277167737C66767D7067557278747C793B76150 wrote: 38 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 38:
Joe Schultz, Ed Fernandes, Billy Cox, Cal McLish, Frank Barrett, Len Yochim, Hank Foiles, George Witt, Don Gross, Dick Hall, Al Jackson, Diomedes Olivo, Jim Shellenback, Bob Moose, Louis Tiant, Manny Sarmiento, Rafael Belliard, Vicente Palacios, Scott Little, Bob Patterson, Jim Gott, Chris Peters, Adam Hyzdu, Ramon Martinez, Don Wengert, Jason Bay, Craig Hansen, Erik Kratz, Chris Leroux, Xavier Paul, Stolmy Pimentel, Joakim Soria, Chris Volstad, Wade LeBlanc, Max Moroff, Mike Morse, Yacksel Rios, Will Craig, Dillon Peters.
Best player to wear number 38: Jason Bay. Honorable mention to Bob Moose.
I always felt bad for Adam Hyzdu. He showed such great potential as a minor leaguer but just couldn’t make the jump to the big leagues. It shows how special a guy has to be to reach the major leagues and remain successful enough to stay.
I felt bad for Hyzdu too. Especially when he was doing so well in 2002 and it seemed like McClendon wanted him to fail. He was recalled in July and had 5 HRs and 15 RBIs in his first 15 games that year. I remember an article where McClendon was asked about his performance and really downplayed it as if he wasn't anything to get excited about. I think McClendon resented being given a career minor leaguer when they needed an OFer instead of Littlefield acquiring someone off an MLB roster.
Between 7/18 and 7/24, Hyzdu was 15 for 29 with 4 HRs (.556) but when he went 0 for 3 the next day he got benched for the next 3 games. It seemed like McClendon had been waiting for an excuse to take him out of the lineup. When he got back in the lineup he hit .308 over the next 7 games. But after going hitless in the next 4 games, he was pulled in the 6th inning of the following game and played sporadically the rest of the season.
I know the Pirates have had some bad managers, but McClendon is the one who made my skin crawl more than any other.
McClendon was in over his head. He seemed to want to make all he moves he had seen managers do when he was a player without understanding why. For instance, he rarely made a pitching change without a double switch. But the new pitcher usually didn't pitch the next inning anyway so all the switch accomplished was to remove a position player and insert someone who would bat in the pitcher's spot an inning later. That gave the opposing manager the chance to make a pitching change for a better matchup.
In his first year as mgr, he declared they would be a running team. He didn't seem to understand that you need the personnel for that style. As a result they led MLB in caught stealing with 73 while no other NL team had more than 54. Their 93 SBs were just over the NL average of 91 and their success rate was one of the worst. So they had the NL's worst team OBP and compounded the problem by having the most runners removed from the base paths. And he seemed to change his 2B-SS combo just about every day to prevent any form of cohesion. IMHO McClendon was an atrocious manager. He was so constantly counterproductive in his decisions that the chasm of nothingness provided by Tracy and Russell who followed him was actually an improvement.
52 days till first Spring Training game
Moderators: SammyKhalifa, Doc, Bobster
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2drfischer@gmail.c
52 days till first Spring Training game
153835242332256566570 wrote: 38 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 38:
Joe Schultz, Ed Fernandes, Billy Cox, Cal McLish, Frank Barrett, Len Yochim, Hank Foiles, George Witt, Don Gross, Dick Hall, Al Jackson, Diomedes Olivo, Jim Shellenback, Bob Moose, Louis Tiant, Manny Sarmiento, Rafael Belliard, Vicente Palacios, Scott Little, Bob Patterson, Jim Gott, Chris Peters, Adam Hyzdu, Ramon Martinez, Don Wengert, Jason Bay, Craig Hansen, Erik Kratz, Chris Leroux, Xavier Paul, Stolmy Pimentel, Joakim Soria, Chris Volstad, Wade LeBlanc, Max Moroff, Mike Morse, Yacksel Rios, Will Craig, Dillon Peters.
Best player to wear number 38: Jason Bay. Honorable mention to Bob Moose.
I always felt bad for Adam Hyzdu. He showed such great potential as a minor leaguer but just couldn’t make the jump to the big leagues. It shows how special a guy has to be to reach the major leagues and remain successful enough to stay.
I felt bad for Hyzdu too. Especially when he was doing so well in 2002 and it seemed like McClendon wanted him to fail. He was recalled in July and had 5 HRs and 15 RBIs in his first 15 games that year. I remember an article where McClendon was asked about his performance and really downplayed it as if he wasn't anything to get excited about. I think McClendon resented being given a career minor leaguer when they needed an OFer instead of Littlefield acquiring someone off an MLB roster.
