Larry Dierker's Astros column.

[dime]

I think Baker would be great if he had a bench coach he was not threatened by...a Don Zimmer type to help him with in-game strategy.

[UK1679666180]

Baker would also need the bench coach to tell him it is ok to pull a pitcher with a large lead, despite the pitcher pitching well.

 

Baker currently has a bench coach he is not threatened by.

[JC]

If we are just going to grab a guy and leave the strategy up the a qualified bench coach, I vote for Leo Mazzone. Pay him a king's ransom, give him the title of manager, and tell him to go to work on the pitchers.

 

Problem solved. :wink:

[UK1679666180]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bb/3155664

 

Dierker talks about how to handle a rain delay and the decision of sending your starting pitcher back out there.

[UK1679666180]

For those wondering about any bad blood between Santo and Dierker after Dierker broke Santo's wrist...

 

I know I definitely didn't damage anyone's career with a head-shot. But I did break two wrists, Roberto Clemente's and Ron Santo's. I saw Clemente that same night at a function in our team hotel. I told him I was sorry and he said not to worry about it.

 

In Santo's case, he was in the hospital with a cast on his arm, listening to the game as we won. "They put you on the postgame show," he told me, "and I was fit to be tied when you said that you didn't hit me on purpose and that we were good friends." We were good friends, however, and still are, even though Santo hit a grand slam off me later on.

[UK1679666180]

Larry Dierker mentions the importance of the scouting dept. and development of players within the system (hint:Dubois). He goes onto to mention how the higher spending teams in FA also spend more on scouting and player development.

 

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article_perspectives.jsp?ymd=20050502&content_id=1035748&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp

 

During the last 10 years or so, the Yankees signed and developed all of their up-the-middle players. That's how they got Jorge Posada, Alfonso Soriano (and traded him to get Alex Rodriguez), Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams. The Braves have done the same thing with Javier Lopez, Rafael Furcal, Marcus Giles and Andruw Jones (not to mention Chipper Jones). Lopez is with the Orioles now, but you get the idea. The most difficult and important aspect of team building is finding players who can handle the defensive responsibilities of playing up the middle and also produce with the bat.

 

In most cases, the best way to improve a team is to improve in this area. But since most teams know this, they are not going to part with a catcher, shortstop or center fielder without extracting a king's ransom. The same goes for good pitchers. It's all supply and demand when you come right down to it. There aren't many up-the-middle players who can hit, and there aren't enough pitchers to go around, either. If you can't trade for them, and can't always get a veteran free agent who is still young enough to suit your needs, you can still develop one. It takes a little longer that way, but you have a much better chance of doing it if you have lots of good scouts and Minor League instructors.

[UK1679666180]

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article_perspectives.jsp?ymd=20050509&content_id=1043717&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp

 

Need to boost the morale of a team, buy some tropical shirts, etc.

[UK1679666180]

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article_perspectives.jsp?ymd=20050516&content_id=1051688&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp

 

Larry Dierker writes on the supposed changes of the strike zone and what could still be done to improve it.

[UK1679666180]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bb/3187011

 

The spending of ownership.

[UK1679666180]

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/baseball/11691106.htm

 

Dierker isn't likely interested in the KC job, he enjoys his work as writer and a broadcaster. Can't blame KC for expressing interest.

[UK1679666180]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bb/3197134

 

Dierker mentions how the '05 'Stros mimic the '00 Astros that he managed.

 

He also writes about 2 key aspects that I appear to harp on and that is...

 

The youth can provide a spark when a team is struggling, Dubois has done that as has the pen for the Cubs.

 

Prospects are the key to maintaining long-term success.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I think Dierker would be a fine manager of this team. You've convinced me UK.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I loved this part of Dierker's article:

 

There are two types of fans: baseball fans and fans of winning. The team attracted both kinds last summer.

 

This is the time when fair-weather fans will start jumping off the bandwagon.

It is also the time for die-hard baseball fans to get good seats.

