This Is A Joke
by Josh from Hollywood on May 20, 2006 5:50 PM PDT
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PrintSometimes I wonder if Brian Sabean is just a contrarian. Maybe he gets his kicks by trying to do the opposite of what everybody else does.
Once again, it seems the Giants have played short-handed for a week, keeping an injured player on the roster, only to eventually disable him anyway. The Giants Notes on MLB.com is now reporting that Lance Niekro is likely headed to the DL:
This has been an annoying trend the last few seasons, though several times the player in question has been Bonds, which completely changes the equation. The way Bonds affects a game, keeping him out for 10 days before he can play instead of placing him on the 15-day DL is likely worth it just for the 5 games you WILL have him. But Niekro and Ray Durham? I don't think so. And I certainly don't think the Giants have enough depth of talent to give away a roster spot.
You know those times late in a close game when you think about who's left to pinch hit and it just doesn't seem like there's any good choices? Well, that's because there aren't. When you're already carrying 7 relievers and one position player who can't hit a lick (Vizcaino), carrying another who is physically unable to swing a bat tends to limit your PH options.
I know, there isn't a whole lot to choose from among position players in the minors right now, but if the best defense the organization can come up with for this is, "Hey, we're better off with a guy who can't play than bringing up one of the crappy players we have in the minors", that doesn't exactly paint them in best light, now does it?
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Idiot.
by The Balls of Summer on May 20, 2006 6:44 PM PDT reply actions
Re: This Is A Joke
And Sabean is not the only one to do this. If you have ever played fantasy baseball, it is situations like this that drives you crazy and I've seen this type of behavior on other teams, where it is day-to-day and then slowly becomes 5-7 days, whereupon they finally throw him on the 15 day DL.
What I'm hoping for now is that they bring up Ishikawa and let him start most of the time.
by obsessivegiantscompulsive on May 20, 2006 7:33 PM PDT reply actions
Re: This Is A Joke
It's not like we're talking about an indispensible part here. It's the stars who usually get babied like that (which is why you notice it on your fantasy team). Guys like Lance Niekro aren't on fantasy teams, and don't usually get carried on a roster when they can't play.
At some point, when the brittle guys get hurt you just have to bite the bullet and say, let's not take any chances and DL them.
by Josh from Hollywood on May 20, 2006 8:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Re: This Is A Joke
It's easy to think that anyone could do better than what Niekro is doing right now, but it's tough in the majors. Adrian Gonzalez, who I thought would do well, hasn't been doing much for the Padres. And Carlos Pena has been bouncing up and down for years now. And I thought Hee Seop Choi was ready when he was with the Marlins, and here he is in AAA again. Then, of course, Chris Shelton comes up and makes it all look easy.
by obsessivegiantscompulsive on May 21, 2006 12:51 AM PDT up reply actions
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Second, diagnosing injury recovery time is an inexact science. Different people recover from injuries at different rates. Sometimes you don't see the full extent of the injury at first. Sometimes the player lies about how he's feeling. Sometimes, as a trainer, you just screw up and misjudge the time. A day-to-day drags out day by day until you start to look ridiculous, and Internet posters start slamming your general manager for poor roster management.
And, sometimes, just sometimes, while that player is day-to-day, your team wins four out of five anyway. What a disaster!
I got Sabean's back on this one. You can't blame him for any delay in putting Niekro on the DL.
Re: This Is A Joke
Also, a decision in baseball is judged by the odds it gives your team to win, not just if it works out or not. If you think the result (winning 4 out of 5) is how you should judge every decision then you should never criticize any move until the end of the season because what if all those decisions add up to a World Series title. For instance, if you see the starting lineup and VizII is in CF and batting cleanup, you can't criticize it. You have to wait to see if the team somehow ends up winning the game.
By the way, the last time they did this with Durham they lost 4 of 5.
by Josh from Hollywood on May 21, 2006 11:47 AM PDT up reply actions
Re: This Is A Joke
I would agree with your point about judging decision making in baseball, but I would also point out that at the end of the season, they still give the rings to the team that actually won the games--not the team that made the decisions that gave them the best chances. The latter may win points on Internet forums, but it's the actual W-L records that determine who goes to the playoffs. (And who keeps their jobs as managers and GMs, too.)
Re: This Is A Joke
"This has been a recurring problem with Niekro, who is historically injury-prone, and slower than expected to heal -- just like Durham. Remember Niekro's lingering foot problem last year? That was supposed to be just a day or two as well. And then there was the shin splits earlier this year which kept him out even before he went on the Bereavement List (which, even the team admitted allowed him needed time to heal)."
But I'll be a little more specific. You're right, Sabean isn't a doctor, he must rely heavily on Stan Conte's advice. Conte must accept some of the blame, and I probably should've mentioned him in my rant as well, but the final decision is Sabean's.
Ever heard the saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"? Well, Conte's prediction for when Niekro would heal by has been too conservative 3 times in a row in less than a year. At what point does Sabean start to see the trend and realize that Niekro is a slower healer than even Conte realizes? Think about it, if you had an employee who was constantly telling you something would take a day or two, but it always took a week, wouldn't you stop having faith in his predictions and plan for it to take longer than he says?
by Josh from Hollywood on May 22, 2006 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions
Re: This Is A Joke
But anyway, I see your argument now, and while I disagree with your conclusion about Sabean, I do agree that Niekro is a frustrating, frustrating player, both in terms of his injuries and his ability.
Re: This Is A Joke
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