Between 7/18 and 7/24, Hyzdu was 15 for 29 with 4 HRs (.556) but when he went 0 for 3 the next day he got benched for the next 3 games. It seemed like McClendon had been waiting for an excuse to take him out of the lineup. When he got back in the lineup he hit .308 over the next 7 games. But after going hitless in the next 4 games, he was pulled in the 6th inning of the following game and played sporadically the rest of the season.
I know the Pirates have had some bad managers, but McClendon is the one who made my skin crawl more than any other.
McClendon was in over his head. He seemed to want to make all he moves he had seen managers do when he was a player without understanding why. For instance, he rarely made a pitching change without a double switch. But the new pitcher usually didn't pitch the next inning anyway so all the switch accomplished was to remove a position player and insert someone who would bat in the pitcher's spot an inning later. That gave the opposing manager the chance to make a pitching change for a better matchup.
In his first year as mgr, he declared they would be a running team. He didn't seem to understand that you need the personnel for that style. As a result they led MLB in caught stealing with 73 while no other NL team had more than 54. Their 93 SBs were just over the NL average of 91 and their success rate was one of the worst. So they had the NL's worst team OBP and compounded the problem by having the most runners removed from the base paths. And he seemed to change his 2B-SS combo just about every day to prevent any form of cohesion. IMHO McClendon was an atrocious manager. He was so constantly counterproductive in his decisions that the chasm of nothingness provided by Tracy and Russell who followed him was actually an improvement.
Saying McClendon was “in over his head” was exactly how I’d describe his time here. It was quite evident from the outset that he had no idea what he was doing, and it never got better. And if I had a nickel for every time he sent Abraham Nunez up to pinch hit, I could make an offer to buy the club from Nutting that he couldn’t possibly turn down.
Joe Schultz, Ed Fernandes, Billy Cox, Cal McLish, Frank Barrett, Len Yochim, Hank Foiles, George Witt, Don Gross, Dick Hall, Al Jackson, Diomedes Olivo, Jim Shellenback, Bob Moose, Louis Tiant, Manny Sarmiento, Rafael Belliard, Vicente Palacios, Scott Little, Bob Patterson, Jim Gott, Chris Peters, Adam Hyzdu, Ramon Martinez, Don Wengert, Jason Bay, Craig Hansen, Erik Kratz, Chris Leroux, Xavier Paul, Stolmy Pimentel, Joakim Soria, Chris Volstad, Wade LeBlanc, Max Moroff, Mike Morse, Yacksel Rios, Will Craig, Dillon Peters.
Best player to wear number 38: Jason Bay. Honorable mention to Bob Moose.
I always felt bad for Adam Hyzdu. He showed such great potential as a minor leaguer but just couldn’t make the jump to the big leagues. It shows how special a guy has to be to reach the major leagues and remain successful enough to stay.
I felt bad for Hyzdu too. Especially when he was doing so well in 2002 and it seemed like McClendon wanted him to fail. He was recalled in July and had 5 HRs and 15 RBIs in his first 15 games that year. I remember an article where McClendon was asked about his performance and really downplayed it as if he wasn't anything to get excited about. I think McClendon resented being given a career minor leaguer when they needed an OFer instead of Littlefield acquiring someone off an MLB roster.
Between 7/18 and 7/24, Hyzdu was 15 for 29 with 4 HRs (.556) but when he went 0 for 3 the next day he got benched for the next 3 games. It seemed like McClendon had been waiting for an excuse to take him out of the lineup. When he got back in the lineup he hit .308 over the next 7 games. But after going hitless in the next 4 games, he was pulled in the 6th inning of the following game and played sporadically the rest of the season.
I know the Pirates have had some bad managers, but McClendon is the one who made my skin crawl more than any other.
McClendon was in over his head. He seemed to want to make all he moves he had seen managers do when he was a player without understanding why. For instance, he rarely made a pitching change without a double switch. But the new pitcher usually didn't pitch the next inning anyway so all the switch accomplished was to remove a position player and insert someone who would bat in the pitcher's spot an inning later. That gave the opposing manager the chance to make a pitching change for a better matchup.
In his first year as mgr, he declared they would be a running team. He didn't seem to understand that you need the personnel for that style. As a result they led MLB in caught stealing with 73 while no other NL team had more than 54. Their 93 SBs were just over the NL average of 91 and their success rate was one of the worst. So they had the NL's worst team OBP and compounded the problem by having the most runners removed from the base paths. And he seemed to change his 2B-SS combo just about every day to prevent any form of cohesion. IMHO McClendon was an atrocious manager. He was so constantly counterproductive in his decisions that the chasm of nothingness provided by Tracy and Russell who followed him was actually an improvement.
Saying McClendon was “in over his head” was exactly how I’d describe his time here. It was quite evident from the outset that he had no idea what he was doing, and it never got better. And if I had a nickel for every time he sent Abraham Nunez up to pinch hit, I could make an offer to buy the club from Nutting that he couldn’t possibly turn down.
