Tag Archives: Rather

Phil Sheridan would rather have Ryan Howard than Jayson Werth

Posted on by
Reply


I’ve already weighed in on the departure of Jayson Werth, who signed a 7-year deal with the Nationals today. Now here’s a different take, from Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Phil Sheridan, who thinks losing Werth is no big deal:

Sorry, but the Phillies would have been idiots to give Werth that deal. Those of you who bemoan their commitment to the aging Raul Ibanez should fast-forward to 2015, when an aged Phillies team would have been locked into two more years with a broken-down Werth. The GM would be cursing his predecessor – no way Ruben Amaro Jr. is still here if he tossed that contract Werth’s way – for tying his hands with such a short-sighted deal.

That makes perfect sense. It is rarely a good idea to sign a player who is entering his decline phase to a 7-year contract.

Too bad Sheridan doesn’t apply that same logic consistently to all players. He applauded when the Phillies signed Ryan Howard to an even more expensive contract extension, saying:

“(Howard) continues to try to work to be a better player. This kind of talk galls those who worship the almighty stat to the exclusion of all else. Howard’s entire career rattles their cages, which is one more reason to enjoy his work.”

I just don’t understand how signing Werth to a long, expensive deal is insane and signing Howard to a similar deal is smart.

Can somebody explain this to me?

Tagged:  Contract, Jayson Werth, Phil Sheridan, Ryan Howard




UmpBump.com

Would You Rather Be Ferguson or Ancelotti Right Now?

Posted on by
Reply

Would You Rather Be Ferguson or Ancelotti Right Now?

Which of these records sounds the superior one to you?

  • Played 14, Won 7, Drawn 7, lost 0

Or

  • Played 14, Won 9, Drawn 1, Lost 4

Ok, those of you not drunk will have spotted that these two records amount to the same amount of points. But I think psychologically, the first record looks instinctively superior because there is a zero in the lost column.

Any side which can claim to be unbeaten looks to be on pretty good form whereas a side that has lost nearly 30% of its game looks like it’s off the pace.

This is the dilemma that Manchester United find themselves in. Sure, they go into this weekend unbeaten this season, but this alternative way to break the points down shows how less stellar this form actually is.

Draws are stealth bombers to a clubs’ title challenge and can all too easily wreck a campaign. They mask inadequacy all too easily by preserving the unbeaten status. I keep hearing pundits commenting positively on how United’s form has not been good yet they’re still unbeaten as though this makes it alright. It isn’t. It is hiding a deeper malaise – the inability to win games. A 50% win ratio is not title winning form even in this more unpredictable season.

Unbeaten runs can also offer another danger. When you do eventually lose that pristine, virginal zero in the loss column, it can hurt confidence to a greater degree than would be the case if you’d won a couple more and lost a couple. It’s quite often the case that a long unbeaten run is followed by a couple of losses in short order.

In United’s favour is their tradition of not sitting back in games; a tradition that has been so successful at converting draws into wins in the past. This season it has been deployed more often to turn losses into draws.

You can prove anything with statistics of course and the league table doesn’t lie. United are still in a tremendous position despite their lack lustre form. But being unbeaten isn’t always a blessing

Editor’s Note: Johnny’s new book: “We Ate All The Pies: How Foot ball Swal lowed Britain Whole” is avail able via Ama zon US or Ama zon UK.

No related posts.



EPL Talk

The Florida Marlins Would Rather Not Honor Legendary Braves Manager Bobby Cox

Posted on by
Reply

Bobby Cox has had himself an amazing career as Braves (and, in the early-mid ’80s, Blue Jays) manager – just check the record. He’s so distinguished, in fact, that every team the Braves have played on the road this year has acknowledged Cox’ impending retirement in some way…until the Florida Marlins break the streak today.

Why wouldn’t they honor someone who’s been managing the Braves for longer than the Marlins have even existed? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s David O’Brien wonders if it’s because of a personal grudge on Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria’s part. Earlier this season, Loria fired manager Fredi Gonzalez, a longtime Cox associate, and understandably, Cox wasn’t happy about it:

“I know that guy [owner Jeffrey Loria] is unpredictable, but I was still [surprised],” Cox said that day. “After everything he’s done for that guy, are you [kidding] me?”

[...]

“They’ve gone down to the end [competing for a playoff spot] every year, playing their asses off,” Cox said. “That guy [Loria] doesn’t appreciate anything.”

We can’t blame Cox for saying this – considering the Marlins’ payroll remains one of baseball’s lowest (and wouldn’t the man responsible for that be…Loria?), Gonzalez did a nice job managing the team, finishing with winning records the last two seasons. He’s the least of the team’s problems, and shouldn’t have gotten the ax.

But at the same time, they’re harsh words, and we also can’t blame Loria for not being in a big hurry to honor Cox when he knows the guy’s opinion of him is so low. If we were Cox, we probably wouldn’t even want a tribute from Loria.

And Cox wasn’t the only one criticizing Loria – Kevin Kaduk of Big League Stew, whose post on the matter is linked above (and here), said among other things that Loria’s “next classy baseball move will be his first.”

Loria just does not have a very good reputation in general. Considering reports like this one from 2006, it’s not a mystery why:

[Then-Marlins-manager Joe] Girardi, who was ejected Saturday for arguing balls and strikes, did not leave the dugout to question home plate umpire Larry Vanover when two borderline pitches by Florida reliever Taylor Tankersley were called balls. But according to media reports, Loria, sitting in the stands next to the dugout, yelled at Vanover, prompting Girardi to turn and ask Loria to stop yelling.

The Bobby Cox flap will likely only exacerbate Loria’s image problems. And even if it would have been strange if he had paid tribute to Cox’ career, Cox only talked smack in the first place to stand by a friend who’d been, by all accounts, done wrong by Loria. And around baseball, Bobby Cox’ word carries just a bit more weight than Jeffrey Loria’s.

Photo via

SportsGrid