The Flagrant Fan Blogs: Jim Leyland

<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rick Reilly, the writer for ESPN.com, recently caused a lot of conversation with his piece, "<a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10116177/rick-reilly-torre-la-russa-cox" target="_blank">Guilt by Association</a>." And the conversation is understandable because the piece was all about newly elected managers, <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/coxbo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Bobby  Cox</a></strong>, <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/l/larusto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Tony  LaRussa</a></strong> getting a pass into the Hall of Fame because "<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">the three managers being inducted oversaw at least 34 players who've been implicated as PED users and never noticed a thing wrong." Naturally, any conversation that includes PEDs leads to polarizing views. Half of Twitter is shouting, "Right on!" While others are saying it is the worst thing ever written.</span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;">While my position on the PED players and era is firmly established in the, "I don't care" category and do not believe in banning any players or managers from the Hall of Fame, you might think that this piece will fall on the bashing Rick Reilly side of things. But I am not going to do that. This is America after all and everyone is entitled to their opinion. It was not long ago that everyone was piling on Rob Neyer for something he said, and yet, he was bashing Reilly today. </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;">Instead of focusing on the writer and on his intent or moralistic leanings here, I would rather focus on the logic of what he is saying. And if I paraphrase the entire thing, then he is saying in a nutshell that if the players are not getting a pass on the PEDs they may or may not have used, then the managers who were in charge of those players should not get a pass either.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;">In one aspect, he is right in that players did things they should not have done and the managers may or may not have known they are doing those things. So by either turning a blind eye or at worst, not paying attention, they are guilty by association.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;">So that should then mean that no manager from the PED era should ever make it into the Hall of Fame because perhaps as high as 60 to 80% of all players in the game were probably using. If you take Reilly's logic to the max, shouldn't that be the case? Forget about it, </span><strong style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/leylaji99.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jim  Leyland</a></strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"> or </span><strong style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/maddojo99.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Joe  Maddon</a></strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"> or </span><strong style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sciosmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Mike  Scioscia</a></strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"> or any others that might have a case in the future.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;">If you are going to make this argument, then you have to take it all the way. The common belief is that all segments of the baseball society fell down the rabbit hole in the PED era. The scouts, the commissioner, the league presidents, the managers, the general managers, the trainers, the union, the publicists, the agents, and yes, the writers and broadcasters all had to know that something was not right in the game and yet it happened anyway. They were all complicit.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;">Take Reilly's assertion to the maximum and Bill Madden of New York, Nick Peters of San Francisco, Rick Hummel of St. Louis, Tracy Ringolsby of Denver and Peter Gammons should not have gotten a free pass to the J.G. Taylor Spink Award. </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;">Madden covered New York sports including many of the same players Joe  Torre is being accused about. Peters certainly witnessed the </span><strong style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bondsba01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Barry  Bonds</a></strong><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;"> superhero show. Hummel should be just as complicit as LaRussa. Ringolsby was writing when </span><strong style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=willima04,willima09,willima03,willia015mat,willia011mat&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Matt  Williams</a></strong><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;"> was playing and others in Denver. And nobody knew more people or had more connections in the game in his heyday than Peter Gammons. So take those on too, Mr. Reilly.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;">Speaking of Matt Williams: Now that he is a manager, what is going to happen if he wins ten World Series in his managing career? What a mess that will be, eh?</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;">And what of broadcasters who often traveled with these players and stayed in the same hotels. Should Jack Buck have gotten the Ford C. Frick Award? He called McGwire's homers after all. What about Eric Nadel who was voted in this year after his lifetime of broadcasting the Rangers. Did one broadcaster cover more PED users than Nadel? </span><strong style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/u/ueckebo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Bob  Uecker</a></strong><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;"> has covered </span><strong style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=braunry02,braunry01&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Ryan  Braun</a></strong><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;">'s career since the beginning. Should "Uke" be a Frick Award winner?</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;">No, this blame and punishment thing can go on and on and thus it is all pointless. You cannot erase history by executing all those who participated in the bad things that happened. You cannot have a Hall of Fame that does not include the best players of their era. You cannot have a Spink Award without the best writers and the Frick Award without the best broadcasters.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 16.988636016845703px;">Let it go. The numbers are staying. There are no asterisks. The players that created them, the managers who managed them and the writers and broadcasters that breathlessly reported them all need to be drawn in the times that they played, managed, wrote and broadcast. Blame does not get us anywhere. Heck, even the commissioner is going to be in the Hall of Fame someday. My point and response to Rick Reilly is not to blast him but to simply remind him that the entire game of baseball, including those who covered and broadcast it, are guilty by association.</span></div>

Taking Rick Reilly's point to the max

Rick Reilly, the writer for ESPN.com, recently caused a lot of conversation with his piece, " Guilt by Association ." And the conv...

