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Game Thoughts: Reds Beat The Dbacks 6-5

H_tiny by JD Arney on


Edewalkoff_medium

First the bad:

- Jeff Brantley is a moron.

- Todd Coffey doesn't look any different from 2007. Hopefully it was first appearance of the year jitters and he'll settle down, but that was even more discouraging than his final line would indicate. He doesn't seem to be fulling anyone.

- I really don't understand throwing slower breaking stuff to pitchers. You're just giving them something that's more their speed by doing that. If an average Joe went up to the plate against Bronson Arroyo or Todd Coffey I'm pretty sure he'd rather see something coming at him at 75 mph than 92 mph, no matter how much the ball might drop or move. Three fastballs as hard as you can throw them oughta be enough to sit down 99% of pitchers.

Now the good:

- Kent Mercker looked like a genuinely good pitcher. If he could put up a good season that'd really be a big unexpected help.

- Jeff Keppinger needs to keep doing what he's doing and force the Reds to make a decision when Gonzalez comes back. Sure would be nice to have Gonzalez on the bench instead of Juan Castro.

- I have never understood why guys like Marty Brennaman and Jeff Brantley have such sticks up their asses when it comes to Edwin Encarnacion, but it was incredibly gratifying to see him hit his walk off home run tonight.

Photo by AP and Al Behrman

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I'm still lost

please enlighten me..."Clutch Hits" do not exist...but when players we like get these so called "Clutch Hits" we have to make sure they know about it! Yes this includes me as well because I made a nasty comment in the previous thread about Brantley but lets not get too carried away! I'm concerned with Edwin's defense still I know it is very early but he was really solid at the end of last year...so it is a bit surprising for these poor results thus far. I like him though he is a solid 3B

"Touchdowns are the most over rated stat in football, first downs are what win games!"-ESPNs Skip Bayless on why Tony Romo is not a good QB

by Zach K on Apr 2, 2008 11:18 PM EDT   0 recs

Please answer these two questions.

1. Have you ever been humming one of your favorite songs and then turned on the radio to hear the exact song that you were just humming to yourself?

2. That's a magical power of yours, right?

by Fat Vegas Alan on Apr 2, 2008 11:35 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

i actually have a theory

that that's a power that everyone has. Like our brains are able to receive radio waves, but we don't yet know how to harness them. It's actually more of a hypothesis.

btw, I just got home. did we win?

Marty may have a shirt on, but Billy Beane just ripped his off and is squeezing his nipples. - Brendan's ukkah

by boobs on Apr 2, 2008 11:56 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I don't follow

"Touchdowns are the most over rated stat in football, first downs are what win games!"-ESPNs Skip Bayless on why Tony Romo is not a good QB

by Zach K on Apr 3, 2008 7:09 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

um

nobody said clutch hits don't exist.

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 12:08 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

They don't!

Surely you of all people know it is more then one play that makes the game!

"Touchdowns are the most over rated stat in football, first downs are what win games!"-ESPNs Skip Bayless on why Tony Romo is not a good QB

by Zach K on Apr 3, 2008 7:09 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

that's a completely different statement that saying there are no clutch hits

but Edwin's HR last night took the game from a point where the Reds were a good bet to lose to an actual win. That is very much a clutch hit. It wasn't the only important hit in the game (if BP and Dunn don't get on, it doesn't matter), but that doesn't mean it wasn't an important hit in a critical situation.

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 8:21 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Yes

but to counter that argument before the "clutch hit" he made a bad play in a "critical situation" which led to two runs. Now obviously you can not place those two runs to Edwin himself because yes Bronson allowed baserunners before the error but it goes back to my point that you can not Win or Lose a game in baseball because of one play.

"Touchdowns are the most over rated stat in football, first downs are what win games!"-ESPNs Skip Bayless on why Tony Romo is not a good QB

by Zach K on Apr 3, 2008 11:17 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

who says you can?

I honestly don't understand your point. Nobody is saying that EdE won the game all on his own. So what is your point?

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 11:23 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

My Original Point was...

only to baseball people like Brantley "Clutch" is the mythical way to find out if a player is good or not. Then when Edwin gets what in many fans mind is a "Clutch Hit" and using that to prove an Idiot like Brantley wrong is only accepting what he is saying is right because you then believe in the idea that one play makes a difference in a game. Now I do not believe in "Critical Situations". I believe that what in our minds our "Critical Situations" are events that took place before it that might make it seem more Critical. Beliefs aside though, yes we all know Brantley is a talking head who does not know what he is talking about and is an awful announcer but let us not buy in to his bullshit of "Clutch" because then we are just as bad as he is.

