The Great Wedge …
Posted: October 8th, 2007 | Filed under: Baseball | 18 Comments »
This is an ode to Eric Wedge. Monday night in New York, he did absolutely nothing that I, as a fan, agreed with. Nothing. He started Paul Byrd when I was sure he should have gone with C.C. Sabathia on short rest. He played Kelly Shoppach because he’s Paul Byrd’s personal catcher, which just seemed comical and absurd to me (I honestly thought you had to be like Steve Carlton or Bob Gibson to have your own personal catcher). He rather bizarrely did not have Kenny Lofton bunt in the eighth inning with runners on first and second, this after spending the first three games sacrificing more than the Aztecs.
Then in the ninth inning, a few minutes after watching Rafael Betancourt blow through the Yankees, he put in closer Joe Borowski, who had a 5.09 ERA this year, and gave up nine homers in 65 innings.
And you know what? It worked anyway. Byrd pitched five strong. Shoppach hit the ball hard. Lofton’s non-bunt didn’t matter. Borowski shakily put the game away. The Indians won. The expected heartbreak never arrived. The Yankees go home, Joe Torre wanders into forced retirement, the Indians go on to face Boston with their No. 1 and No. 2 starters ready to go. It’s all good.
Look: I’m not going to offer that cliche, “That’s why Eric Wedge is managing and I’m not†line because I don’t believe that. There are a million other reasons why Eric Wedge is managing the Indians and I’m not … most of them having something to do with the fact that Wedge knows baseball and I’m just a goofball fan of the game. But this isn’t one of those reasons. I still disagree with all those moves. I still think any one of them could have blown up, and I frankly think Wedge was lucky they did not blow up. Especially Borowski in the ninth.
No, what I’ll say is this: I admire Eric Wedge for sticking with what he believes in. This is an admirable quality. I’ve long believed that the best managers are just that, the best MANAGERS — they have a way of infusing confidence in their players, getting players to understand what they’re about, defining roles, finding ways to minimize their players weaknesses and highlight their strengths and avoid putting anyone in a position to fail. This is much harder to do than, say, having the gut instinct to suicide squeeze at the right time. It’s also, in my opinion, much more important.
And here’s what I think: In order for a manager to be successful, he has to know exactly what he’s about. It can’t be fake, not over a long season. I remember a few years ago, when I was writing columns in Cincinnati, rookie manager Ray Knight (heckuva nice guy) called me into his office after I wrote a pointed column suggesting that he stop listening to talk radio shows (which he was doing) and start following his own instincts. I expected a Mike-Gundy-like beat-down from Knight, especially when I saw my column hanging on the cork-board behind his desk.
“Joe-Joe,†he said, and I braced myself.
“Joe-Joe, you’re exactly right,†he said, and he launched into a long soliloquy about how right I was, and how he was not being himself, and how he wasn’t going to listen to those other guys anymore … and I wanted to tell him, “Uh, Ray, I meant don’t listen to me either. I’m dumb too.†But he was off and running, and anyway, I realized then that Ray wasn’t at all sure what kind of manager he wanted to be. You may be surprised by how many managers in sports have that very problem. I would say more than half of the coaches I’ve covered through the years fit the description.
Wedge knows himself, and I have immense respect for that. Funny, I criticized him here on this blog for going with Byrd, and I was instant-message-ripping him when Borowski came into the game, but all along I KNEW Wedge was going to do those things, because that’s what he does. He trusts his guys. He trusts Byrd to get outs at Yankee Stadium when the statistics say no. He trusts Borowski to finish things off with his ballsy pitching and frightening lack of stuff. It’s a gift.
Perfect example: Monday night, Wedge put all his faith in Paul Byrd, and Byrdy clawed and bluffed and survived for five good innings (I applaud Paul — good for him — though I will say the television announcers made him sound like he was Christy Matthewson meets Carl Hubbell, and that might have been a little bit of overkill. At one point, I could have sworn that Tony Gwynn said, “He’s a lot like John Smoltz.†I suppose this is true if Gwynn meant that they are both right-handed. And carbon-based life forms).
