Lol I know thats why I suggested it, with Crawford, Baldelli, Dukes, Young Upton etc.

but then again the way they’ve been general managed maybe we could pry kazmir or shields from them for maybin and infante and bazardo. apparently they like 5 tool players better than pitchers

one can dream…

The Devil Rays haven’t had a terrible front office. They have drafted immensely well (you’re bound to when you’re drafting that high consistently) and they jipped the Mets in the Kazmir deal. They’ve stockpiled a lot of good young position players and the good young pitchers are on their way right now. They have one of the top 25 prospects in baseball entering 2008 in Jacob McGee — kid is an absolute stud of a pitcher.

About the only thing that can be said negative about their Front Office is not spending enough money to fix the bullpen year in, year out, but I think that comes from mandates from the owner as I don’t think they want to spend money. If they spent money, though, they could contend in 2008.

might make for an interesting weekend

Totally agree with that one 100%

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The point to the piece is JL is a “push-button” manager — not that he shouldn’t rest players. I think the piece is firmly grounded in realism/logic. I will provide one example — although there are countless others:

1. Game one in the recent series against Cleveland — arguably the biggest game of the year for the Tigers, i.e. their last push to make a legitimate playoff run. Tigers up 5-2 (I believe) after seven innings. Rogers dominating. Here we have a situation where Leyland is managing with “urgency” — he wants this game. So what does he do? He goes with “his formula” instead of analysing the specific situation at hand — he puts in Zumaya in the eighth (this, afterall, is “the formula” that worked so many times for the Tigers in late innings in 2006. He makes this move despite the fact that 1) the Indians own Zumaya virtually everytime they face him 2) Rogers was dominating (whether he could have gone another inning or not isn’t really the point — I say put him out there for another 10 pitches, but if not, there is a whole host of arms in the pen not named Zumaya) and 3) (this is the most important point) the formula itself worked and will work when Zumaya has 103 mph stuff, with decent control. It is a formula for disaster with spotty control coupled with a 96 mph fastball. In fact, a 96 mph fast ball from Joel Zumaya is fodder to a fast-ball hitting team like the Cleveland Indians. I wasn’t surprised at all when the Indians plated three runs before the Tigers could record six outs for the W. Apparently, JL was.

Grant it, this is a “hind-sight” example — and one can always second guess any decision. But the point is, JL was going with his formula instead of managing. And I don’t think you rest your marquee players and go with a Mud-Hens team in a must-win game — regardless of situation. I agree with the journalist. There is a time and a place to rest players — sometimes they need to go the extra mile in certain situations in September, in a pennant race, especially when the team plays with no urgency at all in the last half of July and throughout the month of August. If you want the luxury to rest in September, I suggest you win in July and August.

I agree with you that you don’t necessarily bash DD — I like and support DD — but DD isn’t above critique either — he’s made some gaffes in his tenure, cough, cough — Inge contract — cough, cough.

Leyland shouldn’t rest his players (meaning Pudge, I assume) in day games after night games? Almost every manager in baseball rests his catcher in that situation nearly every time. Does the fact that our veterans have generally avoided major injuries the last two years count for anything?

Leyland isn’t perfect, but no major league manager is. Once again, I must ask who people think is preferable? Joe Torre–who has hung his best player out to dry in the media? Tony LaRussa–who makes lineup decisions based on six-at-bat samples?

And to bash DD is ridiculous. The man is 90% responsible for turning a 43-win team into a 90-win team.

Holy crap, I know I’m coming to this late, but it’s like this guy hacked into my brain. Agree or disagree, but the fact this column only was written in a small paper in Monroe suggests that the current beat reporters are the journalistic equivalent of the 119 loss Tigers.

God, how nice would it be, and not so hard to imagine, this team winning 3-4 more games and beng right there the last weekend?

but then again the way they’ve been general managed maybe we could pry kazmir or shields from them for maybin and infante and bazardo. apparently they like 5 tool players better than pitchers

one can dream…

Hey anyone here thing we could do a Maybin for Kazmir swap, I think the Rays are lacking in young 5 tool outfielders.

Heck throw in Timo and Infante.

The last thing the D-Rays need is outfielders.