Sports Media Thread

[Andy]

Brent Musburger announcing his retirement from play-by-play after next Tuesday night's Super Tuesday game.

 

Bummer. He obviously lost some MPH on his fastball in the last couple of years, but he was fantastic for a long time.

[biittner77]

Brent Musburger announcing his retirement from play-by-play after next Tuesday night's Super Tuesday game.

 

Bummer. He obviously lost some MPH on his fastball in the last couple of years, but he was fantastic for a long time.

 

 

Actual conversation with Brent Musburger I had back in the 90s. He was in town to cover Illinois playing Colorado. This was the year after Colorado had lost their bowl game to Notre Dame.

 

Musburger "Hello young man, I'd like a coke or something like that please."

 

Me: "Sure"

 

My boss who was standing at the bar: "Would you like some Jack Daniels in that coke?"

 

Musburger: "it would be a hellofagame if I did that."

 

Me: "it works for Harry Caray"

 

He laughed and said no thanks. We tried to get him to talk about the game and all we could get out of him was that he thought it was an interesting match up.

 

That was a terrible story.

[Banedon]

[jersey cubs fan]

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[JudasIscariotTheBird]

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"The manager won some games for the Cubs last season with his mad-scientist mixing and matching, but he almost killed a dream season – and his reputation – by overusing Chapman in the World Series. That he refuses to say he was wrong should make Cubs fans nervous going forward."

 

Can't disagree with that one, myself.

[Banedon]

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"The manager won some games for the Cubs last season with his mad-scientist mixing and matching, but he almost killed a dream season – and his reputation – by overusing Chapman in the World Series. That he refuses to say he was wrong should make Cubs fans nervous going forward."

 

Can't disagree with that one, myself.

 

Won the World Series. Don't care.

[Sammy Sofa]

Why would I be nervous about a player who is no longer on the team?

[CubinNY]

Maddon horsefeathers the bed in the world series, it wasn't just about Chapman either, but he's smart and I expect he'll learn from his mistakes.

 

We won, so...

[jersey cubs fan]

if you can horsefeathers your bed while winning the world series then consider me miles davis

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

Maddon horsefeathers the bed in the world series, it wasn't just about Chapman either, but he's smart and I expect he'll learn from his mistakes.

 

We won, so...

THAT is the part that I'm concerned about. Maddon isn't admitting that he completely horsefeathers the bed in games 6 and 7. You can't learn from mistakes if you aren't recognizing their existence.

 

Yes. We won the World Series. We were and are all very very pumped. But this board never stuck me a completely results-oriented, ends justify the means, stick-with-what-got-you-there hug fest. Are we seriously going to just repeat "we won the World Series" when Maddon very nearly kept that from happening with gross over-management?

[Sammy Sofa]

Again, the player that lead to the "gross mismanagement" is gone, so...yes!

 

Unless being lumped into this is are things like bringing in Lester, which wasn't a bad move at all.

[CubinNY]

if you can horsefeathers your bed while winning the world series then consider me miles davis

You're Miles Davis.

[CubinNY]

Maddon horsefeathers the bed in the world series, it wasn't just about Chapman either, but he's smart and I expect he'll learn from his mistakes.

 

We won, so...

THAT is the part that I'm concerned about. Maddon isn't admitting that he completely horsefeathers the bed in games 6 and 7. You can't learn from mistakes if you aren't recognizing their existence.

 

Yes. We won the World Series. We were and are all very very pumped. But this board never stuck me a completely results-oriented, ends justify the means, stick-with-what-got-you-there hug fest. Are we seriously going to just repeat "we won the World Series" when Maddon very nearly kept that from happening with gross over-management?

I think we've all talked about this before, but I dont underst why he has to admit he made a mistake. It's time to move on.

[Banedon]

Maddon horsefeathers the bed in the world series, it wasn't just about Chapman either, but he's smart and I expect he'll learn from his mistakes.

 

We won, so...

THAT is the part that I'm concerned about. Maddon isn't admitting that he completely horsefeathers the bed in games 6 and 7. You can't learn from mistakes if you aren't recognizing their existence.

 

Yes. We won the World Series. We were and are all very very pumped. But this board never stuck me a completely results-oriented, ends justify the means, stick-with-what-got-you-there hug fest. Are we seriously going to just repeat "we won the World Series" when Maddon very nearly kept that from happening with gross over-management?

 

1) Maddon doesn't owe explanations to anyone.

 

2) Yes. Winning the World Series is the goal every year. We hadn't achieved that in 108 years, so the fact that he won the World Series excuses all. It just does.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Maddon horsefeathers the bed in the world series, it wasn't just about Chapman either, but he's smart and I expect he'll learn from his mistakes.

 

We won, so...

THAT is the part that I'm concerned about. Maddon isn't admitting that he completely horsefeathers the bed in games 6 and 7. You can't learn from mistakes if you aren't recognizing their existence.

 

Yes. We won the World Series. We were and are all very very pumped. But this board never stuck me a completely results-oriented, ends justify the means, stick-with-what-got-you-there hug fest. Are we seriously going to just repeat "we won the World Series" when Maddon very nearly kept that from happening with gross over-management?