Meanwhile, Joe Torre showed absolutely no faith in Mike Mussina — he went with Chien-Ming Wang on three days rest — and then Torre had to go Mussina early anyway, which could not have been a comfortable situation for anybody. Moose pitched OK, but that wasn’t good enough.
I thought going in that Wedge did the wrong thing strategically, Torre the right thing, but that’s a beautiful thing about baseball and sports. Strategy is only one part of the game. Wedge has real faith in his people, and he shows it night in and night out, and his players often reward that faith. In that way, Wedge is from the Bobby Cox school of managing, and there haven’t been many better than Bobby Cox.
Of course, there have not been many managers who broke more hearts in the postseason than Bobby Cox. But that’s a whole other story. I hope.
I also still hope that Wedge shows just a little more of a killer instinct as the Indians move along in the playoffs. But tonight, we raise a glass to Eric Wedge. I was wrong. Wedge was right — or at least right enough, which is all that it takes.
One final question: Will the New York writers tear apart Derek Jeter for having one of the most un-clutch series I can remember a player having?
Loading ...
Right on, Joe. Your point about managers is well taken. To me, thats why you can’t statistically determine the value of a manager. Its too abstract.
I really like this Indians team, though. Two dominant starters, a potent lineup, and great setup men make them fun to watch. Borowski is definitely the weak link, but something tells me they’ll get by regardless.
Thank you! I agree entirely. I’m a die-hard Giants fan who endured ten years of Dusty Baker, and I think what you said about Eric Wedge goes for him as well. I thought I was going to have an aneurysm when he put Shinjo at DH and Lofton in center for the last two games of the 2002 World Series, with Lofton’s declining judgment and arm and Shinjo’s ability to outhit nearly 80% of American League relief pitchers. That was a disastrously poor decision, but it was that kind of faith and loyalty that made Dusty’s Giants an offensive powerhouse* despite having possibly the two biggest jerks in baseball as their 3-4 tandem. Somehow all the stars stayed happy, pharmaceutically fueled rages notwithstanding, and those teams won a heck of a lot more games than anybody ever thought they would.
In response to the final question: No, they’ll still think it’s A-Rod’s fault.
*The 2000 Giants had a team OPS+ of 123. As far as I can tell, only this year’s Yankees have matched that in the last thirty years. And both teams went 1-3 in the LDS. Coincidence? Of course.
“Will the New York writers tear apart Derek Jeter for having one of the most un-clutch series I can remember a player having?”
Of course not, they’re all trying to figure out a way to blame A-Rod for Jeter’s failure. Maybe it’s because A-Rod backstabbed him by no longer being friends, and since Jeter’s such a great guy, he’s been hurt by it all this time and it’s crested to this performance. Or that A-Rod yelled “Mine” as Jeter was swinging him, distracting Jetes just enough to mess up his swing and not get the hit that would turn the tide. Whoa, I think I just went into the mind of a NY writer, I have to shower now.
The scariest part for me was that some of my Red Sox brethren were actually hoping to see the Bankees (coined that from Fairly Oddparents, yes I watch cartoons) push it to Game 5 so that we might not see Sabathia twice. That’s just dirty, like a “slum apartment’s bathroom” dirty. No matter what, I could never, ever, root for the Yankees.
http://bp1.blogger.com/_Xtn5bp8dZEg/RwsexK_Qf3I/AAAAAAAAAm8/aKmvC3vYrsc/s1600-h/yankeesdontadvance3.bmp
huh? you’re a stay-the-course guy? cmon.
I haven’t read any NY papers yet, but I’m guessing more than one columnist wrote that ARod could only come through with a home run once the game was out of reach. Jeter’s fabulous .176/.176/.176 line will be a footnote.
As expected, from Joel Sherman in the NY Post. About 100 words on how ARod’s performance fell short, about a dozen words on Captain Jetes:
“A-Rod struck out miserably on the minimum six pitches in his first two at-bats as Cleveland raced ahead 6-1. He then singled and homered, but it was too little and for so many members of the Yanks – notably Torre – too late. A-Rod ended his 15-game, postseason RBI drought. But since the fifth inning of ALCS Game 4 in 2004 against the Red Sox, Rodriguez is hitless in 27 at-bats with men on base in the playoffs. That would be difficult for a pitcher. How do you explain that for the sport’s most talented player?
