, <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/aaronha01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/aaronha01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Hank Aaron</a></strong> and <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=rodrial01,rodrig011ale&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=rodrial01,rodrig011ale&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Alex Rodriguez</a></strong>.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;"><strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hernali01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hernali01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Livan Hernandez</a></strong> officially retired this week. Michael Clair of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Old Time Family Baseball</em> <a data-mce-href="http://oldtimefamilybaseball.com/post/79657555530/praise-the-glory-of-livan-hernandez" href="http://oldtimefamilybaseball.com/post/79657555530/praise-the-glory-of-livan-hernandez" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">recaps</a> Livan's career "highlights."</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Sully of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Sully Baseball</em> has to be the most consistent and prolific baseball podcaster of all time. There is nobody even close. And the quantity does not hurt <a data-mce-href="http://sullybaseball.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/sully-baseball-daily-podcast-march-15-2014/" href="http://sullybaseball.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/sully-baseball-daily-podcast-march-15-2014/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">the quality</a>.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;"><em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Baseball Cisco Kid Style</em> really <a data-mce-href="http://baseballsiscokidstyle.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-braves-are-locked-in-and-loaded.html" href="http://baseballsiscokidstyle.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-braves-are-locked-in-and-loaded.html" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">likes</a> what the Braves did to lock up their young talent.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">My buddy, Dan, of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Left Field</em> really <a data-mce-href="http://left-field.blogspot.com/2014/03/long-live-daylight-savings-time.html" href="http://left-field.blogspot.com/2014/03/long-live-daylight-savings-time.html" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">loves</a> Daylight Savings Time.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Mario Salvini of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Che Palle!</em> has <a data-mce-href="http://chepalle.gazzetta.it/2014/03/08/centanni-fa-il-primo-fuoricampo-di-babe/" href="http://chepalle.gazzetta.it/2014/03/08/centanni-fa-il-primo-fuoricampo-di-babe/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">a story</a> of a <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ruthba01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ruthba01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Babe Ruth</a></strong> homer that occurred one hundred years ago.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Dan Day of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">The Ball Caps Blog</em> has come <a data-mce-href="http://ballcapsblog.com/2014/03/02/agreed-the-tribe-should-retire-chief-wahoo/" href="http://ballcapsblog.com/2014/03/02/agreed-the-tribe-should-retire-chief-wahoo/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">full circle</a> on the Chief Wahoo debate.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">For a <a data-mce-href="http://throughthefencebaseball.com/chicago-white-sox-preview-getting-better-long-way/41789" href="http://throughthefencebaseball.com/chicago-white-sox-preview-getting-better-long-way/41789" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">great preview</a> of the 2014 Chicago White Sox, Mike Viso's of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Through the Fence Baseball</em> is thoughtful and well done.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Very few people have done more high-quality thinking on the Hall of Fame than Bryan O'Connor. His <a data-mce-href="http://replacementlevel.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/the-26-standard/" href="http://replacementlevel.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/the-26-standard/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">post</a> on <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Replacement Level Baseball</em> on the subject is outstanding.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;"><strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whitema03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whitema03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Matt White</a></strong>ner of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Cheap.Seats.Please.</em> has a very thorough <a data-mce-href="http://cheapseatsplease.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/csps-2014-american-league-east-preview/" href="http://cheapseatsplease.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/csps-2014-american-league-east-preview/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">2014 preview</a> of the AL East and is very informative and interesting.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Nobody can replace <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/riverma01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/riverma01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Mariano Rivera</a></strong>. But somebody has to be the Yankees' closer. Chris Carelli of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">The Baseball Stance</em> gauges <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/roberda08.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/roberda08.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">David Robertson</a></strong>'s <a data-mce-href="http://thebaseballstance.blogspot.com/2014/03/yankees-david-robertson-will-succeed-as.html" href="http://thebaseballstance.blogspot.com/2014/03/yankees-david-robertson-will-succeed-as.html" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">chance of succeeding</a> in the role.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Justin Jabs of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Baseblog</em> introduces us to a <a data-mce-href="http://www.baseblog94.com/hardball-passport-has-80-potential/" href="http://www.baseblog94.com/hardball-passport-has-80-potential/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">new website</a> that piques my interest.