 

Right or wrong, in Maddon's eyes, he had 3 relievers he could trust by the end of the World Series (Chapman, Montgomery, Edwards). He didn't even trust Strop to finish a big lead in Game 6.

[Andy]

Again, the player that lead to the "gross mismanagement" is gone, so...yes!

 

Unless being lumped into this is are things like bringing in Lester, which wasn't a bad move at all.

I thought he jumped the gun a bit bringing in Lester when he did - Hendricks was pitching fantastically and had by all rights struck out the batter that ultimately reached base and led to his removal. But Kipnis was up and the game was relatively close, so it's a more than excusable move.

 

Having Javy bunt with 2 strikes and a man on 3rd with 1 out in the top of the 9th (unless that was Javy's call) was probably the only move that struck me as ridiculous and stupid.

 

But I'm absolutely in the "won title, don't care" category.

[Sammy Sofa]

I would have been fine with Hendricks staying in, but Lester pitched great; yeah, you had a weird bounce and Ross inexplicably falling on his ass, but you can't really plan for something like that.

 

The bunt totally seems like a Baez-move.

[Brian707]

Maddon over managed game 6 and game 7, they won both games. I will give him a pass obviously because they won the horsefeathering WS for the first time since the Teddy Roosevelt administration.

 

I think this has been discussed enough by the media, and Joe handled it well at the time and I don't blame him for growing tired of the same questioning 4 months later.

[Brian707]

Again, the player that lead to the "gross mismanagement" is gone, so...yes!

 

Unless being lumped into this is are things like bringing in Lester, which wasn't a bad move at all.

I thought he jumped the gun a bit bringing in Lester when he did - Hendricks was pitching fantastically and had by all rights struck out the batter that ultimately reached base and led to his removal. But Kipnis was up and the game was relatively close, so it's a more than excusable move.

.

 

 

He had Lester warming up earlier in the game and I'm guessing he had to bring him in when he did otherwise Lester wouldn't be able to come in later after warming up.

 

I wonder how it would all have turned out if the batter was rightfully called out in the bottom of the fifth?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Maddon horsefeathers the bed in the world series, it wasn't just about Chapman either, but he's smart and I expect he'll learn from his mistakes.

 

We won, so...

THAT is the part that I'm concerned about. Maddon isn't admitting that he completely horsefeathers the bed in games 6 and 7. You can't learn from mistakes if you aren't recognizing their existence.

 

Yes. We won the World Series. We were and are all very very pumped. But this board never stuck me a completely results-oriented, ends justify the means, stick-with-what-got-you-there hug fest. Are we seriously going to just repeat "we won the World Series" when Maddon very nearly kept that from happening with gross over-management?

 

Right or wrong, in Maddon's eyes, he had 3 relievers he could trust by the end of the World Series (Chapman, Montgomery, Edwards). He didn't even trust Strop to finish a big lead in Game 6.

 

 

Yep, this isn't super complicated. Rondon and Strop both had injuries down the stretch, and Maddon(who loved those guys in his 1.8 years to that point) didn't trust them to get high leverage postseason outs. He thought Chapman was a big and strong enough dude to hold up to extended saves 3 times in 4 days and was wrong, but the alternatives weren't great either. He did admit that he should've had someone ready so Chapman didn't have to pitch the 9th in Game 6, although who knows if that would've made a difference. We don't have to worry about what ifs though because the Cubs won the world series.

 

Managing a bullpen is hard. Maddon isn't a savant but he's better than most at it. It's not a cause for concern, especially considering the 2017 pen could have half the expected contributors drop dead tomorrow and it'd still be deeper than the 2016 postseason pen.

[UMFan83]

Again, the player that lead to the "gross mismanagement" is gone, so...yes!

 

Unless being lumped into this is are things like bringing in Lester, which wasn't a bad move at all.

I thought he jumped the gun a bit bringing in Lester when he did - Hendricks was pitching fantastically and had by all rights struck out the batter that ultimately reached base and led to his removal. But Kipnis was up and the game was relatively close, so it's a more than excusable move.

 

Having Javy bunt with 2 strikes and a man on 3rd with 1 out in the top of the 9th (unless that was Javy's call) was probably the only move that struck me as ridiculous and stupid.

 

But I'm absolutely in the "won title, don't care" category.

 

He explained the Hendricks/Lester move and it is plausible enough (he had Lester warming when Hendricks struggled and gave up a bunch of line drives in the 3rd...a starter who would be coming on in relief after 2 days rest following a start probably shouldn't be throwing for 3 innings of game time before he comes in if you are hoping to get 3 innings out of them) although its hard to stomach pulling Hendricks while he was cruising because he got squeezed on strike 3 to end the 5th.

 

The only 2 moves that I don't agree with from Games 6 and 7 are:

 

-Not having someone else warm up during the 8th inning of game 6 in case the Cubs scored. I personally was ok with him coming in when he did, but I would have pulled him for the 9th with a 5 run lead without a doubt. Still if you accept that Maddon wanted to be safe and ensure a Game 7, there is no excuse for having one of his 7 other relievers warming up in case the Cubs scored. Chapman had to come out and throw a bunch of warmup pitches and then 4 pitches to the first batter of the 9th before someone else was ready. BTW, Maddon already admitted he made a big mistake by not having someone warming.