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Bobster21
52 days till first Spring Training game
065046525D47575C5146745359555D581A57340 wrote: 38 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 38:
Joe Schultz, Ed Fernandes, Billy Cox, Cal McLish, Frank Barrett, Len Yochim, Hank Foiles, George Witt, Don Gross, Dick Hall, Al Jackson, Diomedes Olivo, Jim Shellenback, Bob Moose, Louis Tiant, Manny Sarmiento, Rafael Belliard, Vicente Palacios, Scott Little, Bob Patterson, Jim Gott, Chris Peters, Adam Hyzdu, Ramon Martinez, Don Wengert, Jason Bay, Craig Hansen, Erik Kratz, Chris Leroux, Xavier Paul, Stolmy Pimentel, Joakim Soria, Chris Volstad, Wade LeBlanc, Max Moroff, Mike Morse, Yacksel Rios, Will Craig, Dillon Peters.
Best player to wear number 38: Jason Bay. Honorable mention to Bob Moose.
I always felt bad for Adam Hyzdu. He showed such great potential as a minor leaguer but just couldn’t make the jump to the big leagues. It shows how special a guy has to be to reach the major leagues and remain successful enough to stay.
I felt bad for Hyzdu too. Especially when he was doing so well in 2002 and it seemed like McClendon wanted him to fail. He was recalled in July and had 5 HRs and 15 RBIs in his first 15 games that year. I remember an article where McClendon was asked about his performance and really downplayed it as if he wasn't anything to get excited about. I think McClendon resented being given a career minor leaguer when they needed an OFer instead of Littlefield acquiring someone off an MLB roster.
Between 7/18 and 7/24, Hyzdu was 15 for 29 with 4 HRs (.556) but when he went 0 for 3 the next day he got benched for the next 3 games. It seemed like McClendon had been waiting for an excuse to take him out of the lineup. When he got back in the lineup he hit .308 over the next 7 games. But after going hitless in the next 4 games, he was pulled in the 6th inning of the following game and played sporadically the rest of the season.
I know the Pirates have had some bad managers, but McClendon is the one who made my skin crawl more than any other.
McClendon was in over his head. He seemed to want to make all he moves he had seen managers do when he was a player without understanding why. For instance, he rarely made a pitching change without a double switch. But the new pitcher usually didn't pitch the next inning anyway so all the switch accomplished was to remove a position player and insert someone who would bat in the pitcher's spot an inning later. That gave the opposing manager the chance to make a pitching change for a better matchup.
In his first year as mgr, he declared they would be a running team. He didn't seem to understand that you need the personnel for that style. As a result they led MLB in caught stealing with 73 while no other NL team had more than 54. Their 93 SBs were just over the NL average of 91 and their success rate was one of the worst. So they had the NL's worst team OBP and compounded the problem by having the most runners removed from the base paths. And he seemed to change his 2B-SS combo just about every day to prevent any form of cohesion. IMHO McClendon was an atrocious manager. He was so constantly counterproductive in his decisions that the chasm of nothingness provided by Tracy and Russell who followed him was actually an improvement.
Saying McClendon was “in over his head” was exactly how I’d describe his time here. It was quite evident from the outset that he had no idea what he was doing, and it never got better. And if I had a nickel for every time he sent Abraham Nunez up to pinch hit, I could make an offer to buy the club from Nutting that he couldn’t possibly turn down.
Nunez was an excellent glove but a terrible PHer. Yet for the Pirates he amassed 188 ABs as a PHer with just 30 hits (.160). McClendon seemed to prefer him as a near automatic out as a PHer while not having him available later in the game to make use of his ability as a defensive replacement.
Joe Schultz, Ed Fernandes, Billy Cox, Cal McLish, Frank Barrett, Len Yochim, Hank Foiles, George Witt, Don Gross, Dick Hall, Al Jackson, Diomedes Olivo, Jim Shellenback, Bob Moose, Louis Tiant, Manny Sarmiento, Rafael Belliard, Vicente Palacios, Scott Little, Bob Patterson, Jim Gott, Chris Peters, Adam Hyzdu, Ramon Martinez, Don Wengert, Jason Bay, Craig Hansen, Erik Kratz, Chris Leroux, Xavier Paul, Stolmy Pimentel, Joakim Soria, Chris Volstad, Wade LeBlanc, Max Moroff, Mike Morse, Yacksel Rios, Will Craig, Dillon Peters.
Best player to wear number 38: Jason Bay. Honorable mention to Bob Moose.
I always felt bad for Adam Hyzdu. He showed such great potential as a minor leaguer but just couldn’t make the jump to the big leagues. It shows how special a guy has to be to reach the major leagues and remain successful enough to stay.
