JOE MADDON SUCKS

Joe Maddon vs Gene Mauch

2011-05-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

   To those of you who have read the JoeMaddonSux blog over time, you are familiar with my disliking of Gene Mauch's management style in baseball. I truly do feel like his methods of using match ups instead of using common sense back in the 60's and 70's and 80's truly cost his teams a chance to win playoffs series, and he finished never making an appearance in the World Series. Mauch's teams consistently folded in critical times, and he had 3 near World Series teams that failed to make it, in large part because Mauch would use match ups he was sure would work, even when everyone else in the ballpark realized Mauch was making the wrong decision. Younger readers and fans may not be aware of Gene Mauch's personality, or his managerial style, but one of his most famous quotes was "I'm not the manager because I'm always right, but I'm always right because I'm the manager." Joe Maddon was in the Angels organization for many years when Gene Mauch was there, and has credited him as one of his mentors. I got to watch first hand in 1982 and again in 1986, how Gene Mauch's decisions cost the Angels a chance to participate in the World Series, as his stubborn methods cost the Angels twice when they were leading by 2 games in playoff series, and in 1986 they were 1 out away from going to the World Series, with no one on base, but Mauch decided to change the starting pitcher for a matchup of lefty vs. lefty, and Gary Lucas pitched and hit the batter, Rich Gedman, and then Mauch changed pitchers again and Donnie Moore gave up a home run, and the Angels went on to blow a 3-1 games lead, and lose the ALCS, and the Red Sox went to the World Series, and eventually lost to the Mets.

   When Joe Maddon came to the Rays as manager, and left the Angels, he came and brought a similar philosophy as Gene Mauch. Mauch believed in "little ball" which was using the bunting game, defense and pitching to win games, and didn't rely on heavily on offense. While for the most part, this is a winning style, Maddon's constant excessive use of changing pitchers, and using alternate lineups, and creating match ups brought back memories of Mauch and his habits of letting match ups rule his methods, instead of being open to common sense and a "feel for the game". Today's game has changed dramatically from the Mauch days, and the Saber metrics, and other methods have now been used more than ever. While I agree with alot of the new baseball ideas, I still feel there is a need for baseball instincts, common sense and a feel for the game. Saber metrics can't truly graph a player's emotions, how he is feeling on any given day, how the weather effects certain game decisions or certain players, and several other factors, and all in all, even when the math tells you a decision is wrong, sometimes a manager just has an instinct that he know it's the right time to go against the charts and make a "gut" decision. I know that is hard for the younger generation to understand, and loyalists to the Saber metric ideas will disagree, and I can understand that, as the majority of them haven't experienced how the game of baseball used to be, only how it is today. Managers like Maddon, that have been around, understand the concepts from both sides of the equation, and should be able to manage accordingly.

   I originally disliked Maddon's methods of using the alternate lineups, and the multiple pitching changes just to match up certain players vs. pitchers, but over time have come to realize that Maddon is using the new ideas and implementing the new style of baseball more often than not, and it tends to work out more often than not, even if I didn't agree with his methods. I still can't believe he used Kelly Shoppach in game 5 of the playoffs last year, regardless of the Saber metric numbers, when Shoppach had been brutal all season as a hitter and catcher, and this was the deciding game to advance to the next playoff found. This type of decision reminded me more of Gene Mauch and his stubborn methods than most things Maddon has done up to this point. I still cringe when Maddon uses Andy Sonnanstine, and somehow tries to sell us on the fact that this is a good idea, when we all know there is no way to justify that Sonnanstine should be a starting pitcher for the Rays at any time with the staff they have, and the arms the Rays have in the minor leagues. I have learned however, that there are other factors that perhaps keep the younger arms in the minor leagues instead of spot starting or getting a chance to debut for a couple of weeks. I still don't like the fact the Jeremy Hellickson didn't get a chance to start in a playoff game, when he was a better option last year than 3 other pitchers the Rays had on the roster at the time. I didn't like Maddon pulling David Price with 1 out to go and nobody on base the other night, and fortunately it worked out, but it still seems to me that the extra 4 or 5 pitches that Price may have thrown, can't possibly hurt his arm, unless he was to do that every game. Apparently the Saber metric numbers say differently, so we have to accept it, even when we don't like it.

   All in all, the Joe MaddonMaddon, as at least some of the credit goes to Johnny Damon for his players meeting, and the majority of the credit goes to the players for never giving up and continuing to play well. Maddon has kept many of the Mauch traditions that I despise alive and well, but he also has been more flexible and has adapted to situations more often than Mauch did. The Rays don't use "small ball" as often as they used to even when they should, and their strategy of taking pitches that led to a dismal offense showing last year and this year early in the season, has seemingly changed enough to where we don't get that hopeless feeling anymore about the Rays offense. I have to give Maddon some credit for making necessary changes, and credit to the players for performing well as of late. I can only hope Maddon doesn't turn out to b a reincarnation of Gene Mauch, a man who never went to a World Series as a manager. At least Maddon has already surpassed Mauch in that category, and has made the World Series as a manager. Let's hope he can be a manager that can help the Rays win a World Series. Either way, I'm a Rays fan and will root for Maddon, even when he does his best Gene Mauch impression, as I want what all Rays fans want. Simply to be a fan of a Rays team that wins the World Series.

Gene Mauch Wikipedia Page

JoeMa bows down to Scioscia once again

2011-05-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

   Whenever the Rays play the Angels, there seems to be this annoying feeling that Joe Maddon is always trying to show his mentor Mike Scioscia that JoeMa indeed is the smartest man in the room, and it inevitably turns bad, and Scioscia once again is proven to be the better manager.