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">We have already seen a preview of the AL East. Now we have the AL Central <a data-mce-href="http://offthebenchbaseball.com/2014/03/14/season-preview-al-central/" href="http://offthebenchbaseball.com/2014/03/14/season-preview-al-central/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">covered</a> very well by Sean Morash of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Off the Bench</em>.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Speaking of the AL Central, <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Payoff Pitch</em> <a data-mce-href="http://payoffpitches.blogspot.com/2014/03/kansas-city-royals-2014-team-breakdown.html" href="http://payoffpitches.blogspot.com/2014/03/kansas-city-royals-2014-team-breakdown.html" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">drills down</a> to give a preview of the 2014 Kansas City Royals.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">I have misspelled Kenneth Matinale's name three straight times. His very good addition to the General Chapter, <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Radical Baseball</em>, doesn't deserve that. Sheesh. Anyway, check out <a data-mce-href="http://radicalbaseball.blogspot.com/2014/03/barry-bonds-made-money-for-himself-and.html" href="http://radicalbaseball.blogspot.com/2014/03/barry-bonds-made-money-for-himself-and.html" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">his post</a> on <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bondsba01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bondsba01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Barry Bonds</a></strong>.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Spring has <a data-mce-href="http://www.baseballroundtable.com/bbrts-spring-if-officially-here/" href="http://www.baseballroundtable.com/bbrts-spring-if-officially-here/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">finally arrived</a> for David over at <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">BaseballRoundTable.com</em>. I am jealous as I look out at 18 inches of fresh snow delivered over the last three days. David's post is fantastic though.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">The always entertaining, highly informative <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">High Heat Stats</em> is also educational. For an example, check out Doug's <a data-mce-href="http://www.highheatstats.com/2014/03/run-shares-measuring-offensive-value-in-a-team-context/" href="http://www.highheatstats.com/2014/03/run-shares-measuring-offensive-value-in-a-team-context/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">college seminar</a> on Run Shares.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Taylor of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">MLBeef</em> <a data-mce-href="http://mlbeef.com/2014/02/27/mlb-tv-officially-renewed/" href="http://mlbeef.com/2014/02/27/mlb-tv-officially-renewed/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">made sure</a> he will be watching baseball this summer.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">I was tempted to link Clayton Richer's link to Keith Olbermann and that jerk's tirade on Barry Bonds. But instead, I went with a <a data-mce-href="http://baseballhotcorner.com/jose-reyes-raps-sportsnet-connected-analyst/" href="http://baseballhotcorner.com/jose-reyes-raps-sportsnet-connected-analyst/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">more fun link</a> to a <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=reyesjo01,reyesjo02,reyes-016jos,reyes-004jos&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=reyesjo01,reyesjo02,reyes-016jos,reyes-004jos&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Jose Reyes</a></strong> rap linked on <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Baseball Hot Corner</em>.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;"><strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=milleju01,miller007jus,miller005jus,miller008jus&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=milleju01,miller007jus,miller005jus,miller008jus&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Justin Miller</a></strong> of <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">insidetheMLB</em> has a <a data-mce-href="http://insidethemlb.com/2014/02/26/how-many-stars-do-you-need-to-win-a-championship/" href="http://insidethemlb.com/2014/02/26/how-many-stars-do-you-need-to-win-a-championship/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">very interesting look</a> at how many stars a team has to have to win the World Series.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">I do not understand how baseball betting works. As such, Chuck Booth's <a data-mce-href="http://mlbreports.com/2014/03/14/alnlodds2014mlb/" href="http://mlbreports.com/2014/03/14/alnlodds2014mlb/" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">piece</a> over at <em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">MLB Reports</em> on the Tampa Bay Rays' odds of winning the AL East confused the heck out of me. But if you get that kind of stuff, this post is for you.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;"><em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Cover Those Bases</em> has a <a data-mce-href="http://www.coverthosebases.com/4/post/2014/03/a-look-back-at-rick-ankiels-career.html" href="http://www.coverthosebases.com/4/post/2014/03/a-look-back-at-rick-ankiels-career.html" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">nice retrospective</a> on <strong style="color: black; line-height: 1.5;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/ankieri01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/ankieri01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.flagrantfan.com" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Rick Ankiel</a></strong>'s career. Ankiel recently announced his retirement.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;"><em style="border: none; line-height: 1.5;">Pepper</em>'s Niko Goutakolis had a <a data-mce-href="http://peppermlb.blogspot.com/2014/03/peppers-in-big-leagues.html" href="http://peppermlb.blogspot.com/2014/03/peppers-in-big-leagues.html" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">major announcement</a> on his site the other day. Very cool for him and congratulations!</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Last but the least, my <a data-mce-href="http://passion4baseball.blogspot.com/2014/03/are-indians-this-good.html" href="http://passion4baseball.blogspot.com/2014/03/are-indians-this-good.html" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">last post</a> was on the Cleveland Indians. Thank you kindly for your attention and I hope you clicked on a lot of these links because they deserve your support.</div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: start;">Have a great weekend.</div></div>