 

[UK1679666180]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3206181

 

Dierker is running out of topics down in Houston, so he commented on "Baseball as America", which is a great tour to see.

[NCCubFan]

Dierker is running out of topics down in Houston, so he commented on "Baseball as America", which is a great tour to see.

I saw that exhibit a couple of years ago when it was at the Field Museum in Chicago. It's definitely worth seeing.

[moorecg]

Dierker is running out of topics down in Houston, so he commented on "Baseball as America", which is a great tour to see.

I saw that exhibit a couple of years ago when it was at the Field Museum in Chicago. It's definitely worth seeing.

I saw it last month here in STL....great stuff. Very interesting. Its scary to see some of the stuff Aaron and Robinson went through.......its scarier to hear that some of it still goes on today...(see Latroy)

[brinoch]

Lately, Garner has put Mike Lamb, Jose Vizcaino and Orlando Palmiero in the starting lineup, hoping to score some runs. These three guys are excellent bench players, but they are not franchise players.

 

This is an excellent, forward-thinking quote. I already had a high opinion of Dierker; it's only grown higher since reading his columns.

[UK1679666180]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bb/3216008

 

Dierker on micromanaging... =D>

 

Avoiding some moves can win you games, too

 

Sometimes I added that the one skipper who seemed to share my philosophy was Buck Rodgers of the Expos. At that time, the Expos had a streak of about 13 extra-inning games won. That streak had to be part luck. But it also had something to do with the way Buck managed. Buck was inclined to save his ammunition. Many times when we played against him, he eschewed the conventional move and let the pitcher hit, or didn't bring in a lefthanded pitcher to face a lefthanded hitter.

 

When I looked at my scorecard late in the game, I found that we had fired most of our bullets and he still had most of his in the chamber. He had good righthanded and lefthanded pinch hitters available and good left-and righthanded relievers.

 

Sometimes when you play it that way, you end up losing the game. Saving ammunition doesn't always work, but I think it is often an advantage in the ninth inning or in extra innings because most games that start out with one team scoring a few runs end up with the other team scoring a few later. The game is usually close in the end, even if the manager doesn't make all the moves.

 

I would like to think the skippers in this era of specialization are making the early move because they think it gives them the best chance to win, not to avoid criticism.

 

But I am suspicious. Could they be managing to cover their tails without knowing it?

[UK1679666180]

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article_perspectives.jsp?ymd=20050606&content_id=1077958&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp

 

Dierker on umps on Questec.

[UK1679666180]

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article_perspectives.jsp?ymd=20050613&content_id=1087993&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp

 

Larry Dierker on his managerial style as well as his opinion on LaRussa and his recent book.

 

Macromanager>micromanager.

[UK1679666180]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bb/3226093

 

Larry Dierker cont. his campaign of utilizing youth to help jump start a ball club, references Balt. and Toronto of recent examples and apllies it long-term to the Astros.

[UK1679666180]

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article_perspectives.jsp?ymd=20050620&content_id=1097262&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp

 

Larry Dierker talks about control with a pitcher and how golf can help a starting pitcher.

 

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bb/3235816

 

Larry Dierker on keeping the 5 man rotation. This is an area I disagree with Dierker, moving up a starter and skipping the #5. I've always been under the belief of utilizing the day off for the starters not just the position players, if you have the luxury like the Cubs will have as far as more starters than spots in the rotation, I've been an advocate of skipping a start for each starter that has been worked. Maddux is a diff. story as he's the best in the game of monitoring his own body, but right now, I think Zambrano and especially Rusch are going to show effects of fatigue and a skipped start (10 days rest) could do wonders before the stretch run. Since Dusty loves 12 relievers, I don't see it becoming difficult to manuever.

 

Ideally, I'd skip two starts per year for a pitcher and keep the 5 man rotation throughout.

[UK1679666180]

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050912&content_id=1206715&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

 

Dierker on how managers manage to save their behind by micromanaging and the lost art of not using all 25 guys by the 9th inning.

 

Micromanaging :pukel: