tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post1278457075001144646..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Friday Baseball Post (Thursday Edition)Jonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-49009877940330242892012-10-11T19:26:57.422-05:002012-10-11T19:26:57.422-05:00A little while ago I argued that Dusty Baker was a...A little while ago I argued that Dusty Baker was a good manager cause he treated his players as (flawed) human beings, not the black box that sabermetrics sees. Two things happened in this series that made me rethink that.<br /><br />The first was Brandon Phillips' terrible attempt to go first to third on a shallow hit with none out early in game 3. Its not sabermetrics; its the oldest saw in the sport: <i>never make the first or third out of the inning at third base</i>. Its not that Dusty ordered Phillips to try for third; however, whatever his other flaws in the clubhouse, you have to figure that a Bill James managed team would, over the course of a season, <i>never</i> make the first or third out of an innning at third. Phillips' gaffe ostensibly cost the Reds the game, and eventually, the series.<br /><br />The second was Latos staying in to face Posey in the 5th inning today. I was listening on Reds homer radio (700 WLW), and I can't off the top of my head recall a home-biased radio crew so verbally alarmed that a pitcher had totally lost his stuff. The announcers were bewildered; all they could figure was that Dusty was leaving Latos in until the end of the fifth because...they were buddies, or something? Now they'll have five months to hang out!<br /><br />Indeed, the biggest rap on Dusty Baker is that he threw out Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, et als arms. That's what a manager responsive to player idiosyncrasies does, though - you can't figure that Strasburg is on the bench of his, or his teammates', volition.<br /><br />In summary, what you want in a manager is a guy who is totally versed in the principles of sabermetrics but also smart enough to know when to elevate individual players' idiosyncratic interests over "the book". I admit I've no idea how you interview candidates for such skill sets.CSHnoreply@blogger.com