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<div style="text-align: justify;">The Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers, 1-0, yesterday in a crisp, well-pitched game to keep the Royals' fleeting wildcard hopes alive. They preserved their narrow margin of victory by throwing <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fieldpr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Prince  Fielder</a></strong> out at home plate for the final out of the game. I hate to be one of those second-guessing, arm-chair managers, but what the heck was Fielder doing out there anyway?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hollagr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Greg  Holland</a></strong> came in the game to get the save. Holland has been one of the best relief pitchers in the league this year. But he walked Fielder to start the ninth. That is never a good thing. As Fielder lumbered to first, the first thought that comes to mind is to pinch run for Fielder, right?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After all, Fielder has the ignominious statistic of amassing a minus 43.9 base running runs in his career. In other words, he has lost some four wins during his career because of his base running. With Holland on the mound, even a lead-off walk does not lead to good odds that you are going to win the game, but still.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The perfect play would have been to pinch run <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/perezhe01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Hernan  Perez</a></strong>. This is the beauty of September rosters when you have all these other players to choose from. It is not like you are going to run out of players. Perez is a speed guy. He has stolen 78 bases in this past three seasons in the minors. He would be the perfect guy to pinch run for your club at this point.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But he did not pinch run. Fielder was left out there. Say Perez is out there. You could go for a stolen base. You can hit and run or try a bunt to small-ball a tie. With Fielder, you have no such options.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It did not seem like it was going to matter as Holland got <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martivi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Victor  Martinez</a></strong> to pop out and then struck out <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dirksan01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Andy  Dirks</a></strong>. With two outs, it seemed Holland was in control. So no harm leaving Fielder out there. Except Holland was not in control.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/i/infanom01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Omar  Infante</a></strong> doubled to left. The ball rolled all the way to the wall. It took <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gordoal01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Alex  Gordon</a></strong> a while to dig the ball out from against the wall. Fielder gave it his all and chugged around the bases as fast as he could. But it was not fast enough. The Royals handled the relay perfectly and by the time Fielder slid like he hit his wallet on the dirt, he was dead at home and the game was over.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">No offense here, but a perfect relay would not have helped if Hernan  Perez was running. He would have already been in the dugout. And then not only would the game be tied, but as the home team, the chances of winning the game would have been that much greater.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So why wouldn't Tigers' manager, <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/leylaji99.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jim  Leyland</a></strong>, pinch run for Prince  Fielder? Fielder likes to play. It is important for Fielder to play every day. He has not missed a game in two years. There have been only a handful of games this season where he did not play a complete game. All of those were in lopsided games. Prince  Fielder's contract is over $200 million. You don't mess with that and take him out of a close game.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Poppycock. The manager makes those calls and they all have to be at whatever will give you the best chance to win the game. Leyland did not do that. Perhaps to the Tigers' manager, it does not matter. The Tigers can pretty much sleepwalk into the playoffs. Their five game lead in the division with fifteen games to go would be pretty hard to dissolve. Even so, your job as a manager is to win games, not let one of your high-priced superstars lumber around the bases and not know how to slide.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are repercussions of Leyland's lack of managing here. The Royals are a wildcard contender. Even if your division lead seems a lock, you have to play each other contender to win the game or the integrity of the game is going to be questioned. Think of the Yankees' decisions against the Rays back in 2011. They were blasted.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leyland's non-play here will not get the scrutiny of the last game of the season because there are two weeks left. But if the Royals get in because Leyland sat on his hands here, then whichever team gets bumped has a right to squawk.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Again, I hate to be a second-guesser and I hate to act like I am smarter than any Major League manager, but come on now. That was a no-brainer.  With the Tigers needing a run to keep from losing the game, the correct play was to run for Fielder. Leyland did not do it. And it cost his team a win. </div>

Arm-chair managing: Prince Fielder and Jim Leyland

The Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers, 1-0, yesterday in a crisp, well-pitched game to keep the Royals' fleeting wildcard hopes...

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