   It was tough enough on Friday night watching the Rays have a 4-1 lead, with their ace pitcher,David Price,on the mound. Price didn't have his best game, and the Rays lost the game 8-5. This was understandable, as it's baseball, and things happen, and the Angels outplayed the Rays on Friday night. Then the Angels hand the Rays a cookie, by not using their ace pitcher, Jered Weaver, supposedly due to illness. The Angels used a rookie pitcher, and the Rays scored 5 runs in the 1st inning to take a 5-0 lead. The Rays countered with a young rookie pitcher of their own, Alex Cobb, who overall didn't pitch poorly, and had a 5-1 lead through 4 1/3 innings. Then he got a little wild, and walked a couple of batters, then gave up a single to make it 5-2. So with runners on 1st and 3rd base, Joe Maddon opts to bring in his mopup pitcher, Andy Sonnanstine. Any Rays fan that actually knows anything about the Rays know that you never want to use Sonnanstine in a high leverage situation. Sure enough Sonnanstine walks the first batter, and the Angels get 3 more runs in the inning to tie the game, and the Rays eventually lost 6-5.

   One has to question why Sonnanstine even has a roster spot on the Rays, and why they carry 12 pitchers to begin with, especially since Sonnanstine has only pitched twice in the past 18 games. Then for Joe Maddon to actually use his worst reliever in a high leverage situation with the game on the line, just shows a complete lack of common sense and there was no way to justify it, even among all his graphs and numbers that JoeMa likes to use.

   When you have even the loyal Maddon fans asking the question of what did he just do, and even the sabermetric group questioning his management skills for this game, it is clear that Maddon mismanaged this game, and in turn cost the Rays a chance of winning today's game. We won't even start t touch on JoeMa's choice of not pinch hitting for certain players today, as the move to use Sonnanstine was the game breaker.

   I encourage everyone to go to twitter, and just use the #rays to find all the talk about the Rays game today. Even the author of the Extra 2% Jonah Keri made a comment (Link Here) on how they should have taken the manager to the common sense room. No where for Maddon to hide from this loss. Trying to be the smartest guy in the room, instead of using common sense, just cost him a win once again.

JoeMa Matchups Don't Pay Off

2011-04-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

   Well the lineup the past few games, has changed several times, as is always the normal routine for Joe Maddon. It will drive you crazy trying to figure out his methods. Just when a player gets in a groove, Maddon will "rest" him or bench him because of the dreaded match ups. Matt Joyce has had 17 hits in his past 10 games, but JoeMa benches him because of a LHP starter again. Once again we don't get to see how Joyce can handle left handed pitching, because he isn't given the chance.

   The Rays defense made several mistakes tonight which turned into 3 runs overall, and on any night that happens, your chances of winning are dramatically reduced. Sean Rodriguez had two separate dropped balls, the most costly being on pickoff attempt in the 8th inning, where the runner would have been out if Rodriguez hangs onto the ball. The play right before that however, is where Dan Johnson tried to turn a double play and failed by throwing the ball into the back of the runner as he ran towards 2nd base. Had Johnson made this play, or had Rodriguez made the catch, the Rays probably win tonight's game. Instead they lost in extra innings on a home run allowed by Adam Russell. It seems odd for a stats and numbers grounded manager like JoeMa, that he wouldn't have put Casey Kotchman at 1st base for better defense in the later innings, but apparently he wanted to leave Dan Johnson in to hit in the 9th inning. Johnson isn't producing right now, so that extra defense would have made the difference in the game.

   Adam Russell. JoeMa brought in Adam Russell with 1 out in the 11th inning, and nobody on base. I understand he was using the percentages and bringing in a right handed pitcher, but he left his best option in the bullpen in Kyle Farnsworth, and instead brought in Russell, who simply isn't a guy you want to see in a tie ball game in extra innings, unless there is no one left in your pen. Yet JoeMa went with Russell and sure enough he gave up a single to a struggling Juan Rivera who is hitting .116, and then a Home Run to John McDonald to lose the game.

   Lost in all this is the fact that the Rays are still only hitting .232 AVG as a team, with a .292 OBP, while averaging 7.4 K's per game. Pitching has been helping the Rays win games lately, but let's not forget what happened the past 2 season when the Rays pitching couldn't produce. A few wins took some of the focus off of Derek Shelton and his lackluster performance as the Rays Hitting Coach, but realistically the Rays still need improvement on the offensive side of the game. Letting hitters that are hitting well continue to play instead of going with "match ups" could well benefit the Rays offense when it comes to the young players like Joyce, Reid Brignac, and Sean Rodriguez. Elliot Johnson has simply brought nothing offensively or defensively to the Rays this season, yet continues to get playing time that should go to the younger players that are part of the Rays future.

Joe Maddon Tinkers Again with His Lineup

2011-04-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

   Joe Maddon once again showed us today that he will continue to tinker with the Rays lineup regardless of any success they are having. Win 5 games in a row, have a couple of hot hitters, but let's change things around and use 4 utility type players in the same lineup and worry about the process instead of winning a game. The Twins manager Ron Gardenhire put out a weak lineup today as well, but the Rays still lost. Justin Morneau was supposedly sick today. This coming on the heels of Saturday, when he invited 6 Tampa Bay Lighting players to the game. The Lightning players had the night off, but Morneau had to play baseball, and yet he is suddenly ~~hungover~~ sick on Sunday. This treating the players like men appears to really work for the Twins as well as it does for the Rays. This is all speculation, but let's be realistic. In all fairness, we will also mention that the Twins defense today was extremely good.

   Matt Joyce has 11 hits in 5 games, so he suddenly needs rest because a left handed pitcher is starting for the Twins. We've heard the reasons, the numbers, the stats over and over from Joe Maddon, but how can you continue to single out young players, and not let them hit when they are on a hot streak. It's not like Elliot Johnson or Felipe Lopez are critical to have in your lineup. We want to see Sean Rodriguez get more playing time, but why not use him instead of Lopez and keep Joyce playing. Maddon's excuse today was "I think people need to consider also maybe he does hit righties so well because he doesn’t see many lefties and that does not mess with his swing." There is always an excuse, but yet Dan Johnson gets to stay in the lineup when he can't hit righties or lefties. We want to believe JoeMa, but he just continues to tinker with the young players and in turn we may never see how good they could be, because they continue to not get consistent playing time and At Bats.