"Touchdowns are the most over rated stat in football, first downs are what win games!"-ESPNs Skip Bayless on why Tony Romo is not a good QB

by Zach K on Apr 3, 2008 11:35 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I get what you're saying

and I agree with you that it would be succumbing to Brantley's logic to extrapolate that EdE is now a "clutch hitter." I'm not sure any of the usual suspects said exactly that, but if they did, I imagine it was done with a considerable degree of irony and frisson.

But as I wrote below, I believe in "clutch" situations in so far as I understand the term; I'm not sure that I believe in "clutch players."

Plus ca change...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 11:56 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I understand your point, Zach

but I'm not sure that anyone posted exactly what you're thinking they posted. If he or she did, I imagine it was to be taken with a considerable degree of irony and frisson

Plus ca change...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 12:06 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

repetitive

clutch hits exist.
Clutch hits do exist.

Edwin!!!!!!!!

Plus ca change...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 12:39 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

forgive me

I thought this was clear by now, but this may be the most misquoted statement anti-sabermaticians. I believe Mr. James' position was that clutch hits do indeed exist. But there is no such thing as clutch hitters. Am I right here?

In fact, since he has made that observation years ago, he has backed off that statement by suggesting that there is a lack of imperical evidence to support the existence of clutch hitters.

by Brian B on Apr 3, 2008 11:36 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Why Encarnacion gets So Much Flak from MB and JB

I think it's because they see something in Edwin that I see...Edwin looks like he has no confidence. If you try to read his body language he looks like a Memphis player standing at the free throw line in a tie game...terrified.

Fundamentally, he's all over the place both at the plate and in the field. He tends to get off balance forward on a lot of his swings which makes him a punch-and-judy hitter, when he even makes contact on those swings. In the field, he has a tendency to stay low ( crouched ) as he throws and as a result with "tilted shoulders" which causes him to throw off-balance. I saw it tonight on that ball he air-mailed past Bako.

All of that said, I think that there's more to him than his face and posture show. Last year he showed me that he makes adjustments so quickly that he even does it in the same at-bat. I think he's having to fight what "feels right" because he's so naturally gifted in favor of what the coaches tell him "is right" mechanically.

He'll never be a gold glover, but as far as I'm concerned, I hope that he is a Red for a long time, even if it means a switch to left field or first base. He should be a quality bat for some time to come, just so long as he's not asked to bunt with the game on the line. [grin]

by Chris @ Seeing Reds on Apr 3, 2008 12:00 AM EDT   1 recs

He generally has good plate discipline.

I think the most important pitch of that at bat (beside the one he slugged into the bleachers) was the 1-2 delivery he laid off of to run the count even. You could see him follow that pitch with his eyes and hands all the way to the dirt. He was ready to defend that outside corner if need be and smart enough to lay off when it was clearly out of the zone. Then at 2-2, with runners on 1st and 2nd, he knew he would be getting a strike, and a strike he got.

Tanzen!

by Verka Serduchka on Apr 3, 2008 11:55 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I wish they's go after BP's swing

dude's way off balance.

Plus ca change...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 11:58 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Hmm, I seem to have found

A video of the whole Brantley talking smack and then Edwin smacking the ball thing . . .

link

by Obi Juan Kenobez on Apr 3, 2008 12:02 AM EDT   1 recs

Dude

I get a virus alert when I click that link.

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 12:08 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Really?

It's just some shitty video hosting site. They were probably trying a tracking somethingrather? In any event, sorry about that. But the video is there to watch.

by Obi Juan Kenobez on Apr 3, 2008 12:12 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

It's probably just an illegal use of javascript or something

but they have the video up on Reds.com now. All you hear from Brantley is "Not a clutch player", but it's enough. Unfortunately, you can't see me going apeshit up and down the thirdbase side of the stands. Yep, it was a great finish for me and the other 35 people still at the game. (just over 14k in attendance, lame)

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 12:19 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

only real fans go to the second game

good for you

"Never perfect but perfectly forgiven." -Petra

by shortstopv2 on Apr 3, 2008 12:34 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Wow

Now I see why everyone was going apeshit in the thread.

