Can You Spell "Piniella" Backwards?
I was surprised today to find out that Lou Piniella would be making some drastic changes to how he manages a game in terms of his pitchers. He announced today that, instead of going with the norm (starting pitcher starts, relievers follow if necessary), he will start the game with a relief pitcher, then have the starter come in around the 3rd inning. It was very surprising to hear this come from one of the most respected managers in the game. It may sound like one of those "it's so crazy it's genius" things at first, but, when you look at it, it's definitely not.
His decision is a result of his unhappiness with the Tampa Bay front office, which he has been upset with since he first arrived.
There are so many different ways that this can go terribly terribly wrong. First of all, the reason he's doing this is because the bullpen has been completely unreliable this year (remember the 13 run inning by the Yankees?). I don't understand how he plans to fix this by making the relievers start the game. I mean, if a player stinks in the late innings, then he'll stink in the early innings, right? So instead of blowing leads late in the game, they'll dig themselves into an early hole. What fun! Secondly, lets say that the starting relievers do pitch well, and the starter comes into the game around the 3rd or 4th inning. Then lets say the starter starts to lose it around the 6th or 7th inning. Well, normally, the manager would bring in his relief pitchers to bridge the gap between the starter and the closer. Well, his best relievers (who aren't very good anyways) have already been used, so now they have to hold a thin lead with 3 or 4 really bad pitchers. I just lost my appetite.
To be honest, I think Lou knows that this is a pretty stupid idea. I think this is just another of the many ways that he has shown disgust towards the Devil Rays' front office. When Piniella agreed to come to Tampa Bay, he was told by the front office that they would increase their spending over the years, but they have not, of course. This is Lou's way of saying, "Well, what the heck am I supposed to do?" Don't take Lou for a fool in this case, because I think that he knows that the move is silly. However, a bad move is a bad move. I certainly do understand why he's disgruntled in Tampa, but I can't say that I agree with what he's doing.
The moral of the story: Piniella wont spend any more time with the Devil Rays than he has to.
There are so many different ways that this can go terribly terribly wrong. First of all, the reason he's doing this is because the bullpen has been completely unreliable this year (remember the 13 run inning by the Yankees?). I don't understand how he plans to fix this by making the relievers start the game. I mean, if a player stinks in the late innings, then he'll stink in the early innings, right? So instead of blowing leads late in the game, they'll dig themselves into an early hole. What fun! Secondly, lets say that the starting relievers do pitch well, and the starter comes into the game around the 3rd or 4th inning. Then lets say the starter starts to lose it around the 6th or 7th inning. Well, normally, the manager would bring in his relief pitchers to bridge the gap between the starter and the closer. Well, his best relievers (who aren't very good anyways) have already been used, so now they have to hold a thin lead with 3 or 4 really bad pitchers. I just lost my appetite.
To be honest, I think Lou knows that this is a pretty stupid idea. I think this is just another of the many ways that he has shown disgust towards the Devil Rays' front office. When Piniella agreed to come to Tampa Bay, he was told by the front office that they would increase their spending over the years, but they have not, of course. This is Lou's way of saying, "Well, what the heck am I supposed to do?" Don't take Lou for a fool in this case, because I think that he knows that the move is silly. However, a bad move is a bad move. I certainly do understand why he's disgruntled in Tampa, but I can't say that I agree with what he's doing.
The moral of the story: Piniella wont spend any more time with the Devil Rays than he has to.
-Adam
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posted by adamh1289 at 10:20 PM
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