   Here is some interesting numbers to consider. Matt Joyce has only had 67 Plate Appearances against Lefties in his Career. Reid Brignac has had 79 Plate Appearances against Lefties in his Career. Sean Rodriguez has had only 410 Plate Appearances against Righties in his Career. These 3 players have been in the Major Leagues for parts or all of 4 Years. The point is, we will never know if these 3 players can produce as everyday players if they continue to not get a fair chance to play on a consistent basis.

   The bottom line is when you have Dan Johnson, Elliot Johnson, Felipe Lopez & Kelly Shoppach as 4 of your 9 players in the starting lineup, the chances of winning are incredibly small, even though the Twins fielded a similarly poor lineup today. I know with Maddon it's all about the process, but it's be nice if it could be about winning the game in hand as well as the process, and if he would make adjustments to win games and use some common sense instead of relying solely on the process all the time.

JoeMa's Comments and Lineup for Today

Will Maddon keep the Rays Agressive on Offense

2011-04-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

   The Rays hitting struggles have been well documented for the past 2 seasons under the tutelage of Derek Shelton. It's been well documented in Cleveland and the Bay Area how poorly Shelton led offenses have played under his approach at taking pitches, and trying to work the count on the starting pitchers. I realize this is part of the Joe Maddon philosophy, as well as part of the Rays Front Office philosophy. However, it seems that when something isn't working well, good managers and coaches, would be willing to adjust and try a different approach, even if it was just to try to right a sinking ship.

   The Rays did just that on Monday night against the Red Sox. Ray's hitters were extremely aggressive in their approach, and we're swinging at many first pitches, especially when they were extremely hittable pitches, instead of trying to work the count as they usually do. Who really knows if Maddon altered his philosophy for a game, or if perhaps it was Johnny Damon's players only meeting. Maybe it was just the fact that Dice-K was pitching for the Red Sox, and everybody realized that they could take advantage of him. What followed was an offensive explosion, and an extremely fun game to watch for Rays fans, especially since it happened against the Red Sox in Fenway Park. The final score of 16-5 was definitely because of the aggressive offensive approach the Rays took on Monday.

   Tuesday the Rays had to face one of the best left handed pitchers in baseball in John Lester. He did a good job of silencing the Rays bats once again for the most part, but that is to be somewhat expected when you face a tough lefty like Lester. David Price was better, and the Rays bullpen saved the game and the Rays won 3-2, pinning the loss on Lester, making it even more fun to be a Rays fan once again.

   It was enjoyable to watch the Rays approach to swinging the bats, and see them become extremely aggressive on Monday, and have a somewhat different approach against Lester but still be aggressive on offense on Tuesday. I have to ask the question. Since we saw what the Rays bats can do when they tried a different approach, are we going to see this approach continue, or is this just a temporary change of philosophy in an attempt to win a couple of games? I would hope they continued to be aggressive on offense, and alter the philosophy to enable the offense to score more runs. There will obviously be games where the Rays "taking pitches philosophy" is effective and necessary, but since it doesn't work that well in scoring runs on a consistent basis, will we get to see the aggressive approach more often this season? I hope so, but knowing how Maddon and Shelton believe in their philosophy, I would tend to believe we could be in for a long season of watching the Rays offense struggle. We all saw the possibilities, when the Rays are aggressive at the plate. Will that be enough for Joe Maddon to continue that approach when necessary? That is the real question, that I'm sure we will find out this year in the next few weeks.

SP Times Article on Rays aggressive approach

Derek Shelton's Past Hitting CoachTroubles

2011-04-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

A Facebook user posted this article today, from May 2008. The article was about Derek Shelton, and how he needed to be fired as the hitting coach from the Cleveland Indians as their offense was stagnant. They eventually did let Shelton go, and the Rays scooped him up, an the past 2 seasons the Rays offense has been stagnant. Read this article from almost 3 years ago. Sound familiar?

Click here for the article

Joe Maddon Meltdown Begins

2011-04-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

The Joe Maddon Meltdown has officially begun. Perhaps Joe should start looking in the mirror for his constant mistakes, and start making some changes. The Rays lose again today, 6-1, with only 4 hits. Kelly Shoppach, striking out 3 times in 3 Plate appearances, and against a Right Handed Pitcher. Playing the stats again JoeMa? Just using the percentages right? JoeMa contradicts himself once again, then has a classic meltdown today. Maddon was right about the call, and should have argued. He just looks like the constant losing and the Rays' current hitting woes is finally getting to him.

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2011-04-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

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Manny, Maddon and the Lack of Offense

2011-04-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

   Most sports fans know by now what happened with Manny Ramirez and his retirement. Yes he was found to have used some type of substances that are banned from MLB. Manny retired rather than "continue the process" in the MLB's drug program. Like Manny or not, he clearly was one of the game's best hitters ever. Yes he tested positive, not once, but twice. None of us will ever know the effect the banned substances truly had on Manny's playing ability, but we do know he was an incredible hitter and it's unfortunate that it happened again, and is disappointing to see it happen.

   The media has made the "Manny being Manny" comments for years, and has had their fun the past 2 days stating they knew this would happen, and it's the Rays fault for bringing him in to begin with. I disagree. Yes Manny has made bad choices in the past, but at $2 million, Manny was a bargain, and if something went wrong, the Rays would still not be on the hook for the money for more than one year. It was a no lose situation considering the dollars, and the possible upside if Manny was productive offensively. Unfortunately the worst happened, and the Rays don't have to pay Manny any longer, but it isn't Manny's fault the Rays offense hasn't produced this season. Manny wasn't here last year when the offense was not scoring runs on a consistent basis. The offensive philosophy the Rays have in place of taking pitches, has created the continued struggle with the whole team's offense, and this has nothing to do with Manny being on the Rays, or Manny being retired.