BBA Linkfest - General Marchmellow

Welcome to another installment of the BBA Linkfest where I take a romp around the sites of the General chapter of the Baseball Bloggers Alli...

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Bryce Harper a key to who manages the Nationals

<div style="text-align: justify;">When I think about managerial openings, I think a lot about what man fits a team's personality the best. This stems from my belief that the biggest work a manager does is managing players and his success in the clubhouse more than any other factor involved. A manager can and does make hundreds of game day decisions and maybe a handful of them make a difference in the game's outcome. So I do not see that as a huge factor. Besides, no matter who manages, there is a bench coach whose responsibility is to help the manager in those types of decisions. But it is the clubhouse and the personalities a manager has to manage that are a strong part of his job. Saying all of that, <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harpebr03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Bryce Harper</a></strong> seems to be a key personality on the Nationals to think about.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Saying as much might make it seem like I think Bryce Harper is a bad kid. I do not think that at all. I think this young Turk has a lot of the right stuff to play the game. He plays hard. He hustles. He wants to win and at least if you believe his MLB Network commercials, is very interested in bringing the Nationals to the post season.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Harper is not a wallflower. While he has a lot of the right stuff and the right attitude and seems to play the game the right way, he is willful as many young people are. He gets in trouble with umpires. He sometimes gets in trouble with the other team. He willfully throws his body around on the playing field when such a tendency can shorten the effectiveness of careers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To me, Harper is a key to the Nationals as a player. Yes, you have Werth, Strasburg, Zimmermann and others. But Harper is the guy who can shine the brightest. Therefore, he is a key when considering a manager.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is all speculation here, and I will admit to you that I may not know a stitch about what I am talking about. But if I am somewhat on the right track about how I perceive Harper as a personality, then who the Nationals pick as a manager is a key to how that relationship is going to work with a willful young man.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My perception leads me to believe that Harper would need a manager he looks up to and respects. He would need a manager who can communicate in such a way that the good things about Harper can shine while the willful side can be mitigated as much as possible for the good of the young player. To me, this means that the Nationals' new manager would need to be someone who had a meaningful playing career, or a respected career as a manager.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One such guy out there would be <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bakerdu01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Dusty Baker</a></strong>. But I don't know if the Nationals want to go there. Baker, at least to me, seems soft on players. He is perceived to be a players' manager to the extreme. What do I mean by that? Well, if all of your players love you, then that must mean that you are not always challenging them. I think Harper needs to be challenged (carefully) on occasion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I happen to think that <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnsda02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Davey Johnson</a></strong> was one of the best managers of our era. He was the kind of guy that a kid like Harper could blossom with. But even Johnson seemed to have his hands full at times. That said, I don't see this as a good fit for a career service guy who "paid his dues" learning how to manage in the minors. Most of those guys (who can make great managers, don't get me wrong) were fringe players who did not make a lot of money and earned their way forward through commitment and hard work. I don't see that as a fit using the criteria for Harper I have outlined here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As I think on this more and more, <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=ripkeca01,ripkeca99&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Cal Ripken</a></strong>, Jr. makes more and more sense to me. No, he does not have any managerial experience. But his dad was a manager and Ripken served under some good ones over in Baltimore. He is a player that a guy like Harper could respect. Heck, who does not respect Cal Ripken, Jr.?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I also see Ripken as being strong-willed and that could be what is needed here. I also see <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=penato01,penato02,penato03&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Tony Pena</a></strong> as a good fit here. Pena has really needed a shot for a long time. I think he has the respect factor and he has had success in winter ball and others. He has had a front row seat beside <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=torrejo01,torre-000joe&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Joe Torre</a></strong> and <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/girarjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Joe Girardi</a></strong>, two managers I really admire.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Nationals have a crucial decision to make here. I think they had a blah season with a really talented team. I think they are still talented enough to be a huge factor in the 2014 season. But the right manager will be important. And a manager that can bring out the best in Harper and mitigate the worst in him is one of the real important components of the decision. </div>

Bryce Harper a key to who manages the Nationals

When I think about managerial openings, I think a lot about what man fits a team's personality the best. This stems from my belief that ...

