2015 MLB Season Thread

[wadesworld]

Seriously this is the most Brewers move ever.  Hire a manager with no experience because he is local and a former Brewer, run the GM out of office, and then demand that the new GM work with this manager.  This from the franchise that treats the '82 Brewers like they're the '27 Yankees and Bud Selig like he's some sort of mythic figure.

Yup, exactly.  And they are talking about wanting a "young, analytics based" GM.  Now watch them go and just promote Gord Ash.

[brandx]

Seriously this is the most Brewers move ever.  Hire a manager with no experience because he is local and a former Brewer, run the GM out of office, and then demand that the new GM work with this manager.  This from the franchise that treats the '82 Brewers like they're the '27 Yankees and Bud Selig like he's some sort of mythic figure.

I disagree, Sultan. I think Counsel will be a 20 year manager in the Bigs. He was very highly thought of by a lot of baseball people.

I saw where Eric Byrnes said that in his 11 years as player, he thought Counsel would make the best manager of any guy he played with. The hiring was definitely not a shot in the dark.

[wadesworld]

I disagree, Sultan. I think Counsel will be a 20 year manager in the Bigs. He was very highly thought of by a lot of baseball people.

I saw where Eric Byrnes said that in his 11 years as player, he thought Counsel would make the best manager of any guy he played with. The hiring was definitely not a shot in the dark.

I don't necessarily think Counsel won't be a good manager, but what's the rush to sign him to a longer term contract?  It's not like other MLB teams were knocking down his door every day in May to get him to sign a contract with them.  Bring him in for the rest of the year and see how players react to his style and what kinds of decisions he's making.

Not to mention, you know your GM is in the last year of his contract and you know he's probably not going to be back in that position in the organization after this season.  So why are you hiring a new manager to a 3 year contract when you know you're going to be hiring a new GM after the season is over?  Ride it out with Roenicke and bring in a GM who can make his own hire at manager.  Offer your suggestion that Craig would be a perfect fit during the interview process for all I care, but you probably aren't going to get a very well respected GM to come into Milwaukee saying, "Well, you're going to have a budget of under $120M every year and you must keep this guy as your manager."

I know it might suck, but it's a business.  It may seem cutthroat to bring in a GM and give him total control, but the Brewers could learn from what the Bucks did.  Under Kohl it was loyalty to everyone and let's just put fans in the stadium (which they failed to do) and compete for that 8 seed to get 2 more home games and see the stars of the 1 seed come into the BC to sweep us.  The new owners came in and said thanks for all you did Senator Kohl, we'll take it from here.  I hated how they brought in Kidd and didn't even think he'd be a great coach, but their decision proved to be a very good one.  And they've given him the reigns despite Hammonds having been around, which has lead to a pretty quick turnaround.

The Brewers need somebody to come in and take the reigns.  The organization has fallen behind.  Pitching, guys who get on base, speed, and good defense (for the most part) now wins games, not guys who hit .235 with 35 home runs.  What the Royals are doing with the Brewer's former manager and having gone to the World Series with their 1-3 hitters in their lineup having been brought in from the Brewers organization just tells you how wrong the Brewers front office has been looking at the game.

Melvin can still be valuable with his knowledge, but it's time to go in a new direction.  Maybe Counsel can be a part of that, but it should not be a requirement.

[NavinRJohnson]

Seriously this is the most Brewers move ever.  Hire a manager with no experience because he is local and a former Brewer, run the GM out of office, and then demand that the new GM work with this manager.  This from the franchise that treats the '82 Brewers like they're the '27 Yankees and Bud Selig like he's some sort of mythic figure.

I wouldn't be too worried about it. It doesn't matter. Why hire a new manager now anyway? They are starting on a 2-3 year rebuild. If Counsell doesn't work out, you can replace him at any point in that process. Keeping him for now, is probably the right call, until a new GM has a plan and puts it in motion.

Look at the Cubs, where dale Sveum was obviously hired just to keep the seat warm for a while, or where renteria was fired when someone better came along at the right time. The nanager the next year or two really doesn't matter.

[mu-rara]

Rumors are that Jack Zduriencik is going to be fired and that Dombrowski is going to replace him in Seattle.