I felt bad for Hyzdu too. Especially when he was doing so well in 2002 and it seemed like McClendon wanted him to fail. He was recalled in July and had 5 HRs and 15 RBIs in his first 15 games that year. I remember an article where McClendon was asked about his performance and really downplayed it as if he wasn't anything to get excited about. I think McClendon resented being given a career minor leaguer when they needed an OFer instead of Littlefield acquiring someone off an MLB roster.
Between 7/18 and 7/24, Hyzdu was 15 for 29 with 4 HRs (.556) but when he went 0 for 3 the next day he got benched for the next 3 games. It seemed like McClendon had been waiting for an excuse to take him out of the lineup. When he got back in the lineup he hit .308 over the next 7 games. But after going hitless in the next 4 games, he was pulled in the 6th inning of the following game and played sporadically the rest of the season.
I know the Pirates have had some bad managers, but McClendon is the one who made my skin crawl more than any other.
McClendon was in over his head. He seemed to want to make all he moves he had seen managers do when he was a player without understanding why. For instance, he rarely made a pitching change without a double switch. But the new pitcher usually didn't pitch the next inning anyway so all the switch accomplished was to remove a position player and insert someone who would bat in the pitcher's spot an inning later. That gave the opposing manager the chance to make a pitching change for a better matchup.
In his first year as mgr, he declared they would be a running team. He didn't seem to understand that you need the personnel for that style. As a result they led MLB in caught stealing with 73 while no other NL team had more than 54. Their 93 SBs were just over the NL average of 91 and their success rate was one of the worst. So they had the NL's worst team OBP and compounded the problem by having the most runners removed from the base paths. And he seemed to change his 2B-SS combo just about every day to prevent any form of cohesion. IMHO McClendon was an atrocious manager. He was so constantly counterproductive in his decisions that the chasm of nothingness provided by Tracy and Russell who followed him was actually an improvement.
Saying McClendon was “in over his head” was exactly how I’d describe his time here. It was quite evident from the outset that he had no idea what he was doing, and it never got better. And if I had a nickel for every time he sent Abraham Nunez up to pinch hit, I could make an offer to buy the club from Nutting that he couldn’t possibly turn down.
Nunez was an excellent glove but a terrible PHer. Yet for the Pirates he amassed 188 ABs as a PHer with just 30 hits (.160). McClendon seemed to prefer him as a near automatic out as a PHer while not having him available later in the game to make use of his ability as a defensive replacement.
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2drfischer@gmail.c
52 days till first Spring Training game
517C71606776612122130 wrote: 38 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 38:
Joe Schultz, Ed Fernandes, Billy Cox, Cal McLish, Frank Barrett, Len Yochim, Hank Foiles, George Witt, Don Gross, Dick Hall, Al Jackson, Diomedes Olivo, Jim Shellenback, Bob Moose, Louis Tiant, Manny Sarmiento, Rafael Belliard, Vicente Palacios, Scott Little, Bob Patterson, Jim Gott, Chris Peters, Adam Hyzdu, Ramon Martinez, Don Wengert, Jason Bay, Craig Hansen, Erik Kratz, Chris Leroux, Xavier Paul, Stolmy Pimentel, Joakim Soria, Chris Volstad, Wade LeBlanc, Max Moroff, Mike Morse, Yacksel Rios, Will Craig, Dillon Peters.
Best player to wear number 38: Jason Bay. Honorable mention to Bob Moose.
I always felt bad for Adam Hyzdu. He showed such great potential as a minor leaguer but just couldn’t make the jump to the big leagues. It shows how special a guy has to be to reach the major leagues and remain successful enough to stay.
I felt bad for Hyzdu too. Especially when he was doing so well in 2002 and it seemed like McClendon wanted him to fail. He was recalled in July and had 5 HRs and 15 RBIs in his first 15 games that year. I remember an article where McClendon was asked about his performance and really downplayed it as if he wasn't anything to get excited about. I think McClendon resented being given a career minor leaguer when they needed an OFer instead of Littlefield acquiring someone off an MLB roster.
Between 7/18 and 7/24, Hyzdu was 15 for 29 with 4 HRs (.556) but when he went 0 for 3 the next day he got benched for the next 3 games. It seemed like McClendon had been waiting for an excuse to take him out of the lineup. When he got back in the lineup he hit .308 over the next 7 games. But after going hitless in the next 4 games, he was pulled in the 6th inning of the following game and played sporadically the rest of the season.
I know the Pirates have had some bad managers, but McClendon is the one who made my skin crawl more than any other.
McClendon was in over his head. He seemed to want to make all he moves he had seen managers do when he was a player without understanding why. For instance, he rarely made a pitching change without a double switch. But the new pitcher usually didn't pitch the next inning anyway so all the switch accomplished was to remove a position player and insert someone who would bat in the pitcher's spot an inning later. That gave the opposing manager the chance to make a pitching change for a better matchup.