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Angel Hernandez and Bryce Harper

<div style="text-align: justify;">Buster Olney took umpire, Angel Hernandez, <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog/_/name/olney_buster/id/8250584/baltimore-orioles-contending-scrambling-mlb" target="_blank">to task</a> in Olney's ESPN column (subscription) today. The incident occurred in the game between the Washington Nationals and Astros. Olney quotes from an Adam Kilgore story that Bryce Harper was called out on strikes against Armando Galarraga and was not happy about it. Harper then was, according to Olney, schooled by Hernandez who called questionable strikes against him in his next at bat. According to Kilgore's story, Adam LaRoche asked Hernandez about the calls and if he had it in for Harper and Hernandez denied the claim.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What do the PitchF/X charts show? Well, first they show that Hernandez is a lousy umpire. Look at this chart for what he called for Galarraga (from Brooks Baseball):</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANuZo0ns_J4WA14aghSFpfkpubOc1a7bQBDXAtueiQVg0cL77Q5063Ieg0ilqKjvnjia6Dz_ktgcu5DHPO7u2lEuAFaI8InqX4r9UKdBlGu5ZxqcKr3axyxMcERgeZehF_lPEXMDE80Y/s1600/galarraga+total.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANuZo0ns_J4WA14aghSFpfkpubOc1a7bQBDXAtueiQVg0cL77Q5063Ieg0ilqKjvnjia6Dz_ktgcu5DHPO7u2lEuAFaI8InqX4r9UKdBlGu5ZxqcKr3axyxMcERgeZehF_lPEXMDE80Y/s400/galarraga+total.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Next we will look at Harper's first strikeout in his third at bat against Galarraga:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfy4adn-xPiGVoSk8dQKgNatk7OAQmxyIv8y5L8Urs887QWakdbzw2I2lSUzetw9mh6G14qMv51ywGiLxKVIGuSDLVh6P5MNn-TjJFbP4ezCKAPoUKAFbf01lbEtnlqofPDOG9J_GoEy8/s1600/Harper+first+strikeout.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfy4adn-xPiGVoSk8dQKgNatk7OAQmxyIv8y5L8Urs887QWakdbzw2I2lSUzetw9mh6G14qMv51ywGiLxKVIGuSDLVh6P5MNn-TjJFbP4ezCKAPoUKAFbf01lbEtnlqofPDOG9J_GoEy8/s400/Harper+first+strikeout.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It certainly looks like Harper had a beef on that one strike. It was one of two strikes Hernandez called in that zone all day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Next, we will look at the strikeout against Xavier Cedeno: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUYiMk5PG9y-MW9lt_yH7rn3t50sa9XIV01uxv5zI5njY9khbFi_X_ItXoYpIRzs_gsJDB8i6sor7ItzzgFzJMqQn8eRfrL3dE4pZNngCOZx69wfD-zcHSGZ7zEiwctA56MKifU9hDQQ/s1600/harpers+second+strikeout.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUYiMk5PG9y-MW9lt_yH7rn3t50sa9XIV01uxv5zI5njY9khbFi_X_ItXoYpIRzs_gsJDB8i6sor7ItzzgFzJMqQn8eRfrL3dE4pZNngCOZx69wfD-zcHSGZ7zEiwctA56MKifU9hDQQ/s400/harpers+second+strikeout.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">While Harper again had a beef, those pitchers were close enough to the zone to not seem like a Hernandez retribution as stated by Olney. They could have been since they were both balls and not calls he had made most of the game. But still, there is enough doubt to cloud the issue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The funny part about all this is that after LaRoche talked to Hernandez, it appeared that Hernandez became a little cool to the trigger the next time Harper came up. Look at that at bat:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgx3e9mHmPc69MBPBuH0OzB2gRicjBao-WUUNfq2MlC_Vj0zgt-HdjvOf2BD_UO2bmviDys_UjflwVDT39pUGBhpT4H8YoLrgW4jlKT7NTHkHsh45FvlqO6O4ZZu7RP8caj_UGgfcyTa0/s1600/harperswalk.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgx3e9mHmPc69MBPBuH0OzB2gRicjBao-WUUNfq2MlC_Vj0zgt-HdjvOf2BD_UO2bmviDys_UjflwVDT39pUGBhpT4H8YoLrgW4jlKT7NTHkHsh45FvlqO6O4ZZu7RP8caj_UGgfcyTa0/s400/harperswalk.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Here there was a clear strike called a ball. Coincidence? Perhaps. Umpires are human. Emotions have to get involved some times. But the question here is not if Hernandez did such a thing to Harper. The question is, why is he so bad at calling balls and strikes?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br />

Angel Hernandez and Bryce Harper

Buster Olney took umpire, Angel Hernandez, to task in Olney's ESPN column (subscription) today. The incident occurred in the game betwe...

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