Friday question of the day

Is it too early to blame Joe Girardi for the Yankees losing to the Astros?

LoL. My point exactly!

Indians - hitters.  Guys who hit consistently and in clutch situations all year long didn't hit all series.  Their approach did not look anything like it did during season, chasing a LOT of bad pitches, letting a lot of good pitches go by in hitters counts.  Plenty else went wrong but this stood out even more than Kluber's relative ineffectiveness and the errors by usually reliable defenders.  Hitters were collectively pressing big time, IMO.  Still a bit baffling.  

My only explanation is that they knew all year they would get to the playoffs.  Only once they got there did the pressure of 70 years start to become reality.

Good therapy, Hshuler.

Nats- Players. How a professional team can make so many bad plays in the field at home is astounding. Plus you lose all 3 home games? Maybe it's not their fault, maybe it's because they play in Washington where everything is screwed up!!!

Man, I'm still trying to figure out if my Brewers will ever win a World Series in my lifetime!  I ain't got time for this mess

Dateline NBC News: It's Trump's fault the Nat's lost. 

3and2Fastball posted:

Man, I'm still trying to figure out if my Brewers will ever win a World Series in my lifetime!  I ain't got time for this mess

Just being there is going to have to be enough. The 1982 WS was awesome!

3and2Fastball posted:

Man, I'm still trying to figure out if my Brewers will ever win a World Series in my lifetime!  I ain't got time for this mess

LoL 

 Indians: Hitters, their big bats went silent and they did not have much of an answer for the Yankee's pitchers.

Red Sox: Power Hiters they have ZERO pop in their lineup and they are playing against teams that pound the ball.

Nats: Weird Things....I mean how many bizarre things can possibly happen to one team before they just can't win.

D'backs: Wild Card Game.  When you have to throw you top 2 pitchers just to play the Dodgers you series will be short.

Texas 2 Sons posted:

Nats- Players. How a professional team can make so many bad plays in the field at home is astounding. Plus you lose all 3 home games? Maybe it's not their fault, maybe it's because they play in Washington where everything is screwed up!!!

BOF posted:

Dateline NBC News: It's Trump's fault the Nat's lost. 

Poor Twins and Rockies do not get a mention...or criticism

Team > Reason for Loss

Red Sox > Astros

Indians > Yankees

Nats > Cubs

Dbacks > Dodgers

For the Nationals it's easy.     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex-Cubs_Factor

Dusty Baker --Ex Cubs Manager.

Ripken Fan posted:

For the Nationals it's easy.     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex-Cubs_Factor

Dusty Baker --Ex Cubs Manager.

It appears Cubs fans have both internet and too much time on their hands.

Some teams are built for the off season. Some are not.

You also have to consider the GMs and who they draft and who they get to fill in the pieces.

So many Red Sox players underperformed I place a majority of the blame on the manager for not being able to light a fire under them. Dustin Pedroia and David Overpriced both created problems Farrell should have squashed. I have to believe he was on the verge of losing the locker room and didn’t dare to speak up. 

Pedroia leads by example. He’s not a clubhouse leader. Overpriced assumed the role of leader. The team had a gutless wonder as a leader. What athlete gets in the face of a 60yo Hall of Fame former player announcer and refuses to apologize? I believe Farrell not apologizing to Eckersley and not ordering Overpriced to apologize had a lot to do with affirming he lost the clubhouse.  Farrell did dare cross his players. Most fans hope Overpriced opts out after next season. He can’t handle the bright lights. He’s as soft as Carl Crawford. 

Baker pitching Scherzer on short rest while he had a fully rested Roark available is what still puzzles me. Not leaving Albers in for another inning at least too... Just my thoughts, but if he leaves Albers in and brings Roark next, Nats win... And would have a fully rested Scherzer for game 1 against the Dodgers!

The real Friday question to me is, what did I just witness at “the loud house”... Syracuse? This college football season has been some kind of crazy so far!

Good point, TPM!

RJM - I can't argue with most of what you said but I think the fire has to be lit from within. Why is a manager responsible for that?

brball - Same stuff happens in college football every year. 

Now, none of those moves guarantees that the Nats win and it's not like Scherzer pitched bad. It was more of whatever could go wrong that inning, did go wrong. 

hshuler posted:

Good point, TPM!

RJM - I can't argue with most of what you said but I think the fire has to be lit from within. Why is a manager responsible for that?

brball - Same stuff happens in college football every year. 

Now, none of those moves guarantees that the Nats win and it's not like Scherzer pitched bad. It was more of whatever could go wrong that inning, did go wrong. 

Haven’t seen an upset in football of that magnitude in years.

Agree on the moves, but my coaching days have been over and I just wish Baker would’ve done it my way! LOL

As someone else said, that was the inning from hell.

RJM posted:

So many Red Sox players underperformed I place a majority of the blame on the manager for not being able to light a fire under them. Dustin Pedroia and David Overpriced both created problems Farrell should have squashed. I have to believe he was on the verge of losing the locker room and didn’t dare to speak up. 

Pedroia leads by example. He’s not a clubhouse leader. Overpriced assumed the role of leader. The team had a gutless wonder as a leader. What athlete gets in the face of a 60yo Hall of Fame former player announcer and refuses to apologize? I believe Farrell not apologizing to Eckersley and not ordering Overpriced to apologize had a lot to do with affirming he lost the clubhouse.  Farrell did dare cross his players. Most fans hope Overpriced opts out after next season. He can’t handle the bright lights. He’s as soft as Carl Crawford. 

What happened to the Red Sox was the Astros.  They are a better team.  I mean a season with the best OPS+ of all time.  Better than the 1927 Yankees.  Gotta hold the players responsible.  Couple different plays and Red Sox win.  I also think, as usual, the Red Sox were held in higher status than they actually are.  It does seem like a different mix of players would play better.  But lots of young talent on the Red Sox.  They did win 92 games.

Seemed to be a lot of drama coming out of Boston.  Never followed the Price / Eckersley issue or the Pedroia "I didn't do it" issue.  It is clear that Price was hurt and Pedroia is old and not a team leader.

The Red Sox are an org that can make mistakes like Price and not be set back a decade.  Not true everywhere.

Can you run through how Francona got fired from the Red Sox?