In his first year as mgr, he declared they would be a running team. He didn't seem to understand that you need the personnel for that style. As a result they led MLB in caught stealing with 73 while no other NL team had more than 54. Their 93 SBs were just over the NL average of 91 and their success rate was one of the worst. So they had the NL's worst team OBP and compounded the problem by having the most runners removed from the base paths. And he seemed to change his 2B-SS combo just about every day to prevent any form of cohesion. IMHO McClendon was an atrocious manager. He was so constantly counterproductive in his decisions that the chasm of nothingness provided by Tracy and Russell who followed him was actually an improvement.
Saying McClendon was “in over his head” was exactly how I’d describe his time here. It was quite evident from the outset that he had no idea what he was doing, and it never got better. And if I had a nickel for every time he sent Abraham Nunez up to pinch hit, I could make an offer to buy the club from Nutting that he couldn’t possibly turn down.
Nunez was an excellent glove but a terrible PHer. Yet for the Pirates he amassed 188 ABs as a PHer with just 30 hits (.160). McClendon seemed to prefer him as a near automatic out as a PHer while not having him available later in the game to make use of his ability as a defensive replacement.
Proving what you said, “in over his head”.
Joe Schultz, Ed Fernandes, Billy Cox, Cal McLish, Frank Barrett, Len Yochim, Hank Foiles, George Witt, Don Gross, Dick Hall, Al Jackson, Diomedes Olivo, Jim Shellenback, Bob Moose, Louis Tiant, Manny Sarmiento, Rafael Belliard, Vicente Palacios, Scott Little, Bob Patterson, Jim Gott, Chris Peters, Adam Hyzdu, Ramon Martinez, Don Wengert, Jason Bay, Craig Hansen, Erik Kratz, Chris Leroux, Xavier Paul, Stolmy Pimentel, Joakim Soria, Chris Volstad, Wade LeBlanc, Max Moroff, Mike Morse, Yacksel Rios, Will Craig, Dillon Peters.
Best player to wear number 38: Jason Bay. Honorable mention to Bob Moose.
I always felt bad for Adam Hyzdu. He showed such great potential as a minor leaguer but just couldn’t make the jump to the big leagues. It shows how special a guy has to be to reach the major leagues and remain successful enough to stay.
I felt bad for Hyzdu too. Especially when he was doing so well in 2002 and it seemed like McClendon wanted him to fail. He was recalled in July and had 5 HRs and 15 RBIs in his first 15 games that year. I remember an article where McClendon was asked about his performance and really downplayed it as if he wasn't anything to get excited about. I think McClendon resented being given a career minor leaguer when they needed an OFer instead of Littlefield acquiring someone off an MLB roster.
Between 7/18 and 7/24, Hyzdu was 15 for 29 with 4 HRs (.556) but when he went 0 for 3 the next day he got benched for the next 3 games. It seemed like McClendon had been waiting for an excuse to take him out of the lineup. When he got back in the lineup he hit .308 over the next 7 games. But after going hitless in the next 4 games, he was pulled in the 6th inning of the following game and played sporadically the rest of the season.
I know the Pirates have had some bad managers, but McClendon is the one who made my skin crawl more than any other.
McClendon was in over his head. He seemed to want to make all he moves he had seen managers do when he was a player without understanding why. For instance, he rarely made a pitching change without a double switch. But the new pitcher usually didn't pitch the next inning anyway so all the switch accomplished was to remove a position player and insert someone who would bat in the pitcher's spot an inning later. That gave the opposing manager the chance to make a pitching change for a better matchup.
In his first year as mgr, he declared they would be a running team. He didn't seem to understand that you need the personnel for that style. As a result they led MLB in caught stealing with 73 while no other NL team had more than 54. Their 93 SBs were just over the NL average of 91 and their success rate was one of the worst. So they had the NL's worst team OBP and compounded the problem by having the most runners removed from the base paths. And he seemed to change his 2B-SS combo just about every day to prevent any form of cohesion. IMHO McClendon was an atrocious manager. He was so constantly counterproductive in his decisions that the chasm of nothingness provided by Tracy and Russell who followed him was actually an improvement.
Saying McClendon was “in over his head” was exactly how I’d describe his time here. It was quite evident from the outset that he had no idea what he was doing, and it never got better. And if I had a nickel for every time he sent Abraham Nunez up to pinch hit, I could make an offer to buy the club from Nutting that he couldn’t possibly turn down.
Nunez was an excellent glove but a terrible PHer. Yet for the Pirates he amassed 188 ABs as a PHer with just 30 hits (.160). McClendon seemed to prefer him as a near automatic out as a PHer while not having him available later in the game to make use of his ability as a defensive replacement.
Proving what you said, “in over his head”.