Thanks for the video.

by ken on Apr 3, 2008 12:37 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Just got home from the after game party

Wow! I haven't read the game thread yet - well, not all of it. We sifted through some stuff on the iPhone. Looks like it was rowdy. Cool.

When I got home, my wife was already in bed, but she left this message for me on the chalkboard:

That made me smile.

I'll catch up on the game thread tomorrow. Now it's off to bed. But some teasers for whoever puts up the Eyewitness report:
- Ash earned $10 the hard way tonight
- obc missed the walk-off because he was doing who knows what with his lady friend somewhere other than at our seats.
- Red Menace made a surprise appearance and had the quote of the night, though I don't remember it right now. Something about cunnilingus - and he was talking to the ladies in front of us.
- The Coutlangus jersey is now 2-1 with two walk-off victories.

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 12:07 AM EDT   1 recs

Ash earned $20 "the hard way" as you put it. Thank you very much.

$20

"Screw it. We've got bigger problems than a butter shortage."

by Ash on Apr 3, 2008 12:55 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I'll get the picture posted later

of Ash doing it the hard way

Hope Springs Eternal! Go Reds

by Caleb on Apr 3, 2008 7:49 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

That's awesome

I love it.

"To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other." - Jack Handey

by JJ on Apr 3, 2008 8:32 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

REPRIEVE

Corey patterson. for one night you are a star.

Elpidio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Plus ca change...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 12:38 AM EDT   0 recs

"Not a clutch player"

"Is that clutch.....Edwin Encarnacion 3 run homer...Reds WIN!! Reds WIN!!!!"

YOU CALLED IT!!!!

Plus ca change...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 12:46 AM EDT   0 recs

I've said it before, I'll say it again...

Edwin is awesome, and will be. Here, or wherever.

EDWIN!!!

"Screw it. We've got bigger problems than a butter shortage."

by Ash on Apr 3, 2008 12:54 AM EDT   0 recs

Glad you made it home...

I assume you sent Sukr on his way with a pat on the butt?

Chan was mildly pleased with the bucket...

"The only people who like Jimmy Buffett are frat boys and alcoholic girls in the south" ~ Eric Cartman

by chandrathan on Apr 3, 2008 12:58 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Bill was the one patting people on the butt :)

I'm glad we were all able to assist in stealing something from a bar for you guys!

"Screw it. We've got bigger problems than a butter shortage."

by Ash on Apr 3, 2008 1:20 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Who is Bill?

We're back on the Internet Now :-)

My bucket is cooler than your shirt!

"The only people who like Jimmy Buffett are frat boys and alcoholic girls in the south" ~ Eric Cartman

by chandrathan on Apr 3, 2008 1:23 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Nothing is cooler than free t-shirts that fall into your lap.

"Screw it. We've got bigger problems than a butter shortage."

by Ash on Apr 3, 2008 1:31 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

world's worst free t-shirt

Hope Springs Eternal! Go Reds

by Caleb on Apr 3, 2008 7:50 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

It was Nice....

....to see Votto in the lineup. Here's to hoping he stays there.

by tonywf on Apr 3, 2008 2:37 AM EDT   0 recs

i love EdE

Think this will start a big April? My prediction 20-8, with a 2 game lead over Milwaukie in the standings when the first of May roles around.

The Dusty Path to the World Series!*

*Note this is not an endorsment of Dusty Baker.

by justin007000 on Apr 3, 2008 8:31 AM EDT   0 recs

Wow.

What a great way to win our first one of the 2008 campaign.

I propose that whoever is going to the games in the next few days bring signs that say: ¿Que lo que, "not a clutch player?"

My two cents on the whole "clutch" thing: It seems to me that clutch does exists, at least in the sense that EdE's walk off was indeed very clutch because it won us the game at close to the last possible moment (and even more so in light of Rantley's on air comments about EdE's lack of clutch-icity). The only question remains is where does clutch begin? Was Wright-Pat's solo shot clutch? BP's blast clutch? Affeldt wiggling out of the jam in the 9th? Is there a spectrum of clutch?

Or maybe clutch is just another way of talking about suspenseful/exciting plays in baseball? Should we just drop the word clutch and say "wow, that was a really exciting home run by (Re)Encarnación because we were so close to losing and then we won." It seems clutch can't be measured statistically, just the tingly feeling you get after it happens, so maybe it is better to call it by its true name: exhilaration.