Joe Maddon continued to act as if he didn't know anything about Manny's situation, yet as Ben Maller said on Fox Sports Radio on Friday night, of course Maddon knew about it, and yet he continued to act like it was a situation with Manny's children. He could have easily just kept it simple and stated it was a personal matter for Manny, and left it at that. Instead Maddon lied to the media and the fans, and embellished a story he knew wasn't true. What about Maddon's credibility? Why does he continue to get a free pass, when he continues to change his philosophy of using players and pitchers in certain situations and contradicts himself on a almost daily basis. His comments on Thursday about how the team was used to cold weather since playing in it in October was so blatantly false, yet it went unnoticed and unchallenged for the most part by the media. The Rays played in Texas and Tropicana Field last year in October, didn't play in the playoffs in 2009, and in the 2008 playoffs and World Series they did play in cold weather, yet the only players left from that roster are James Shields, Andy Sonnanstine, Evan Longoria, David Price, BJ Upton and Ben Zobrist, and Longoria isn't playing right now as he is on the disabled list. 2 hitters on the roster from 2008 are playing in this Chicago Series, yet he makes a comment regarding the whole team? It seems that Maddon continues to get a free pass, regardless of what he says or does.

   Maddon now will get another free pass with Manny's issues, as it takes some of the heat off Maddon and Derek Shelton's philosophy and inability to better prepare the hitters for the past 2 seasons. If this season continues to be a struggle, and the offense continues to be the feeble offense we have seen for the past 2 seasons, Maddon now has his built in excuses, that Longoria was injured, and Manny retired. With or without Longoria and Manny, the Rays offense has struggled because of their consistent inability to change and adapt to the pitchers they are facing. The word is out on how to pitch to the Rays. Simply throw strikes and they will take the first pitch and will try to run up the pitch count. Pitchers that can throw strikes, simply can get ahead in the count, and then the hitters on the Rays have to try to hit when behind in the count, making the chances of success even smaller. Philosophies that aren't working can and should be changed, and adaptions need to be made if the Rays expect to score runs. It isn't just the 1-7 Record this season. The proof is from all of 2010's offensive output, and with the first 8 games of 2011.

   What has happened to the Rays playing small ball, stealing bases, using defense to prevent runs, and taking the extra base. Maddon has changed that part of his managing, yet has has refused to alter his approach for the hitters even when his take pitches method hasn't been working, and simply won't allow young players to play on a consistent basis so they can actually improve. Sean Rodriguez is just one example of Maddon's constant tinkering with lineups as Rodriguez continues to be bounced in and out of the lineup just as he was last year,and it clearly affects his ability to get in a groove or become a consistent hitter. In all fairness, Maddon has given Brignac and Joyce consistent playing time for the most part, but it all comes back to the offensive philosophy that Maddon and Shelton utilize. Doing the same things that aren't working over and over and expecting different results is simply not going to improve this team. Yes Manny is gone and Longoria is injured, but let's not let that overshadow the truth about Maddon and his stubbornness to change his methods and offensive philosophy when it isn't working. The real problem lies in the fact the Rays manager simply won't alter his methods, even when opposing managers and pitchers have altered their methods to counter Maddon's philosophy.

Click Here for Rays' Players Reaction to Manny's retirement

Joe Maddon already making Excuses

2011-04-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

   It's been 5 games, and the Rays are of to a 0-5 start to the season, with the offense nowhere to be seen. Last night Manny Ramirez was booed by some of the fans after he went without a hit, and it prompted JoeMa to defend Manny, stating it was "very unfair" to boo Manny. I actually agree, Manny isn't the problem. The problem once again lies within the Joe Maddon & Derek Shelton philosophy of taking pitches, and then looking for that perfect pitch, instead of being aggressive at the plate and it continues to cost the Rays bad at bats, and continues to not produce runs. The Rays were a hit and miss team all last season under Shelton, either scoring alot of runs, or hardly any runs.

   Manny was given a day off today, and even though JoeMa claims to use his front office guidelines and stat sheets, it clearly looks like JoeMa gave Manny a day off because he was booed. Why else would you sit Manny against Dan Haren, when Manny was 19 for 37 against Haren lifetime. JoeMa's post game conference was bumbled as he tried to explain away the mistake, stating that we don't just use the numbers and stats. It's different when a guy is struggling. Different? It seems that if the guy was struggling, you would want to let him hit against a guy he doesn't struggle against. JoeMa is being JoeMa and already using excuses and pointing out that it's the guys in the front office that dictate information to him to use. So does that mean JoeMa isn't in charge of the lineup? Either way he passed the buck and used excuses today to sit a future Hall of Famer because he was struggling for 4 games. Why wasn't Dan Johnson, or Matt Joyce, or Johnny Damon benched if that is the case?

   Jeremy Hellickson was pitching well today, and the Rays were down 2-1 with a runner on 1st base and 2 outs. Granted Hellickson was at 98 pitches with 1 out to go in the 6th, but why not let Hellickson get the next batter and get out of the inning and give the kid a chance to get a win if the Rays come back in the bottom of the inning? JoeMa brings in Adam Russell, who promptly doesn't pay attention to the runner on 1st base, who steals 2nd and then scores on a misplayed flyball that Matt Joyce dropped. Maybe this doesn't matter in the end, but taking Hellickson out of the game and insuring he didn't have a chance to win just seems to be one of Maddon's classic match up moves, yet he claims he doesn't use match ups when players are struggling. Just doesn't make sense, but those that are blinded by the JoeMa love will continue to fall for the JoeMa schemes, while those of us that disagree will continue to be frustrated by Maddon's moves.

