Sveum Suggests Sending Castro and Rizzo to AAA

[NewUserName]

I wonder if they were playing solid defense but were struggling at the plate would Sveum and Kaplanians even consider talking about demoting them. I think they would be much more patient with offensive struggles.

[Tryptamine]

I know it wont happen, but if Theo stood by and let this happen I would be 100% done with this team.

[Guest]

I don't see the big deal. He's just trying to motivate his players.

Kind of a disrespectful way of doing so, don't you think? Going to the media with that kind of musing won't build a lot of loyalty amongst the troops.

He's been doing this sort of thing since he took over, I noted it several times last year. I don't much care for it. Handle business in the clubhouse and leave cliches for the media. He's got a lot to learn too.

[Guest]

The quote Sullivan uses isn't in that video so it's hard to say definitively, but at the Tribune link there's 3 minutes of video of Sveum talking about the errors and it's an incredible stretch to say that he's threatening Rizzo and Castro with demotion like Sullivan and (disappointingly) Miles use as the headline of their piece.

[USSoccer]

It doesn't matter if he's talking about Castro and Rizzo, or Castillo and Valbuena or whoever. Putting players on blast to the press 16 games into the season is a pretty stupid thing to do, even if he is correct.

[Guest]

It doesn't matter if he's talking about Castro and Rizzo, or Castillo and Valbuena or whoever. Putting players on blast to the press 16 games into the season is a pretty stupid thing to do, even if he is correct.

 

Watch the video, it does not come across as him threatening any players. It's probably a bad move to let the press continue to bait him for 5 minutes on the topic until he's given them their headline, but the message I take away from the video is 1) These mistakes are not acceptable 2) We've taken steps to address those mistakes and 3) If play continues to be crappy, then the team keeps losing and people lose their jobs. #3 could maybe be interpreted as threatening players with benching or demotion, but to me that comes off as a collective "we lose our jobs when the team loses this way repeatedly".

[USSoccer]

It doesn't matter if he's talking about Castro and Rizzo, or Castillo and Valbuena or whoever. Putting players on blast to the press 16 games into the season is a pretty stupid thing to do, even if he is correct.

 

Watch the video, it does not come across as him threatening any players. It's probably a bad move to let the press continue to bait him for 5 minutes on the topic until he's given them their headline, but the message I take away from the video is 1) These mistakes are not acceptable 2) We've taken steps to address those mistakes and 3) If play continues to be crappy, then the team keeps losing and people lose their jobs. #3 could maybe be interpreted as threatening players with benching or demotion, but to me that comes off as a collective "we lose our jobs when the team loses this way repeatedly".

 

I'm a fan of "not giving the media the opportunity to turn something into a thing". Especially the Chicago sports media, who are right there with NY as the worst (non England division).

 

The last thing the team half-full of young developing players needs is a meatball-driven echo chamber of stupid before April's over.

[Geech]

Sullivan is just terrible. Man, I can't believe how bad that article is.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Petition to re-title this thread "In over his head manager vents, media trolls spin non-story into headline"

[Guest]

This feels like a desperate attempt to distance himself from the team by calling out a lack of effort. Regardless of motive, it's unproductive. Someone needs to take Sveum aside and beat some sense into his head and ass.

[Guest]

beginning of the end for sveum. he will make a nice fall guy for theo this season.

[biittner77]

"What's our record?"

"8 and 18"

"how'd we ever win 8?"

"It's a miracle"

 

LOLLYGAGGERS!

[Old Style]

I don't have a problem with what he said. I also don't think that he would seriously think about sending them down to Iowa even if that was his decision to make. He is trying to send a message to his young players and I am confident that he has already done so behind closed doors as well. The way this team is playing is an embarrassment to major league baseball. If Sveum decides to call them out in the media, then they need to deal with it.

[biittner77]

I don't have a problem with what he said. I also don't think that he would seriously think about sending them down to Iowa even if that was his decision to make. He is trying to send a message to his young players and I am confident that he has already done so behind closed doors as well. The way this team is playing is an embarrassment to major league baseball. If Sveum decides to call them out in the media, then they need to deal with it.

 

But it's an empty threat and that only makes the person who makes it look bad. If he already discussed this privately and is now going public, that suggests that he may be losing the team.

[Smack]

beginning of the end for sveum. he will make a nice fall guy for theo this season.

 

This exactly. He's just a guy that's cheap and expendable. He'll be gone after this year.

[Old Style]

I don't have a problem with what he said. I also don't think that he would seriously think about sending them down to Iowa even if that was his decision to make. He is trying to send a message to his young players and I am confident that he has already done so behind closed doors as well. The way this team is playing is an embarrassment to major league baseball. If Sveum decides to call them out in the media, then they need to deal with it.

 

But it's an empty threat and that only makes the person who makes it look bad. If he already discussed this privately and is now going public, that suggests that he may be losing the team.

They're making themselves look bad. They don't need Sveum for that.

[Sammy Sofa]

I don't have a problem with what he said. I also don't think that he would seriously think about sending them down to Iowa even if that was his decision to make. He is trying to send a message to his young players and I am confident that he has already done so behind closed doors as well. The way this team is playing is an embarrassment to major league baseball. If Sveum decides to call them out in the media, then they need to deal with it.

 

But it's an empty threat and that only makes the person who makes it look bad. If he already discussed this privately and is now going public, that suggests that he may be losing the team.

They're making themselves look bad. They don't need Sveum for that.

 

His sauce-soaked meatballery does absolutely nothing to help.

[Guest]

beginning of the end for sveum. he will make a nice fall guy for theo this season.

 

This exactly. He's just a guy that's cheap and expendable. He'll be gone after this year.

 

All managers should be cheap and expendable. Nobody is worth not being that.

 

And I doubt he'll be gone.

 

And I don't think they hired him as a fall guy at all.

[biittner77]

beginning of the end for sveum. he will make a nice fall guy for theo this season.

 

This exactly. He's just a guy that's cheap and expendable. He'll be gone after this year.

 

All managers should be cheap and expendable. Nobody is worth not being that.

 

And I doubt he'll be gone.

 

And I don't think they hired him as a fall guy at all.

 

They won't fire him this year but I wouldn't rule it out if there's a slow start next year. They might make him fire some coaches this year.

[imb]

im sure castro and rizzo are sitting at home just eaten up emotionally by this scathing attack. give me a break, those guys don't give a [expletive]. castro probably can't even read the paper.

[jersey cubs fan]

im sure castro and rizzo are sitting at home just eaten up emotionally by this scathing attack. give me a break, those guys don't give a [expletive]. castro probably can't even read the paper.

 

The one he gets delivered to his doorstep every morning?

[Sammy Sofa]

I kinda surprised anyone would greet the idea of Sveum (or any of the coaches) being fired or not with more than a wearied shrug.

[jersey cubs fan]

I kinda surprised anyone would greet the idea of Sveum (or any of the coaches) being fired or not with more than a wearied shrug.

 

Just to clarify, you are surprised some people wouldn't mind?

 

 

Coaches aren't that important in my estimation. It's the players that win or lose in baseball. Unless you have a magic pitching coach who gets more out the arms than anybody else does, they are replaceable.

 

I can't imagine them canning Sveum though, since they set him up with crap teams, you can't really justify expecting more. The problem is though if they just keep losing they may feel the need to make it look like they are trying eventually, which could force them to fire somebody. And if they do keep losing then Sveum himself may want out. The taint of managing 100 loss teams can take a long time to wash away. You'll probably have to latch on to a winning organization for several years to be considered a viable option again.

[Sammy Sofa]

No, I mean I'm surprised that anyone would really care about it either way. At this point I really don't think it matters much whether the coaching staff is retained or fired.

[Guest]

I kinda surprised anyone would greet the idea of Sveum (or any of the coaches) being fired or not with more than a wearied shrug.

 

 

So far, the biggest issues I've had with Sveum have been with stuff he has said, not done.

 

As far as managerial styles, I have had fewer issues with Sveum than with any manager we've had in the 17 or 18 years I've been paying attention. Piniella is up there, but even he did inexplicably stupid [expletive] like turning Zambrano into a reliever for no good reason. I have a feeling that'd be the case with a lot of potential replacements, too, but, then again, I'd trust our front office not to hire anyone that bad anyway, so I wouldn't be heartbroken if he was let go.