Tanzen!

by Verka Serduchka on Apr 3, 2008 9:46 AM EDT   0 recs

Quick question

I know there are a lot of great Dominican players, but EdE get any pub down there? What about Cordero, the Wagon, or Cueto? Are people anticipating Cueto's debut today, or are there enough big time players from there now that it's sort of ho hum?

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 9:55 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Yes and No.

The sports media is pretty New York and Boston heavy here. For example, the front page of the sports section of one major paper here ran an articles about Big Papi's home run against Oakland yesterday and Pedro's return to the DL, as well interesting articles about Moises Alou asking Cubs fans to forgive "Bartman" and a story about how the 92 Dominican players are making a combined $337 million US dollars (an interesting fact in a country where the average annual salary is less than $2,000).

Edwin did get a headline inside the baseball section of a couple of sports pages today.

No mention of Cueto that I can find today. There was an article a week ago that had good stuff to say about him. An interesting point from the article is how Cueto's slider has become less "slurvy" and more like a "slider puerta atras" (back door slider) since he was here making a few starts in the DR winter league. While the curve is not as "ancho" (wide), the break is more "brusco" (abrupt) and that, according to this article, is making it more effective. It continues on to mention his ability to change speeds well and replicate the same arm motion with all of his pitches. There is also a chart of his ground balls ratio that has decreased as he has moved up through the system in the last two years. The conclusion is pretty typical "Blah, blah, blah... future bright but is he might be too short... blah, blah, blah... hopefully Dusty doesn't ruin his arm"

Tanzen!

by Verka Serduchka on Apr 3, 2008 11:42 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Just to clarify

I don't presume to speak for others here, but I think those who poke fun at the idea of "clutch" aren't suggesting that there is no such thing as a clutch hit or play or situation or whatever. Rather, they are pointing out that clutch players are hard to account for. Given enough tries, it seems a player will tend to be the player he is all the time.

Just because Derek Jeter made a "clutch play" it does not follow that he is a "clutch player." In other words, clutch is not a skill in the same way that speed or pitch recognition is. Derek Jeter is a great player, and in so called "clutch" situations, he's a great player--not a better player--but just about the way he always is.

Last night, Brantley got pwned for saying Edwin just isn't a clutch player. Well, I'm thrilled that EdE's walkoff shut his fat mouth, but it still doesn't make EdE a clutch player all of the sudden.

The usual mantra is clutch hits exist; clutch hitters do not.

Sorry this post is such a mess. I'm hung the fuck over.

Plus ca change...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 11:27 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

ah

There it is. I was hoping I got it right. (see above re clutch hitters v hits)

by Brian B on Apr 3, 2008 11:44 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

FWIW, that precise mantra is a little outdated, though not fully inaccurate

I'll steal the words from Tangotiger:

There is no question that this statement is true:
CLUTCH SKILL EXISTS

The question on the table is:

Can you identify this clutch skill? And, to the extent that you can identify it, how much of it can you identify, and how much time do you need to identify it?

IIRC, you need something like 5000 career PA to be able to get an r=.50. That is, the following two statements gives you the same "certain amount":

1. after 200 MLB PA, I can identify a certain amount of overall batting skill for a player

2. after 5000 MLB PA, I can identify a certain amount of clutch batting skill for a player

Is any of this in dispute? If so, then change "5000" in number 2 to whatever number you want. I’d like to know what you think it is.

Later on in the thread, Dave Smyth says this:

I mean, if you are obtaining a player who has enough PAs to be confident that he can hit a bit better in the clutch, then he is already in decline, and you better pay more attention to that. And if you are looking to increase your enjoyment watching a game, the apparent clutch impact is so small that the impact on a random clutch PA situation is completely negligable.

So, the only relevance that I can see is in a HOF type evaluation.

So, when you are trying to identify clutch hitters, it's not so much that they don't exist, it's that we don't have nearly enough information about the player to clearly and unequivocally identify them. Also, the apparent skill of clutch is so negligible over top of the player's normal skill that it's not really even worth factoring in on an individual event basis.

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 12:00 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I hadn't seen this

but I've been following these kind of debates at Think Factory and elsewhere. That's why I was a bit sheepish about running the clutch cliches out there. But it still suits in a pinch.