He would have been the choice hands down if he stayed in MKE.  No?

[wadesworld]

He would have been the choice hands down if he stayed in MKE.  No?

Yes.

[brandx]

He would have been the choice hands down if he stayed in MKE.  No?

Just hopin' Milwaukee doesn't bring him back. His scouting and drafting has been brutal for the Mariners.

[wadesworld]

Just hopin' Milwaukee doesn't bring him back. His scouting and drafting has been brutal for the Mariners.

Yup.  And I'm not sure the philosophy of the organization would change much if he was brought back, when it really needs to change.

[Blackhat]

What's Dean Taylor doing these days?

[Blackhat]

In regards to Counsell as manager.

1. I don't think Cousnell would have taken the job on a one year contract, and Brewers think he has good potential as a manager.

2.  If I'm a GM I really don't mind a guy who's not your choice starting as manager.  Moderate job protection. If things don't start out good, Counsell will be the scape goat, not the new GM.

[4everwarriors]

What's Dean Taylor doing these days?

That turtlehead had future superstar written all over his forehead, hey?

[Blackhat]

Jeffrey Hammonds baby!

[GGGG]

What's Dean Taylor doing these days?

Dean Taylor deserves some credit for the Brewers success of the past few seasons.  He also was in the front office of the Royals for a number of years before retiring back in January.  The biggest reason he didn't succeed in Milwaukee was the Selig-Preib ownership.

[Blackhat]

Dean Taylor deserves some credit for the Brewers success of the past few seasons.  He also was in the front office of the Royals for a number of years before retiring back in January.  The biggest reason he didn't succeed in Milwaukee was the Selig-Preib ownership.

I actually somewhat agree. I think he was competent but had severe limitations put on him

[drewm88]

Melvin gone. Rumor is he did it now because he couldn't face another sweep at the hand of 2015-2020 World Champion Chicago Cubs.

Note that I got the sweep prediction right and make your wagers for the next six WS now.

[4everwarriors]

Crean sucks

[jesmu84]

Kyle Schwarber is killing it

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Kyle Schwarber is killing it

May wanna check Montero for steroids while you're at it. That dude is having the best month of his career.

[NavinRJohnson]

Boy, the NL playoff race sure fizzled out quickly. Only real questions that seem to remain are SF or LA in the West, and where the Pirates and Cubs will play the WC game, and the latter isn't even a particularly interesting question.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

May wanna check Montero for steroids while you're at it. That dude is having the best month of his career.

Maybe a bit of hyperbole there, don't you think?

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

This morning I saw this on team logo changes from 1880 to present and thought it was interesting.

Here is every MLB team's logo changes through the years in one GIF
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/check-out-every-mlb-team-s-logo-changes-through-the-years--in-one-gif-064425511.html

[GGGG]

OK I think the MLB needs to go division-less because I think it is unfair that the two NL wild card teams are arguably two of the best three in the league.  Here is my modest scheduling solution:

Right now a major league season is 26 weeks long, minus a half-week for the All-Star break.  They accomplish this by having:

38 3-game series
10 4-game series
4 2-game series

For any given team:

*28 3 games series home and home with every other team intraleague.

*2 4 game series home and home with designated interleague "rival"

*Remaining 10 3 game series, and 4 2 game series are against all other interleague teams.  Home one year, on the road the next. (and vice versa)

*Remaining 8 4 game series are home and home intraleague weighted on previous year results.  (First through fifth in each league play each other...sixth through tenth...eleventh through fifteenth.)

[brandx]

Or just re-seed teams according to record after the regular season.

[GGGG]

Or just re-seed teams according to record after the regular season.

Are you dissing my "bored at work" time-wasting accomplishment?

[CTWarrior]

*Remaining 8 4 game series are home and home intraleague weighted on previous year results.  (First through fifth in each league play each other...sixth through tenth...eleventh through fifteenth.)

You had me until this part.  If you are going to do away with divisions because they are unfair, you also can't have schedules where by design you give one team a more difficult schedule than another.

You basically can change some of those 28 3 game series to 4 game series.  So your best bet would be to play all the interleague teams 3 times each (one series per year), and 9 of the intraleague teams 8 times and the other 5 of the intraleague teams 9 times.