 

-Pulling Lester with 2 outs in the 8th of game 7. I can't remember if/how Maddon explained this, maybe there was a semi-logical reason. But given the workload Chapman had the last 2 games and the fact that Lester was pitching very well, Maddon should have been thrilled that he could only have to rely on his closer to actually pitch a 1 inning save to win the World Series when coming into the game he was probably expecting at least 2 innings from him. Especially because Chapman had publicly stated how much more comfortable he is coming in at the start of an inning and had mixed results coming in during the middle of an inning in the playoffs.

 

But either way, I don't know why many Cubs fans want to dwell this and ignore all the great moments that got the Cubs to Game 7 of the World Series. I especially don't understand why they want to dwell on the negatives of the actual World Series winning game that we've been waiting for our whole lives. Fine to discuss a little bit, but why are we still talking about this? Are you afraid he's going to blow it in another big game? Do you want to fire him? I mean seriously he was grilled at horsefeathering Cubs Convention about this....an event that should have been a massive love fest. Then his first PC of Spring Training its one of the first questions that was asked to him, even after repeatedly answering the question patiently like 10 times over the short winter.

 

We won the World Series dammit. I was texting my friends "Joe Maddon blew the World Series" after the Davis HR in my stereotypically emotional fatalistic state but I got completely over it in a hurry. You all should get over it too, Joe is the man.

[bukie]

Sometimes logical, reasonable decisions simply don't work. That doesn't mean they were bad decisions.

 

For example, putting in Lester in the 5th. Joe didn't want Hendricks facing Kipnis a 3rd time, he said as such, and that he was their most dangerous hitter in the series, so he switched it up and brought in Lester because he thought Kipnis would be less likely to hit Lester hard. So Kipnis hit the ball 10 feet, and Ross threw the ball away then took a WP off the head that allowed 2 runs to score. Ross simply throws the ball cleanly and the inning is over (and the game, likely, it being 5-1 at that point).

 

I don't think it can be understated the sheer volume of low-percentage occurrences the Indians benefited from in game 7 that kept the game close.

[javy knows my name]

First off, he doesn't have to admit to making a mistake en route to WINNING US A horsefeathering WORLD SERIES in order to be aware he did it and thus be willing/able to learn from it.

 

Secondly, if I'm Theo, the only thing I'm thinking after seeing Maddon fumble a bit with the bullpen is "wow, Maddon can really struggle with a less than great bullpen, I'm gonna make sure I get him a great bullpen" and then I horsefeathering do exactly that because I'm Theo.

[CubinNY]

Sometimes logical, reasonable decisions simply don't work. That doesn't mean they were bad decisions.

 

For example, putting in Lester in the 5th. Joe didn't want Hendricks facing Kipnis a 3rd time, he said as such, and that he was their most dangerous hitter in the series, so he switched it up and brought in Lester because he thought Kipnis would be less likely to hit Lester hard. So Kipnis hit the ball 10 feet, and Ross threw the ball away then took a WP off the head that allowed 2 runs to score. Ross simply throws the ball cleanly and the inning is over (and the game, likely, it being 5-1 at that point).

 

I don't think it can be understated the sheer volume of low-percentage occurrences the Indians benefited from in game 7 that kept the game close.

 

Using Chapman in game 6 like he did was not a reasonable decision. A HR is not a low percentage occurrence given he used Chapman like that. Using Lester in that situation was not a good decision, he could have used another pitcher. It doesn't matter, I supposed. They won. However, I don't understand the backbends to justify terrible managerial decision that Maddon made. If they lost, he would be legendary for stupid decision making, mostly because it is so out of character for him. It's all anyone would have talked about all winter and would be brought up like Bartman and the billy goat every year.

[bukie]

Sometimes logical, reasonable decisions simply don't work. That doesn't mean they were bad decisions.

 

For example, putting in Lester in the 5th. Joe didn't want Hendricks facing Kipnis a 3rd time, he said as such, and that he was their most dangerous hitter in the series, so he switched it up and brought in Lester because he thought Kipnis would be less likely to hit Lester hard. So Kipnis hit the ball 10 feet, and Ross threw the ball away then took a WP off the head that allowed 2 runs to score. Ross simply throws the ball cleanly and the inning is over (and the game, likely, it being 5-1 at that point).

 

I don't think it can be understated the sheer volume of low-percentage occurrences the Indians benefited from in game 7 that kept the game close.

 

Using Chapman in game 6 like he did was not a reasonable decision. A HR is not a low percentage occurrence given he used Chapman like that. Using Lester in that situation was not a good decision, he could have used another pitcher. It doesn't matter, I supposed. They won. However, I don't understand the backbends to justify terrible managerial decision that Maddon made. If they lost, he would be legendary for stupid decision making, mostly because it is so out of character for him. It's all anyone would have talked about all winter and would be brought up like Bartman and the billy goat every year.

You were more wrong in this post than Maddon was in the entire playoffs. You are so wrong it's not worth my time to show you how.