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2drfischer@gmail.c
52 days till first Spring Training game
4C616C7D7A6B7C3C3F0E0 wrote: 38 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 38:
Joe Schultz, Ed Fernandes, Billy Cox, Cal McLish, Frank Barrett, Len Yochim, Hank Foiles, George Witt, Don Gross, Dick Hall, Al Jackson, Diomedes Olivo, Jim Shellenback, Bob Moose, Louis Tiant, Manny Sarmiento, Rafael Belliard, Vicente Palacios, Scott Little, Bob Patterson, Jim Gott, Chris Peters, Adam Hyzdu, Ramon Martinez, Don Wengert, Jason Bay, Craig Hansen, Erik Kratz, Chris Leroux, Xavier Paul, Stolmy Pimentel, Joakim Soria, Chris Volstad, Wade LeBlanc, Max Moroff, Mike Morse, Yacksel Rios, Will Craig, Dillon Peters.
Best player to wear number 38: Jason Bay. Honorable mention to Bob Moose.
I always felt bad for Adam Hyzdu. He showed such great potential as a minor leaguer but just couldn’t make the jump to the big leagues. It shows how special a guy has to be to reach the major leagues and remain successful enough to stay.
I felt bad for Hyzdu too. Especially when he was doing so well in 2002 and it seemed like McClendon wanted him to fail. He was recalled in July and had 5 HRs and 15 RBIs in his first 15 games that year. I remember an article where McClendon was asked about his performance and really downplayed it as if he wasn't anything to get excited about. I think McClendon resented being given a career minor leaguer when they needed an OFer instead of Littlefield acquiring someone off an MLB roster.
Between 7/18 and 7/24, Hyzdu was 15 for 29 with 4 HRs (.556) but when he went 0 for 3 the next day he got benched for the next 3 games. It seemed like McClendon had been waiting for an excuse to take him out of the lineup. When he got back in the lineup he hit .308 over the next 7 games. But after going hitless in the next 4 games, he was pulled in the 6th inning of the following game and played sporadically the rest of the season.
I know the Pirates have had some bad managers, but McClendon is the one who made my skin crawl more than any other.
McClendon was in over his head. He seemed to want to make all he moves he had seen managers do when he was a player without understanding why. For instance, he rarely made a pitching change without a double switch. But the new pitcher usually didn't pitch the next inning anyway so all the switch accomplished was to remove a position player and insert someone who would bat in the pitcher's spot an inning later. That gave the opposing manager the chance to make a pitching change for a better matchup.
In his first year as mgr, he declared they would be a running team. He didn't seem to understand that you need the personnel for that style. As a result they led MLB in caught stealing with 73 while no other NL team had more than 54. Their 93 SBs were just over the NL average of 91 and their success rate was one of the worst. So they had the NL's worst team OBP and compounded the problem by having the most runners removed from the base paths. And he seemed to change his 2B-SS combo just about every day to prevent any form of cohesion. IMHO McClendon was an atrocious manager. He was so constantly counterproductive in his decisions that the chasm of nothingness provided by Tracy and Russell who followed him was actually an improvement.
You mentioned Jim Tracy in this post. He showed he could manage a club well when he was with the Dodgers, but that was a team with good, veteran players. When he came to the Pirates, he had no where near the talent. He seemed to have lost interest fairly quickly when he saw what he had to work with, and he knew it wasn’t going to get better.
Joe Schultz, Ed Fernandes, Billy Cox, Cal McLish, Frank Barrett, Len Yochim, Hank Foiles, George Witt, Don Gross, Dick Hall, Al Jackson, Diomedes Olivo, Jim Shellenback, Bob Moose, Louis Tiant, Manny Sarmiento, Rafael Belliard, Vicente Palacios, Scott Little, Bob Patterson, Jim Gott, Chris Peters, Adam Hyzdu, Ramon Martinez, Don Wengert, Jason Bay, Craig Hansen, Erik Kratz, Chris Leroux, Xavier Paul, Stolmy Pimentel, Joakim Soria, Chris Volstad, Wade LeBlanc, Max Moroff, Mike Morse, Yacksel Rios, Will Craig, Dillon Peters.
Best player to wear number 38: Jason Bay. Honorable mention to Bob Moose.
I always felt bad for Adam Hyzdu. He showed such great potential as a minor leaguer but just couldn’t make the jump to the big leagues. It shows how special a guy has to be to reach the major leagues and remain successful enough to stay.
I felt bad for Hyzdu too. Especially when he was doing so well in 2002 and it seemed like McClendon wanted him to fail. He was recalled in July and had 5 HRs and 15 RBIs in his first 15 games that year. I remember an article where McClendon was asked about his performance and really downplayed it as if he wasn't anything to get excited about. I think McClendon resented being given a career minor leaguer when they needed an OFer instead of Littlefield acquiring someone off an MLB roster.