   Last but not least, if it really doesn't matter who the hitting coach is, then why do the Rays have one? I keep hearing people comment, that it doesn't matter, it's the hitters fault. Yes, the hitters are responsible to be better hitters, but how can these young players become consistent hitters, when they are taught a flawed philosophy, and most of them are platooned instead of having a chance to play everyday and grow into major league starters. The Matt Joyce experiment of being benched against left handed pitching, and never giving him a fair shake until now, is now the same situation that Sean Rodriguez finds himself in, with not being allowed to play much against right handed hitters. Rodriguez hit a home run off of Jared Weaver last night, one of the better right handed starting pitchers in the league, yet he gets benched today. This constant match up idea that JoeMa uses, continues to hold back young players that should be allowed to play and grow into solid starters. Yet the match ups don't apply to hitters that have an above lifetime .500 average against Dan Haren. They get benched as well. It is impossible for a young player to have any numbers to show as a match up, if he never gets a chance to play consistently against both left and right handed pitchers. The Rays have already wasted over 2 seasons of Matt Joyce's career, tinkered with Ben Zobrist's career, and now are doing the same with Sean Rodriguez. When will the Rays just simply play the best 9 hitters, and alter their hitting philosophy. when it simply is flawed and doesn't produce offense that can win games? If Rod Carew can help BJ Upton get better with just a couple of days of teaching, why couldn't Shelton or Maddon help BJ the past 3 years?

Click here for Joe Maddon Interview about Manny being Booed, and it being unfair

Click Here for Joe Maddon Interview reasoning why he didn't use Manny

Joe Maddon's Blunders Begin for 2011 Season

2011-04-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

   Let's start with James Shields. He pitched terrific tonight, and deserved a much better fate than he received. The Rays #2 Starting Pitcher pitched well for 7 solid innings, and started the 8th inning. After a single, a ground out and a walk, JoeMa did his waddle to the mound and relieved Shields with a 0-0 Score.

   What happened next was the beginning of the Joe Maddon 2011 Blunder List. Maddon opted to not use an experienced reliever like Kyle Farnsworth to pitch to Brian Roberts(who owns the Rays in his career), since Roberts is 1 for 7 in his career against Farnsworth with 5 K's. JoeMa would later explain he likes to have Roberts hit right handed if he can, regardless of the stats, as he isn't really familiar with Farnsworth. This is a complete contradiction to his philosophies of using statistics to condone his matchups. He then used Jake McGee, who JoeMa had said he didn't want to give him too much too early this season with his inexperience, and is a lefty specialist, to pitch to Roberts, who hit right handed. The inevitable happened as Roberts launched a 3 run home run off of McGee, making Shields a losing pitcher, even after his tremendous outing.

   To be fair, the Rays offense was anemic once again as it has been under Derek Shelton the past 2 seasons, and the Rays won't win many games scoring 1 run. That said, if Farnsworth gets Roberts out, the score stays tied, and possibly the Rays win the game, and Shields isn't handed his first loss of the year.

   Let's hope this isn't the beginning of JoeMa starting to tinker and mix and match, yet break his own statistics rules, and not use common sense. Otherwise this is going to be a long season.

   The headline in this blog entry links to the Mark Topkin story from the St. Pete Times that some of this information has been borrowed from, as well as the Joe Maddon Post Game press conference on April 2nd, 2011

Shields Unlucky or Just Bad Pitching

2011-03-24T23:19:00.000-07:00

     The Sabermetric group has been making excuses for James Shield's awful last 2 seasons, with claims of him being unlucky. The numbers do translate that he may have been unlucky, with his FIP Rating definitely lower than his ERA, but the bottom line is he has pitched poorly quite often and made bad pitches, which has been alot of his problems the past 2 seasons more than just plain bad luck. It doesn't take a graph or a scientist to see this, all it takes is actually attending the games that Shields pitched, or watching his road games on television, and you can see that he made bad pitches, and left pitches out over too much of the plate way too often last year.

     In this article from SI.COM, they didn't mention anything but that Shields had been unlucky and might be a good fantasy team pickup this season, but in the St Pete Times Article, the Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey, said "There may have been some misfortune, but there were probably more bad pitches than there was bad luck." Manager Joe Maddon stated that it was just a matter of Shields pitching better. When even the Rays manager and pitching coach, who rely heavily on sabermetrics for their philosophy, claim you need to pitch better, then it sure lends credence to the fact that James Shields simply needs to PITCH BETTER this year, and stop looking for excuses and blaming everyone else on the field for his mistakes.

     It's time to see that "Big Game James" pitcher this year, so that the Rays have a chance to compete for the playoffs.

THE INEVITABLE JoeMA ENDING

2010-10-13T15:37:00.001-07:00

Well, we all knew it was coming. We even tried to spin it and be positive, and even wrote about how Joe Maddon was winning games, even with his shenanigans, his lineup changes, his constant tinkering, his usage of players that shouldn't even be in the major leagues, and yes, his ridiculous road trips that kept players minds on other things than trying to win games. We recognized the fact, they were still winning games, (even if they should be winning more games). In the end though, the results were predictable thanks to JoeMa's methods. Rays didn't finish the job, and exited the playoffs early.

Various reasons exist for the Rays failure to actually put it all together, but here is a few ideas.

1. Maddon can't stick to a normal set lineup, where players can be comfortable and play well and be consistent. He'd rather platoon based on sabermetric graphs, which is fine and dandy if you add a little common sense to the idea. However instead of just using the graphs and a bit of brain power, JoeMa always likes to try to be the smartest guy in the room, and takes it too far, even if it means losing.

2. When JoeMa continued to not use his best 9 players for the majority of the regular season games, sometimes he got away with it because of the great pitching and stellar defense the Rays had for most of the season, ans some times the Rays lost games they should have won because of the lack of lineup stability that should have been used. Why players that hit under or close to the Mendoza Line of .200 are excused from their ineptness as a feel good gesture from JoeMa is the question that most of us keep asking. All we ever heard was they are going to get "toasty", but as we all watched, none of them ever did once again.

