Interview a new manager

[Banedon]

Pretend Dusty gets fired. Pretend real hard...if all the boys and girls across the country wish it hard enough...

 

Sorry, hijacking my own topic.

 

The Cubs Reporter has a good article about the questions he would ask a prospective manager. I'm especially partial to the last one.

 

But it got me thinking, if you were to interview candidates for the Cubs manager, what would you ask to ensure that the guy you were hiring was a guy that would lead this team to a WS? No fair asking ones that were in this article....:)

[minnesotacubsfan]

What is more important to you, OBP or having a late inning defensive (vetern) infielder?

 

that might be a loaded question...lol

[soccer10k]

4. Roughly speaking, how long and how severely must a starting player be slumping before he loses his status as a starter? To what extent do you factor in the player’s previous record of performance? How about your team’s “closer”?

 

Depends on who the pitcher is. If Maddux has two or three bad starts you aren't going to consider removing him as a starter. But if the player is a rookie then it's different.

 

And if the pitcher's name is Rusch, the answer is 0 starts.

[Outshined_One]

15. In one minute, without using your hands, a computer, puppets, clay models, mimes, or any other visual aids, describe the theory and practice of the double-switch.

 

Awesome.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

"Davey, how much would it take for you to manage again?"

[bhogg]

1. Do you have a brain?

 

2. When can you start?

[sunnydoo]

Can you win if I give you retread and/or [expletive] players?

 

How do you feel if i select your entire coaching staff for you?

 

Can you still win with little support from the front office when things go wrong?

 

Last question- Can you keep up the mysterious aura of "cant miss" prospects missing and providing useless and totally meaningless injury reports by the front office?

[Wilson A2000]

The only real question that needs to be asked is "Does Neifi have bad pictures of you also?"

[cheapseats]

What would you do differently than every other manager in major league baseball?

 

Note: I wouldn't even interview anyone who played before 1969.

[Roast]

1. Please explain the meaning and application of OBP.

 

2. Would you ever start neifi Perez?

 

3. Would you ever play Bynum?

 

4. Given the situation in which a rookie is batting .280/.350/.850, and a veteran .270/.320/.790..who do you start?

 

5. Given the situation where a player is batting .091 with the same OBP after 30+ ab's...do you ever play him again (MACIAS)

 

6. What separates you as different from the rest of the managers in baseball

 

7. When chosing a pitcher to bring into a game, do you rely on Righty vs Lefty, or do you rely on what each pitcher has done historically vs right or left handed batters (REMLINGER)

 

8. Have you ever in any way shape or form called a player your girlfriend, a striped bass, or anything else totally unintelligable?

[Scott G. F.]

The only real question that needs to be asked is "Does Neifi have bad pictures of you also?"

 

LOL Good one.

[Backtobanks]

Can you get your own coffee?

[mul21]

This guy isn't on the fire Baker tomorrow bandwgn? I don't know what his problem is, especially after the good questions he would ask a prospective manger, but he should be on the fire Baker YESTERDAY bandwgn.

[Wheelimus]

1) Given the choice between the following two players

 

Neifi Perez

A Well Trained Chimpanzee

 

Who do you start?

 

2) True or false: Walks clog the bases, and are a detriment to team performance.

 

3) You find yourself in the unlikely situation of having a left fielder who cannot hit left handed hitters to save his life. Your team has stupidly agreed to pay him a full time wage. Do you bite the bullet and platoon him anyway, or continue to set him up for failure to not make your bosses look like idiot?

 

4) What do you consider to be an acceptable on base percentage from your top 4 batting order spots, feel free to use a different threshold for each position.

 

5) Which is more important, basic baseball logic (such as bringing in a lefty to face a left handed hitter) or actual career performance on a player by player basis (as in, not using a guy as a LOOGY if he has reverse splits, aka gets righties out better)

 

6) It's the bottom of the first. Your leadoff hitter just slapped his way on base. Your #2 hitter is batting just under .300. Do you give him a chance to move the runner over without making an out, or do you go straight to the sacrifice bunt?

 

7) You wake up one morning and Jose Macias in on your 25 man roster. How quickly can you fix this problem?

 

8) You get a new job one morning and Freddy Bynum in on your 25 man roster. How quickly will you fix this problem?

 

9) Your team has just gone 1-13, failing to be competitive what so ever. Do you make excuses for your team to avoid bruising egos, or are you honest and explain the losing streak to be due to the teams failures?

 

10) You have a lefty in your rotation who you fear is incapable of getting little league hitters out. Somehow he has a 2 year, 5 million dollar contract. Do you designate him for assignment (eating the money) for the good of the team, or keep him in the bigs to justify his salary?

[Outshined_One]

1) Let's assume the team is facing a formidable opposing pitcher (Roger Clemens, Jake Peavy, or one of their like). At a certain position, you have two possibilities at starter. The first of them is a young and somewhat unproven, yet promising, player who has never faced this pitcher before in his life. The other is an older veteran who has little offensive value, but is excellent defensively, who has seen this pitcher in 6 previous ABs and is 3/6 lifetime against the guy. Which do you start and why?

 

2) What's your opinion of Adam Dunn?

 

3) In terms of assessing players, do you prefer statistics or what you see with your own eyes? Why?

 

4) Overall, do you prefer hitters who have an aggressive approach or a patient approach?

 

5) Do you need a lefty in your rotation?

 

6) Do you factor breaking up left and right handed hitters into making a lineup?

 

7) One of your pitchers goes through periods of time when his mechanics become inconsistent. Do you ride him out, hoping he'll straighten them out on his own, or do you try to straighten them out with the pitching coach?

 

8) Do you keep track of your starter's pitch counts? At the most, how many pitches would you let a starter throw over the course of a game?

 

9) How important are wins by a starter to you?

 

10) In making a lineup, what stats do you use for determining where each player hits?