If you go to the JSOnline.com today you can find an article by Tom Haudricourt, in which he discusses his rather candid interview with Ned Yost about the virtual meltdown the Brewers went through during the last 2 months of the season. And Tom was right, it was rather candid, and extremely frustrating because what that interview told me is that Ned's team dictates him, and he does not dictate his team. While he's realized that and has shown some promise in changing these things by keeping some of his players on a short least, he still has a long way to go if you thinks he's going to be an elite coach.
Head Coach: Ned Yost
This will be Ned's sixth year as the Brewers' skipper, and expectations for his team and him are higher than ever after leading the 2007 Crew to an 83-79 record. Ned's career record stands at 374-434, which is surprisingly close to .500 since he started coaching the Brewers when they had that amazing sub-$30-million team salary.
Ned's a pretty erratic coach, changing his lineups quite regularly, which I really wouldn't mind if he would just give each one more than a couple of days to work. He makes it relatively difficult for his teams to settle in and get into a groove. While some players like staying on their toes, most young players would prefer knowing what they're going to do that day when they arrive at the park so they can acclimate themselves to the Major League game.
While this type of behavior can really bog a team down, Ned's unchallenged support and protection for his players earns him all the respect he needs to get his players to play for him without question. However, this can lead to some problems. One of Ned's biggest criticisms is that he lets his players struggle far too long before pulling the plug. The most important instances last year were waiting to yank Kevin Mench and Bill Hall and leaving pitchers like Dave Bush and Derrick Turnbow in for too long so as to not damage their fragile professional egos.
This year Ned to needs to not make this mistake again. Yes, you need to give players some leeway, but if they're not doing their job, there needs to be some repercussions, whether it's a demotion or a week on the bench with extra required drills. As professionals with a couple of years experience and a 'win now' attitude, these guys can easily understand that production matters and if they're not getting the job done, they're going to run out of chances. Sometimes you have to sour some relationships because they'll eventually get over it. It's not his fault he had to yank you, it's your own.
To be continued... Don't have time to finish tonight.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Regarding Yost..the two criticisms you mentioned, changing lineups and not yanking struggling players, are the same two I always hear also.
Usually, Capuano is the name I hear mentioned the most. It's maybe inevitable that Cappy is dooged by the media because he strikes me as maybe the most honest of the pitchers you mentioned. He takes his struggles very hard and expresses his frustration publicly. He is not the typical athlete making excuses for himself. And he doesn't seem to shy away from reporters choosing to confess in front of the camera.
It's hard not to respect Capuano's approach, but in baseball like other sports, the arrogant athlete usually wins playing time because manager's perceive their ego's as a necessary "killer mentality" in order to succeed.
Regarding changing lineups, your analysis seems very thorough in that you include both perspectives. Some players, as you said, like to be on their toes...They like the unpredictability of waking up and not knowing if they will play and in teh Brewers situation whee they will play. Other players, specifically younger ones, prefer the stability of being pencilled in every day providing them a chance to show what they can do.
One thing is for sure. Ned Yost wears ear muffs. He worked out all the kinks of managerial techniques down south in Atlanta under Mr. Cox. He refuses to listen to public opinion regardless of it's validity. This might be his undoing.
Bobby Cox subscribes to the theory of changing lineups. So did Casey Stengel for the exact reasons you mentioned...It keeps his players on their toes, on the edge of their seats, and into the game. He favored no one...gave no special treatment to a star...not even Dimaggio. And he won.
But, every team has it's own personality and it seems sensible to adapt according to the spirit of the team. Yost would probably be better suited as manager of a tem where he decides what players are signed...This would create a Yost system that I think would work better. Are Doug Melvin and Ned Yost on the same page? When they speak about each other publicly, all is lambs and innocence, but who knows what they really think?
The popular opinion puts the majority of last year's collapse on pitching injuries...and starters not reaching the 6th inning enough. With Gallardo being hurt now, it seems like a new excuse is forming.
Brewer fns and management know very well that Buck Rodgers was fired early on in 1982 and replaced by the much more popular Harvey Kueen which leads me to a question. If Yost is fired, who steps in to replace him?
I hope it's somebody that doesn't stand at the dugout entrance with a grimace resembling a prison warden!
Most people would say replacing Yost mid-season would bring about the no-brainer selection of Mike Maddux, but I really would have to go with Ted Simmons. This seems like a far-fetched idea since he has little to no coaching experience in the big leagues, but on the business side of things, Teddy would pull crowds by himself and keep this cit behind their time. On the baseball side of things, Simmons is a no bull shit, enthusiastic guy who definitely gets the respect of the players because of his past accomplishments and his ability to teach.
Maddux is a miracle worker, but I don't think he's too calm of a guy to keep a team motivated over a 162 game season. Teachers make great assistants and that's exactly what Mike is.
Post a Comment