3. When Derek Shelton came on TV and stated that "batting average is an archaic stat", this should have shown us just how far distance the Rays management is from reality. Ok, yes there are new sabermetric stats that show other ways of judging a hitter's worth. But "archaic"? Really now? So Derek, how would you suggest the Rays improve their hitting skills and what stat is of value to actually getting men on base and scoring runs? The Rays had the 2nd worst batting average in the American League, so of course Shelton wants to deflect any of his issues away and state that batting average isn't a valid stat. It still doesn't explain why the Rays led the league in strikeouts, and had so many games that they couldn't muster more than 1 run. The philosophy of taking the first pitch strike and trying to run up the opposing pitcher's pitch count may have allowed the Rays to knock out the other team's starting pitcher on several occasions, but it didn't help much in producing important runs in games that were close. When you have a pitcher that throws strikes early in the count (Cliff Lee is the perfect example), you aren't going to draw many walks off of him, and you aren't going to run up his pitch count as often, so you have to be willing to alter your philosophy accordingly for these types of pitchers. This is where a sabermetrics guru should have more success, as he lives and dies by these graphs, yet JoeMa continued to show that he will not make changes when needed and simply doesn't use common sense on many occasions. The offense was simply extremely weak this year overall, even though the Rays were 3rd in the league in runs scored, they simply didn't score runs in crucial situations and were shutout and had 3 hits or less in several games this year, due to not altering the hitting philosophy against certain pitchers. Remember, the Phillies offense was struggling similar to the Rays offense earlier this season, and they fired their hitting coach, even though they had been in back to back World Series's. The Phillies responded, and not only finished with the best record in baseball, but finished with a team that had all the momentum going into the playoffs, not only pitching wise, but offensively as well. The Rays refused to make changes in the coaching ranks or with the players, and they limped into the playoffs and were eliminated because of it.

4. Pitching and defense wins games according to JoeMa, and I think this is mostly true. However, using players like Kelly Shoppach in big games because he is supposedly better defensively, yet brings nothing to the table offensively can seriously hamper your chances of winning a game. If Shoppach were a terrific defensive catcher, it would be possibly justified, but Shoppach not only can't hit the ball(he struck out 71 times in 187 plate appearances with a .196 archaic average), but he was proven time and time again to be a liability defensively this year, and showed us once again he simply refuses to block the plate when a runner is coming home. When JoeMa used Shoppach for his "defensive necessity" and the supposed possibility he might get"toasty"as his excuse to play Shoppach, it literally helped cost the Rays game 5 of the 2010 ALDS. It wasn't just Shoppach's fault, as the whole Rays infield fell asleep defensively during the game, along with David Price and Shoppach.

5. In the end, it was a justifiable ending for JoeMa's methods. The Rays could have won this season, but unless JoeMa is willing to alter his philosophy to fit the situation at hand, and go away from a graph once in awhile when it is necessary to use common sense, I'm afraid this pattern will continue for the Rays, and they will be left standing at the alter time and time again. The Rays have enough talent to continue to compete, even in the AL EAST, but it won't matter if they continue to platoon players instead of play the best 9 players that they have more often than not.

6. The Road Trip themes, supposedly are all in fun to help keep the team loose in a long season. Maybe this works for them(even though their record on themed road trips would show differently), but it comes across as a ploy not only for marketing new items to sell, but it gives the impression of being so focused on Road Trip Themes, that the focus is off of trying to play winning baseball. Focusing on fancy outfits instead of focusing on baseball at critical points in the season, just leaves a bad impression regardless of the Rays intentions.

7. Maddon allowed himself to become a puppet for ownership when publicly commenting about the fanbase and lack of attendance, and the need for a new ballpark, instead of being the manager and focusing on managing his baseball team. When the Rays owner Stu Sternberg came out in June and announced that payroll would be slashed, and that the Rays could win the World Series and it wouldn't matter, this was the beginning of the end of the 2010 season. It's understandable if the Rays have to cut payroll to meet the budget, but to use the middle of the season to bash the fans, did not help attendance, it simply pushed more fans away. Then doing it again in September in a playoff push, just made the situation even worse. Some things are meant for the off-season, but in-season, the Rays should have been focused on winning baseball games and the World Series, not on politics and trying to lash out at the fanbase, and using Maddon as a pawn in this game, simply further created a lack of harmony amongst the team and fanbase, and simply was incredibly ignorant for a group that has helped make the Rays more successful than they have ever been.

The 2011 Rays will look a bit different, and they may not be able to make the playoffs because the Redsox will be healthier, the Orioles have Showalter, the Jays may spend more money, and of course the Yankees are the Yankees. However, this team has alot of young talent, and they come at low salaries. It is critical that the Rays make some off-season moves to eliminate some of the payroll while getting prospects back. Bartlett, Shields, Garza all may be dealt, but with Brignac, Hellickson, Rodriguez ready to step in, it should be help. Leslie Anderson, Dan Johnson can probably play first base and give the Rays similar or better production than Pena. Jennings is the unknown, can he fill CC's shoes as we have all been told, or will it take a few years? The Bullpen will depend on Howell/Mcgee and ??? with possibly some winter pickups. There is one thing for certain. The Rays won't be able to contend next year, if JoeMa doesn't stop tinkering and doesn't start using his best 9 players more often than not. As RHS, (a poster on one of the local Rays blogs), stated earlier this year, the wizard behind the curtain has been exposed.

One last note....Having to listen to Rich Herrerra mush over JoeMa on postgame shows, simply adds to the aggravation. Rays fans need a sounding board when they are frustrated, not another company man that gives them kool-aid even after they are done and gone for the year.