Between 7/18 and 7/24, Hyzdu was 15 for 29 with 4 HRs (.556) but when he went 0 for 3 the next day he got benched for the next 3 games. It seemed like McClendon had been waiting for an excuse to take him out of the lineup. When he got back in the lineup he hit .308 over the next 7 games. But after going hitless in the next 4 games, he was pulled in the 6th inning of the following game and played sporadically the rest of the season.
I know the Pirates have had some bad managers, but McClendon is the one who made my skin crawl more than any other.
McClendon was in over his head. He seemed to want to make all he moves he had seen managers do when he was a player without understanding why. For instance, he rarely made a pitching change without a double switch. But the new pitcher usually didn't pitch the next inning anyway so all the switch accomplished was to remove a position player and insert someone who would bat in the pitcher's spot an inning later. That gave the opposing manager the chance to make a pitching change for a better matchup.
In his first year as mgr, he declared they would be a running team. He didn't seem to understand that you need the personnel for that style. As a result they led MLB in caught stealing with 73 while no other NL team had more than 54. Their 93 SBs were just over the NL average of 91 and their success rate was one of the worst. So they had the NL's worst team OBP and compounded the problem by having the most runners removed from the base paths. And he seemed to change his 2B-SS combo just about every day to prevent any form of cohesion. IMHO McClendon was an atrocious manager. He was so constantly counterproductive in his decisions that the chasm of nothingness provided by Tracy and Russell who followed him was actually an improvement.
You mentioned Jim Tracy in this post. He showed he could manage a club well when he was with the Dodgers, but that was a team with good, veteran players. When he came to the Pirates, he had no where near the talent. He seemed to have lost interest fairly quickly when he saw what he had to work with, and he knew it wasn’t going to get better.
52 days till first Spring Training game
37 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 37:
Burleigh Grimes, Aubrey Epps, Fern Bell, Vince DiMaggio, Bob Elliott, Bill Clemensen, Dick Conger, Alf Anderson, Elmer Riddle, Hal Gregg, Harry Gumbert, Ray Poat, Ed Stevens, Clem Koshorek, Bob Schultz, Al Grunwald, Bob Garber, Bob Kuzava, Bob Smith, Don Gross, Tom Cheney, Jim Umbricht, Larry Foss, Tommie Sisk, Bob Purkey, John Gelnar, Bill Short, Dock Ellis, Fernando Gonzalez, Miguel Dilone, Alberto Lois, Rafael Belliard, Brant Brown, Bruce Aven, Nelson Figueroa, Jeff Suppan, Mike Johnston, Yurendell DeCaster, Matt Kata, John Wasdin, Raul Chavez, Charlie Morton, Lyle Overbay, Juan Cruz, Justin Wilson, Arquimedes Caminero, Alen Hanson, Edgar Santana, Chase De Jong.
Best player to wear number 37: Rafael Belliard by default, the only qualifier.
Burleigh Grimes, Aubrey Epps, Fern Bell, Vince DiMaggio, Bob Elliott, Bill Clemensen, Dick Conger, Alf Anderson, Elmer Riddle, Hal Gregg, Harry Gumbert, Ray Poat, Ed Stevens, Clem Koshorek, Bob Schultz, Al Grunwald, Bob Garber, Bob Kuzava, Bob Smith, Don Gross, Tom Cheney, Jim Umbricht, Larry Foss, Tommie Sisk, Bob Purkey, John Gelnar, Bill Short, Dock Ellis, Fernando Gonzalez, Miguel Dilone, Alberto Lois, Rafael Belliard, Brant Brown, Bruce Aven, Nelson Figueroa, Jeff Suppan, Mike Johnston, Yurendell DeCaster, Matt Kata, John Wasdin, Raul Chavez, Charlie Morton, Lyle Overbay, Juan Cruz, Justin Wilson, Arquimedes Caminero, Alen Hanson, Edgar Santana, Chase De Jong.
Best player to wear number 37: Rafael Belliard by default, the only qualifier.
52 days till first Spring Training game
I know number 37 was a day late, power went out, sorry.
52 days till first Spring Training game
36 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 36:
Heine Manush, Spud Davis, Jim Bagby, Woody Main, Mel Queen, Cal Hogue, Bob Hall, Joe Trimble, Ron Blackburn, Jack Lamabe, Frank Bork, Tom Butters, Dennis Ribant, Carl Taylor, Fred Cambria, Dick Colpaert, Gene Garber, Al McBean, Ramon Hernandez, Odell Jones, Matt Alexander, Junior Ortiz, Marvell Wynne, Rick Sauveur, Brian Fisher, Dave Rucker, Joe Redfield, Jeff Richardson, Kevin Young, Mark Johnson, Jason Johnson, Javier Martinez, Billy Taylor, Craig Wilson, Juan Perez, Jeff Karstens, Luis Cruz, Wilfredo Ledezma, Ryan Ludwick, Garrett Olson, Yamaico Navarro, Phil Irmin, Justin Morneau, Edinson Volquez, Jose Osuna, Nick Mears.
