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Subject: 2002 season Author: Oak Lawn Guy [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 17:23:12 08/25/02 Sun This should be the reply to the James Rinne thread below, sorry about the NT. I keep hitting enter instead of tab. I think this team has made great strides this season and when you consider they started with virtually nothing it's an even bigger achievement. The offense has been tremendous, the GM and his aides saw fit to add Balet, Schmitz and Gontmaher, the cogs in the lineup. Defensively I though Firlit was probably the best in the league, but they need to upgrade or have the present roster improve on its performance next year. Pitching was the Achilles heel this season. While they retained Houdek (who subsequently left) and Clelland, losing Jason Shelley took its toll. I am not sure what the story behind his leaving was but we could have used him in the rotation. Bircher dropped off from last year's performance, and while Grant Williams has emerged as a closer candidate, I don't see much middle relief help. Honda had a poor first half. I think three or four pitchers can put them in playoffs next year. Hitting .400+ will probably earn Balet an offer from an affiliate. But retaining the heart of the order would be a coup. But the bottom line is this team is truly much closer to post season play than the 2001 version. To me this puts the onus on the staff to come up with a better on field product in 2003, but they rose to the challenge this year, so there's hope. As far as Dana Forsberg's job, from what I've read he's been seen as a team leader since he arrived anyway. I don't think age has much to do with respect in this league or any other; there have been a whole lot of big league managers who found success only a few years removed from an active roster. There are a bunch of guy in the "good ol boys" network who will never manage a winner. And yes, Forsberg may have had some inkling that he'd take a position of authority on the team this year, having been involved in off-season scouting, but still to have to assume the task after only a couple weeks into the season had to be somewhat of a scramble. So here's to success in 2003, if we can keep the team here. All signs point to that happening too. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Subject: Re: 2002 season Author: Amy [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 02:00:07 08/26/02 Mon Last year Bircher ended the season with a ERA that was just over 3 and currently it is 1.91 (which is one of the lowest in the league, especially for closers) He has given up only 8 earned runs in 37 innings of work and throws consistantly in the 90s where as last year it was in the high 80s and sometimes in the 90s. You call that dropping off? [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: 2002 season Author: Oak Lawn Guy [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 18:00:36 08/26/02 Mon 4 losses, 4 blown saves in relief? Yep that's a dropoff to me. A short reliever's ERA is overrated. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> Subject: Re: 2002 season Author: Greg [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 19:42:10 08/26/02 Mon Lets not forget that the outfielders can sometimes lose a game for the pitchers. The pitcher himself can be doing good, but a few missed catches and overthrows can cost a pitcher the game and give him a loss. Something to think about. I don't think Chad has had a bad season this year and quite frankly am surprised he hasn't been picked up by an affiliate yet. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> Subject: Re: 2002 season Author: Oak Lawn Guy [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 21:02:20 08/26/02 Mon Well, I agree with Greg to a certain point. I have a thing about unearned runs and a pitcher's ability to avoid them, errors notwithstanding, but I don't want to turn this into a Chad Bircher burning. The bigger issue is they need a better pen and a couple more starters, or improvement from a couple returning starters. Chad Bircher is certainly a key to that goal should he rejoin the squad next year, and there is no reason to think he can't do it. On the subject of hooking up with an affiliate, I am thinking that it's going to be tough for Cheetah management to hold together a group of Balet, Bircher, Clelland, Williams and two or three others who deserve a shot at the big time. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]