MADDON BACK TO HIS USUAL SELF

2010-06-30T17:02:00.001-07:00

Well it was probably bound to happen. Sabermetrics folks like to use regression, and state that those who do well will go back to doing poorly if they weren't really good to begin with, and vice-versa. The same applies to Joe Maddon. He is who he is. He likes to tinker with lineups, pull pitchers who are doing well, use bullpen pitchers who aren't doing well and most of the time it appears to be done just for the sake of doing it.

I say this because with all the charts and graphs Maddon likes to proclaim he uses, it is amazing how he consistently will not use those same charts when he doesn't want to. Funny thing about sabermetrics is that you can twist a stat to show whatever point you are trying to make. This isn't to say that they aren't accurate at times, and perhaps most of the time. Baseball simply isn't a sport that can be solely judged by using stats and processes. The results also rely on players attitude, hustle, accountability, how they feel that day, and a feel for the game at that moment. These are things that simply can't be judged by a stat or chart. Results are ultimately what matter in a game.

Joe Maddon loves to use theories and graphs, but only uses the ones that support his idea at that moment. Any chart that doesn't agree with what he wants to do will be ignored, as he has proven time and time again. The perfect example was last night when he allowed Shields to pitch to David Ortiz, when Ortiz has terrific career numbers against Shields, instead of walking him intentionally, and pitching to Youkilis, who has hit poorly against Shields in his career. Maddon admitted to giving Shields the option of who to pitch to. Maddon, as the manager simply has to make that decision instead of letting the players make this decision. The same stats and graphs Maddon so loves to use, were thrown to the wind last night. That's fine if you are going with a feel for the game, gut instinct, but this is a manager that preaches the stats and numbers, and denies using gut instinct.

The Rays have played poorly the past few weeks, and the offense as a whole has not produced. The lackadaisical approach taken by Maddon, seems to lend itself to the Rays players, and they have become as complacent as their manager. The lack of accountability is glaring, and the incident this past week with BJ, is another product of this. BJ isn't the only guy struggling to perform well, but he is the one who consistently doesn't hustle 100% and there is no way to spin that with any chart or graph. The attempt by Longoria to hold BJ accountable was something this team needed, since Joe Maddon simply won't stop being buddies with the players, instead of managing them.

There is many possibilities and theories as to why the Rays are struggling, but it starts with the manager, his failure to hold the players accountable, his failure to instill discipline, and the constant tinkering of the lineup instead of making a consistent lineup that can possibly help get the players in a rhythm. The fact that most of the hitters are struggling on this team, falls on the shoulders of Maddon, and his new hitting coach Derek Shelton, who seems to go unmentioned as being at least partially responsible for the Rays struggles. One or two struggling hitters is one thing, the whole lineup struggling is proof the philosophies and theories simply aren't working, and changes need to be made soon, before it is too late and the Rays become sellers instead of buyers at the trade deadline.

MADDON AGAIN MIS-MANAGES PEN

2009-09-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

We can keep saying it, but it's obvious at this point, no matter what is said, no matter how many wrong decisions Joe Maddon makes, he will continue to make the same stubborn choices again and again, and that winning isn't as high on his priority list as is being stubborn. Maddon has mis-managed his bullpen the past month, and has clearly knocked the Rays out of the playoff race, and possibly made them an under .500 team. I know the pitchers in the bullpen continue to implode, and aren't getting the job done, but why do you keep going to the same pitchers time and time again when they simply don't get it done.

Tonight, Jeff Niemann had gone 7 innings, was leading 2-0, yet Joe decided to leave him out there and let him give up a single, then pulled Niemann. Why can't Maddon either pull Niemann and let a reliever have a fresh start of an inning, or let Niemann finish the game, since the bullpen is imploding on a nightly basis. Then after Cormier and Shouse started the new rally loss, sure enough Grant Balfour comes in the game to seal the loss once again, and made Niemann a non-winner in a game he left with the lead, for the 4th time in the past month. Not only did the Rays lose again, but Balfour blew the lead as he has done so many times this year, by giving up a 3 run home run to a pinch hitter.

How many times can Maddon keep doing the same thing over and over and not be held accountable. Everyone understands that it is the players not performing, but let's be honest here. The manager knows they aren't performing, and continues to run them out there night after night, and let's a great job by a starting pitcher go to waste. 4 wins stolen from Niemann in just the last month. That's not the most important fact however. The fact that the Rays have now lost 8 games in a row, and are on the verge of possibly finishing under .500 this year, just shows how poorly Joe Maddon has done at managing this team. It's time for Rays management to wake up and make some changes and stop having your lead man continue to act non chalant, and as if it's ok to lose game after game, and then state it's just one game. It's every game lately Joe, and was the same situation in April and May, but then your excuse was it's early. It isn't early anymore, and the Rays have played just like Maddon manages. No sense of urgency to win in April/May, and once again in August/September. So much for trying to force the fanbase to cater to the Rays demands for a new stadium. The Rays fans see how Maddon doesn't care about winning, so the Rays fans won't care about attending games. It's becoming more and more evident each game. Joe Maddon needs a wake up call from the Rays management and front office, an he needs it ASAP, before he loses control of the locker room.

Updated list of Maddon's 2009 Blunders and mis-managed games

RAYS FANS SPEAKING OUT ABOUT MADDON

2009-09-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

The SP Times heater Rays blog has been getting alot of comments from Rays fans tired of Joe Maddon's blunders...interesting, the Joe Maddon apologists are starting to dwindle. Fans booed Maddon at Friday's game, so let the fun begin.

http://blogs.tampabay.com/rays/2009/09/tigers-5-rays-3.html#comments

http://blogs.tampabay.com/rays/2009/09/for-starters-rays-vs-tigers-davis-debuts-and-jackson-returns.html#comments

http://blogs.tampabay.com/rays/2009/09/pena-hit-on-hand-stays-in.html#comments

MADDON BLOWS IT AGAIN, RAYS OUT OF IT

2009-09-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

Joe Maddon has done it again. Baffling all of the fans with his constant mismanagement has just caused the Rays to go in a funk off he charts. He did this in April & May, and returned true to form in August & September. This time the season id doomed, and the Rays fans have Joe Maddon to thank for it. No amount of optimism, and no amount of spin can cover Maddon this time.