How do you explain Wang lasting 52/3 innings over two starts and being pummeled for 12 runs? How do you explain the majors’ best offense going uniformly cold and/or tight in another postseason? This wasn’t just A-Rod.
The Yanks were 5-for-37 with men on base in the three losses. Even Torre’s most loyal lieutenant, Derek Jeter, lost his clutch gene this October. “
Joe, thanks for entirely summing up my Monday night experience. At times, I couldn’t even watch for fear that Wedge had blown it, giving the hated Yankees yet another foot in the door to decimate the Cleveland pysche and strut on to a showdown against Boston. But I was wrong, too, and now it’s the Indians moving along. As a native Ohioan living in Syracuse, NY the past 19 years, you can’t imagine what a pleasure the rest of this week will be.
As for the NY writers on ARod and Jeter, who cares!
Let me preface my remarks by saying I understand VORP, OPS, WARP and all those other stats. Your column though underlies why stats are only a part of the bigger picture. They aren’t the anti-christ some would make them out to be, nor though, are they able to explain the human side of the equation.
The players and managers alike are living breathing baseball men. Sometimes they need a kick in the butt, other times you have to believe in their qualities as ball players, be they the number one guy on your staff or that middle relief pitcher/utility infielder doing a job that you or I think we could do from the comfort of our armchairs.
It is the ability of a manager to get the most out of his charges, managing the cerebral/emotional side of the players that will make the difference.
It’s how the underdog becomes top dog!
Glad to see you blogging again Joe!
I have always believed as Sgt. Oddball believes – “Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?”
I predict the Tribe will avenge the loss by them Detroiters last year and bring the World Series trophy back to the Central Division where it belongs. Then next year the White Sox will win it and hell maybe even the Royals will get a turn.
Oops…I see it’s past time for me to take my meds.
Even though stats ARE important, I think a lot of people forget that a manager isn’t just plugging number into a computer, he is managing human beings, people who have emotions that have to be managed. Paul Byrd is the protypical “crafty vet,” but this team believes in him, Wedge believe sin him, and he himself admitted, he had some extra adrenaline pumping because he was anxious to prove everyone wrong about him.
And you know what? He did. The confidence Wedge has in JoBo and Byrd has absolutely shown up in their ability to pitch through all this pressure. Sometimes we forget that players are still people, and Wedge has done a great job managing them this year.
I am very impressed with Eric Wedge. Great blog!
I have one quibble. Although you do not say it, the implication is that unlike Wedge Torre does not trust his players. As a matter of fact, what he is often most criticized for is exactly the opposite, that he puts his faith in players who have performed for him before even if the wiser choice would be to use others.
In any case, going with Wang was not showing a lack of faith in Mussina but confidence in Wang. Was Torre up 2-1 it is entirely possible Mussina would have started game 4. And if the situation were reversed, it is equally possible the Yankees would have seen Sabathia in game 4.
I almost fell off my chair laughing when the TBS announcer described Byrd’s effort as “scintillating.” Now, I like Byrd, and I thought Wedge’s decision to start him was defensible, given the fact that the Indians’ are trying to maximize their chances of winning the World Series, not just the Division Series. But I’m not sure if Paul Byrd has ever given a performance on the mound that could reasonably be referred to as scintillating, and if he has this sure wasn’t it.
“…(T)his after spending the first three games sacrificing more than the Aztecs.”
“I suppose this is true if Gwynn meant they are both right handed. And carbon-based life forms.”
Great stuff. That’s writing.
Greg Andrew:
But I’m not sure if Paul Byrd has ever given a performance on the mound that could reasonably be referred to as scintillating . . .
On Sept. 1, 2007, Byrd threw a four-hit complete game shutout against the White Sox. He did the same against the Twins on Aug. 6.
That’s plenty scintillating enough for this Tribe fan.
What ISN’T scintillating is my HTML skills, such as they are. The second game’s box score is here.
Amazing article.
I hope you’ll comment my blog..
Thank You Again