What Type of Fan Are You?
June 18, 2008Ridiculous Upside SBNation Mock Draft
June 19, 2008
Do we here at Waiting For Next Year tend to focus much nihilism towards our professional play-calling directors? Perhaps. And often times, it may be laced with a dab of frustration that can lead to unwarrented blame. It is a secret to no one that the Cavaliers’ Mike Brown was a frequent target of much angst and solicitude thanks to an almost-stubborn lack of offensive execution. Frequently leaving a fan base in such a state of disbelief will oftentimes result in comparable response.
Alas, I engross this piece regarding a man in a similar position, haplessly for a similar reason: a severe lack of offense. But unlike Brown, who sticks to his virtues and says that his team focuses on – and wins basketball games thanks to – the defensive side of the ball, Eric Wedge seems uncomfortably complacent with said scarce run production.
In a post-game interview, behold the words of Wedge:
“If you compare some of our at-bats at home vs. here, they’re not too far apart. We’re hitting balls right at people. I still feel our guys are giving themselves a chance.”
A team that is coming off of a relatively warm stretch of productive games, the Indians took their game to one of the best hitters parks in all the land – to face one of the worst record-based teams in the league. The ultimate result? Two runs in each of the last two contests.
The quote above sounds eerily similar to a fan of a beaten team that goes home at the end of the season and says, “oh, what could have been.” These words, or some of the like, were muttered quite frequently at the cessation of the most recent season of the Brown and Orange. If we could have held our lead against Pittsburgh in the fourth quarter. If Derek Anderson didn’t loft a handful of interceptions against Cincinnati. If Indianapolis would have actually fielded a team against the Tennessee Titans.
To say that a team is giving themselves a chance at this point in a season is inexcusable. A chance is the fact that one who bats in this organized game gets three misses, or strikes, before having his opportunity ended. The remainder comes in execution – something that has been absent from this team for the entire slate of games, save for an occasional night where the golden egg of fortune falls into their collective laps.
We have sat many of nights, blaming weather, injuries, timing. Discounting the happenstance at the hands of track meet-canceling tail winds in Arlington, Texas, this offense has been anchored and immobile. Many have called for the occupational head of Derek Shelton, citing a similar situation not all that long ago when Eddie Murray’s time had come to an end. But this team has come to Sir Shelton’s defense, using a bevy of excuses as to why it is not the hitting coaches fault.
If said exuses stand true, why not go straight to the top of the play-calling totem poll, and say that Eric Wedge’s time has come? When you lose two must-win games – games that make or break your team in terms of contention – and are comfortable with the “chances” you are given, it is clear that the winning mentality is gone. “At least we tried are best” doesn’t cut it any longer. You can knock Chicago’s Ozzie Guillen all you’d like, but while he has the occasional spat with rationale, he also has passion, fire, and the desire to win – and it is conveyed. All three of the aforementioned traits are completely absent from Cleveland’s Manager, Eric Wedge.
Last season, our current opponents in the Colorado Rockies were confronted with nearly an entire month of must-win baseball. They needed to win, fought many nights, and did what needed to be done. Obviously, you know the rest of the story.
Sure, they have players on their roster like Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins. But top to bottom, you’re going to declare the roster of the Rockies that of more talent than the Indians? Jeff Baker has three home runs over 105 at-bats this season. Two of them have come against the Indians over the last two nights. Pitcher Jeff Francis had won just two of his previous 14 starts. You can now make that three of fifteen.
You can also firmly plot the Indians in sole position of fourth place in a five-team division, three games out of last place. The Tigers are 8-2 in their last ten games, all against teams that they should beat. The Indians, against similar teams are 5-5 and are a game away from heading to one of the poorest parks for hitters in Dodger Stadium. Again, all set up by a lack of execution when needed most.
But hey, at least we had a chance. Or happenstance, depending on your point of view.
11 Comments
Wow. EXCELLENT piece Scott.
Good work, Scott. I agree completely.
Yep….Wedge is at a loss for what is happening. But, at least we have good character guys
MacNip – assuming sarcasm, I’m glad those character guys are good for wins.
I’ll third that.
And by the way, who didn’t see from a mile away Andy Marte grounding into a double play and Kelly Shoppach striking out in the ninth inning last night?
I like this post because I agree that Wedge is the biggest impediment to this team’s success. The predictability of failure all around (scenarios like the one I just mentioned, Byrd starting in Colorado, bullpen blowups like that of Raffy P. and Mujica against San Diego, etc.) points to a larger problem than the hitting coach.
I wonder if Shapiro ever yells at Wedge over this stuff, or if they just stand around looking forlorn together like in that AP photo we have seen a whole lot of this season.
…I took so long writing that I guess I fourthed or fifth that.
I have been calling for Wedge’s head for three years. He is by far the worst manager in baseball when it comes to execution and strategy. He may be a “players coach”, but it is time for him to take his act elsewhere.
Does Wedge have any trade value? He was Manager of the Year last year…
I’ve been preaching the exact same thing over at JJHuddle.com since 2005. He won’t get rid of Shelton because he’s one of “his boys” … unlike Eddie Murray (or Milton Bradley … or Brandon Phillips).
Crapiro and Ass Wedge refuse to shake anything up because that would admit failure … and they’re not in it to win it. They’re in it to look good and to “stay on the path.” These guys (Shapiro especially) are more obsessed with showing people how intelligent they are. It’s sad. They’ve run us into the depths of Royals and Pirates-like lows.
take it a little easy there, thedave. these guys who say are not in it to win it engineered a team that tied for the best record in baseball last year, and came within one win of the world series. i think your memory is a little bit short-term, my man. this year sucks to suffer through, to be sure, but how could you predict that the same team as last year would struggle so mightily.
that’s not meant to defend wedge. his managing this season has left a lot to be desired, and the general organization inertia with respect to making meangingful moves, in players or coaches, is frustrating. let’s bear in mind, though, that this is not a team that has the ability to make big free agent splashes or take on a huge contract. i think a little credit should go to the front office that built up a squad whose starting rotation didn’t even blink when it lost both fausto and westbrook for extended, overlapping periods of time (now that westbrook is done for the year, the tune may be a bit different).
all the same, wedge’s message may just not be getting through anymore, a la flip saunders in detroit, and it may be time for a shake up as a result.
Gordo – you hit it on the head. You can only use the same tools for so long before it’s time to go another direction. Baseball is a business, and when a corporation feels that leadership isn’t getting the job done, the board decides to move on without said Chairman. I think the board on Carnagie and Ontario could use a wake-up call.