The Rays bullpen imploded on back to back games against Detroit, at home. Maddon insists on using the same bullpen members that are struggling game after game. We all know that the pen is struggling, but to keep running the same 3-4 guys out there game after game, and watch them struggle, while Wheeler, who has been effective most of the year, sits game after game is amazingly ignorant or just plain stupid. No amount of math and stats can compensate for the emotional, and confidence part of the pitchers that are struggling. All Rays fans love JP Howell, but realistically this bullpen collapse started when Balfour and Howell blew the leads in a Seattle game on the road August 7th. Since then, Balfour, Howell, Springer have struggled and yet Maddon has continued to call on them game after game, an watched them fail. No one is suggesting to give up on JP Howell or Balfour. Letting them pitch in a less stressful situation and try to regain some confidence would be helpful, instead of putting them into critical game situations where they continue to fail, and continue to lose confidence.

Sunday September 6th, the Rays were winning 3-1 in the ninth inning, 1 out, nobody on base. Lance Cormier had gotten 4 outs and seemed to be cruising along. Maddon decided that he would use his math, since Cabrera was 6-14 against Cormier lifetime, and Huff 4-7 lifetime. This might sound good, but when your bullpen is struggling, and you use the same guys again, then this choice becomes easy. Math doesn't take into account the confidence lost, and the recent struggles of the 3 pitchers Maddon used. If math dictated this move, then at least Maddon could have used Wheeler who has been effective most of the year, and hasn't pitched often as of late. If he wanted to use math, Cabrera is 1-8 lifetime against Wheeler, and Huff is 1-4. If Maddon had used this as his reasoning for replacing Cormier and had used Wheeler, then it is understandable. However bringing in 3 struggling pitchers is not acceptable, regardless of the numbers.

The Rays updated list of blown games by Maddon is attached, just click here

MADDON'S MISTAKES FINALLY BEING RECOGNIZED BY RAYS FANS

2009-09-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well, Joe Maddon has finally done it. He has actually made this blog's haters and folks that didn't agree with us, start to agree with our opinions. We have stated it for 2 years that Joe Maddon is simply not a great manager, and that he consistently makes too many managerial mistakes, and that the Rays winning record of 2008 was in spite of Joe Maddon, not because of him. Yes he may bring some chemistry to the clubhouse, but realistically if you watch long enough, most of these players are simply stating the company line. It's amazing to listen to Rich Herrera after games, as he tries to defend Maddon and everything about the Rays that isn't right. The guy is clearly following the company script, or else he is just a completely brainwashed individual.

As much as we wanted this season to be Joe Maddon's prove us wrong season, he simply has gotten more stubborn, and more defiant with his managerial ideas. People think that Joe Maddon Sucks.com doesn't believe in the math ideas behind Joe Maddon's philosophy. Quite the contrary however, as we do actually adhere to some of his ideas, and especially with Bill James' original sabermetrics ideas. The difference is, we also believe in common sense, and that not all game situations can be figured out by math and science. As D-Rays Bay would say, SSS, too small a sample size. This happens all too many times with Joe Maddon's math. He checks statistics, and uses them to fit his beliefs, regardless of the sample size, and regardless of common sense in a particular situation.

Sabermetrics generally is effective, but making changes just to make changes, or when a particular player is struggling, yet you continue to bring him in to relieve, when you can already predict the outcome, then who cares what the math over 2-3 years shows. If in the past few weeks a guy is struggling, why keep using him until he implodes over and over again, and finally you destroy his confidence to where he can't get it done at all. There isn't a math stat that can actually portray this accurately, as you have to have a feel for the game, and common sense to realize that certain guys aren't getting it done, so use other players that have a chance to help you. Last year, it was Dan Wheeler, and Troy Percival. They continued to destroy the Rays games, yet Maddon continued to run them out there over and over and almost ruined the Rays playoff hopes last year. This year, Wheeler has done pretty well overall, and actually carried the Rays bullpen, yet he isn't being allowed to pitch down the stretch when the Ray have needed him most. Maddon has used Balfour, Nelson, Shouse, and as of late Springer & Howell excessively, even though they have not performed well, and have continued to blow leads and games. Don't take this as a swipe at the players, as they are obviously trying to do their best. It is on the manager to not use the same pitchers who aren't getting it done, yet game in and game out, we see the same bullpen pitchers, and they continue to destroy the Rays leads. This doesn't mean we advocate not using these pitchers at all. In the case of Howell, he is an integral part of the Rays team and bullpen, but as much as he has struggled lately, Maddon has continued to us him in critical situations that he simply can't seem to get his confidence back. Why not use him when the game is already decided, or when it is 8-0 either way, so Howell doesn't have a chance to lose the game or blow a lead. Let him build his confidence back before continuing to ruin his chances of coming back from this disastrous stretch he has gone through. In the case of Balfour, it seems to be a similar situation, but he only has one really good pitch, and that seems to be the main culprit for his ineffectiveness.

Jim Hickey has been here as the pitching coach for awhile now, and watching him continue to go out to the mound, and then to see a pitcher implode shortly after, has been a frustrating scene to watch over and over. It seems that he has literally changed some of the Rays pitchers method of pitching, forcing them to pitch to contact, instead of letting them use their strengths. Garza is a strikeout pitcher, Price is a strikeout pitcher, yet they have struggled in trying to be pitch to contact pitchers. Ed Jackson was a strikeout pitcher, Kazmir was a strikeout pitcher yet they struggled until they left the Rays. To be fair, Kaz has only pitched one game since leaving, so we will have to give that some more time to see how he adjusts. The bullpen has imploded under Hickey as well. