I don't see any point in turning over one or two slots on the roster. Shipping out The Cobbler and promoting J-Rod might make sense, but it doesn't appreciably address the fact that our starters are not hitting.
TLR basically stated in today's PD that his players are not ready. Why not hold Hal McRae responsible?
By the time Pirates reliever Matt Capps used six pitches to get two strikeouts from the final two batters of the game, La Russa was seeing signs of the same things that irked him Monday. The same pitches that got his hitters out Monday kept getting his hitters outs Tuesday.
No adjustments.
Nothing more than flickers of offense.
That's why he called for change, and not just of venue.
A change? Start with the hitting coach, stupid.
Isn't it McRae's responsibility to get the hitters ready? Isn't he supposed to help hitters make adjustments when things get off track?
I wish we still had Mitchell Paige. He seemed to know what he was doing with our hitters. What was the name of the coach he replaced mid-season? I don't remember, but I remember one in-game interview where he said basically he loves to watch Albert swing and just lets him do his thing. Sure, it's Albert, but I really dislike coaches that take that kind of approach. Probably why I think Phil Garner is a horrible, horrible manager.
Hungary Jack wrote:I don't see any point in turning over one or two slots on the roster. Shipping out The Cobbler and promoting J-Rod might make sense, but it doesn't appreciably address the fact that our starters are not hitting.
TLR basically stated in today's PD that his players are not ready. Why not hold Hal McRae responsible?
By the time Pirates reliever Matt Capps used six pitches to get two strikeouts from the final two batters of the game, La Russa was seeing signs of the same things that irked him Monday. The same pitches that got his hitters out Monday kept getting his hitters outs Tuesday.
No adjustments.
Nothing more than flickers of offense.
That's why he called for change, and not just of venue.
A change? Start with the hitting coach, stupid.
Isn't it McRae's responsibility to get the hitters ready? Isn't he supposed to help hitters make adjustments when things get off track?
Seems logical. But who would you want as his replacement?
Hungary Jack wrote:
Isn't it McRae's responsibility to get the hitters ready? Isn't he supposed to help hitters make adjustments when things get off track?
I honestly don't think hitting coaches have much of an effect on a team's ability to hit or to really even prepare for a game - although I'm sure they do something positive, I don't think it's something the player hasn't already done on his own.
That said, part of the job description for a coach like this is to be the fall guy. From a PR perspective, it might no be a bad idea for Hal and the Cardinals to part ways.
I do believe hitting coaches can influence batters. The Cardinals hitters go up hacking at anything close in a RBI situation, instead of waiting for a good pitch to hit. That might be reflective of the hitting coach.
As for Walker and guys like Will Clark, well, players who were very talented can't always convey that message, because it came naturally for them.