Plus ca change...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 12:03 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Like I said

It's not inaccurate for the concept that you are using it to represent. It's probably just a bit too strong for the reality of the situation though. Maybe a more accurate statement would be "The value of being a clutch hitter does not realistically outweigh the value of the player in all situations." Or something like that.

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 12:07 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

rolls off the tongue

I've got a plan and it's as hot as my pants...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 5:51 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Love for the Lil Dog

Watching EdE's final at bat was so frustrating. It's obvious that he is not an accomplished bunter. In fact its obvious that he couldn't bunt to save his life! Now I was watching the game so I heard Brantley's carping. And I know Brennaman must have been ripping him a new one on the radio because an inability to sacrifice is one of MB's cardinal baseball sins.

Now I'm sure a lot of people are of the opinion the bunting is one of those "easy" baseball skills that anyone major leaguer should be able to do. And after watching the Lil Dogs cringeworthy attempts to lay one down last nite, I would agree that perhaps he needs some extra bunting practice.

But it's the managers job to KNOW which of his players can bunt! So either Dusty Baker was unaware of EdE's lack of lil' ball skills, which is criminal ignorance of his teams makeup! Or he sent his player out there to do something he knew he was bad at, which is a great way to undermine a young players confidence.

I don't even want to start on why he was bunting in the first place!

by blotzphoto on Apr 3, 2008 10:15 AM EDT   0 recs

as quoted by the Fay

Dusty said something in the dugout during EdE's bat to the effect of, I hope he doesn't get the bunt down so he can hit a 3 run homerun. THAN WHY THE FUCK DID YOU HAVING HIM SQUARING TO BEGIN WITH? IF YOU FEEL HE CAN HIT A WALK OFF YOU DON'T SEND HIM UP BUNTING!!!!!

The Dusty Path to the World Series!*

*Note this is not an endorsment of Dusty Baker.

by justin007000 on Apr 3, 2008 10:31 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

dusty had to make that call

Edwin hadn't gotten a hit yet and wasn't looking good at the plate, and he couldn't have edwin hitting into a double play

"Never perfect but perfectly forgiven." -Petra

by shortstopv2 on Apr 3, 2008 11:34 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

how is it any different with 2 strikes?

a batter is just as capable of grouding into a DP with 2 strikes as with any other count. I would much rather him bunt it foul than ground into a double play. It just defies logic.

The Dusty Path to the World Series!*

*Note this is not an endorsment of Dusty Baker.

by justin007000 on Apr 3, 2008 11:41 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

bottom line

EdE shouldn't be asked to bunt in that situation or most others. Why? Because he's capable of doing exactly what he did last night and because he has line-drive power. End of story.

Plus ca change...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 12:09 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

just to clarify

i think bunting was a bad decision with EdE no matter what the count, I was just continuing SS2's and Dusty's logic. I guess if Coach Narron was still here he would have pinch hit for EdE with 2 strikes.

The Dusty Path to the World Series!*

*Note this is not an endorsment of Dusty Baker.

by justin007000 on Apr 3, 2008 12:14 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

because

Even if he is a bad bunter, I think he's more likely to get a bunt down than he is to hit a homerun. He just happened to hit the jackpot. Seriously, the decision to make edwin bunt is not indefensible here (I'd love to get into it, but I'm in the middle of a seminar right now - a little worried about not having a good play by play mechanism for iphone). It's just that the martys and brantleys of the world make it sound like he shouldn't be in a uniform if he doesn't get it down. Edwin did the right thing. He didn't try to bunt pitches that he was't comfortable bunting (which happened to be ALL of them). But if he got it down, gave up an out, brought Votto to the plate with the tying run at second . . . I wouldn't have lost any sleep over it.

by Brian B on Apr 3, 2008 12:29 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I understand what you're saying

re: the situation.

I don't like it for these reasons. You're down 2 runs; you need 3 to win. Let's say EdE does it exactly right. You've sacrificed a precious out in the bottom of the ninth and taken the bat out of the hands of a line drive hitter just to move up the runners one base. I don't like it, but I can probably live with it.

The clincher for me is the player in question. EdE is a terrible bunter facing a pitcher with good breaking stuff (as you pointed out). Too many negative things can happen. I think far too many managers let the situation dictate the play rather than their personnel, which was the essence of tHom and Jeff's argument last night IMO.

I realize that I'm more averse to the bunt than most posters here, perhaps unreasonably so, but I don't see any reason to have that particular hitter try to bunt in that situation.

I've got a plan and it's as hot as my pants...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 5:47 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

also

the debate shouldn't be over whether he's more likely to get a bunt down than hit a homerun, it should be over whether he's more likely to get a sacrifice bunt down that successfully moves the runners up one base than reaching base safely in any other way.

To be totally irresponsible with career numbers, we could say that EdE is more likely to hit a homerun that get a sac bunt. ;)

I've got a plan and it's as hot as my pants...

by Man Mountain on Apr 3, 2008 5:59 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I agree completely

As far as I can find, EdE had 2 at bats where has attempted to bunt in his career. First, in the 11th inning of this game last season where he bunted the ball foul once with 2 men on base. His second bunt attempt was in this game, also last season, where he fouled a bunt and missed on a bunt attempt against Derrick Turnbow. So, according to Retrosheet, EdE had attempted to bunt on 3 pitches in his MLB career and fouled two of them off. I wouldn't say that bunting is his best skill.

BTW, it took me 5 minutes to learn that. It kind of bothers me that Dusty didn't seem to know it.

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 10:39 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

As a manager

What stat would you look at in a situation like that.

Career avg w/ RISP- over .300
Career sac bunts- 0

Why would you ask one of your best young hitters, whose confidence couldn't have been very high at that point, to do something he has never done?

I have defended Dusty in the past, and I agree that bunting is the move with almost anyone else not named Dunn or Griffey, but Jeez Louise, know your players!!

Worse lately: Being a Bengals fan or Being a Reds fan?

by jmgard6 on Apr 3, 2008 10:46 AM EDT   0 recs

For those who did not watch

here's Brantley making a perfect ass out of himself.

I'm thirsty.

by Pops Daniels on Apr 3, 2008 10:52 AM EDT   0 recs

whoops

missed that it was already posted. Sorry

I'm thirsty.

by Pops Daniels on Apr 3, 2008 11:04 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Brantley

[Embarrassed and bewildered]: "You called it!" (to Thom)

Actually, all Thom said was that "the numbers" would prove that Edwin should be considered "clutch."

by Fat Vegas Alan on Apr 3, 2008 11:09 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

To Brantley's credit, he did admit that he was wrong

Though how could he not at that point.

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 11:11 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

Exactly.

After listening to a replay today I get the feeling that Brantley was trying to come up with things to say ("You called it!" ... "WOW!") so that he wouldn't have to say he was wrong.

After a few uncomfortable seconds I think he realized that he had no choice but to remove his foot from his mouth and announce, "I stand corrected."

by Fat Vegas Alan on Apr 3, 2008 12:31 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

the mlb.com autoplayer at reds.com is funny

the anchor is quiet, for the homerun so we can hear Brantley's call and tthen he was like "Encarnacion shutting up Jeff Brantley."

The Dusty Path to the World Series!*

*Note this is not an endorsment of Dusty Baker.

by justin007000 on Apr 3, 2008 12:34 PM EDT to parent up   0 recs

What frustrates me about this

is not so much that Brantley was wrong and looked like an ass. It's that he has so much disdain in his voice for Edwin. I understand that this team has been bad for a long time now, but it's only April 2nd of a year that is filled with so much promise and Brantley is already railing on a player. It's too early to start hating on players. If he fails, the season is still early. Give the guy a chance. Brantley sounded like he had already given up on EdE. Why? It was his 8th at bat of the season.

I know some people like that Marty and the other announcers "keep it real", but I'd like at least to have some time to enjoy the baseball season before the announcers get into telling us everything that is wrong about all of the players.

WHY SHOULD I CHANGE IT? HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS!

by Slyde on Apr 3, 2008 11:11 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs

I concur

Brantley was practicly shouting TAKE HIM OUT OF THE GAME!

Brantley will always have a soft spot in my heart though. At a Cards game in 1998 my family showed up early for BP (The days of Big Mac) and we had Green seats in the outfield. Brantley caught a BP flyball and tossed it to my Dad.

The Dusty Path to the World Series!*

*Note this is not an endorsment of Dusty Baker.

by justin007000 on Apr 3, 2008 11:22 AM EDT to parent up   0 recs