Best player to wear number 36: Ramon Hernandez. Honorable mention to Craig Wilson.
Heine Manush, Spud Davis, Jim Bagby, Woody Main, Mel Queen, Cal Hogue, Bob Hall, Joe Trimble, Ron Blackburn, Jack Lamabe, Frank Bork, Tom Butters, Dennis Ribant, Carl Taylor, Fred Cambria, Dick Colpaert, Gene Garber, Al McBean, Ramon Hernandez, Odell Jones, Matt Alexander, Junior Ortiz, Marvell Wynne, Rick Sauveur, Brian Fisher, Dave Rucker, Joe Redfield, Jeff Richardson, Kevin Young, Mark Johnson, Jason Johnson, Javier Martinez, Billy Taylor, Craig Wilson, Juan Perez, Jeff Karstens, Luis Cruz, Wilfredo Ledezma, Ryan Ludwick, Garrett Olson, Yamaico Navarro, Phil Irmin, Justin Morneau, Edinson Volquez, Jose Osuna, Nick Mears.
Best player to wear number 36: Ramon Hernandez. Honorable mention to Craig Wilson.
52 days till first Spring Training game
65434451585443555D360 wrote: 36 days until the first Spring Training game. Here are the illustrious Pirates who have worn number 36:
Heine Manush, Spud Davis, Jim Bagby, Woody Main, Mel Queen, Cal Hogue, Bob Hall, Joe Trimble, Ron Blackburn, Jack Lamabe, Frank Bork, Tom Butters, Dennis Ribant, Carl Taylor, Fred Cambria, Dick Colpaert, Gene Garber, Al McBean, Ramon Hernandez, Odell Jones, Matt Alexander, Junior Ortiz, Marvell Wynne, Rick Sauveur, Brian Fisher, Dave Rucker, Joe Redfield, Jeff Richardson, Kevin Young, Mark Johnson, Jason Johnson, Javier Martinez, Billy Taylor, Craig Wilson, Juan Perez, Jeff Karstens, Luis Cruz, Wilfredo Ledezma, Ryan Ludwick, Garrett Olson, Yamaico Navarro, Phil Irmin, Justin Morneau, Edinson Volquez, Jose Osuna, Nick Mears.
Best player to wear number 36: Ramon Hernandez. Honorable mention to Craig Wilson.
does anyone know if Al McBean had arm problems? He was very good until 1968 and started 28 games that season. but it was his worst performance so far (especially considering the pitching stats for that year) The Bucs let him go in the expansion draft and he only made 40 relief appearances in his last two seasons and was done at 32.
I have photo of him which I think is a promo from Sugardale Meats.
Heine Manush, Spud Davis, Jim Bagby, Woody Main, Mel Queen, Cal Hogue, Bob Hall, Joe Trimble, Ron Blackburn, Jack Lamabe, Frank Bork, Tom Butters, Dennis Ribant, Carl Taylor, Fred Cambria, Dick Colpaert, Gene Garber, Al McBean, Ramon Hernandez, Odell Jones, Matt Alexander, Junior Ortiz, Marvell Wynne, Rick Sauveur, Brian Fisher, Dave Rucker, Joe Redfield, Jeff Richardson, Kevin Young, Mark Johnson, Jason Johnson, Javier Martinez, Billy Taylor, Craig Wilson, Juan Perez, Jeff Karstens, Luis Cruz, Wilfredo Ledezma, Ryan Ludwick, Garrett Olson, Yamaico Navarro, Phil Irmin, Justin Morneau, Edinson Volquez, Jose Osuna, Nick Mears.
Best player to wear number 36: Ramon Hernandez. Honorable mention to Craig Wilson.
does anyone know if Al McBean had arm problems? He was very good until 1968 and started 28 games that season. but it was his worst performance so far (especially considering the pitching stats for that year) The Bucs let him go in the expansion draft and he only made 40 relief appearances in his last two seasons and was done at 32.
I have photo of him which I think is a promo from Sugardale Meats.
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ArnoldRothstein
52 days till first Spring Training game
Ron Blackburn
Blackburn was a reliever in the late fifties, got into 64 games and batted a dozen times. He hit a homer and two doubles to slug .667, so if you jiggle the minimums around (e.g., at least 60 games and 10 at-bats) he ends up on the all time slugging list with Ruth and Gehrig.
Blackburn was a reliever in the late fifties, got into 64 games and batted a dozen times. He hit a homer and two doubles to slug .667, so if you jiggle the minimums around (e.g., at least 60 games and 10 at-bats) he ends up on the all time slugging list with Ruth and Gehrig.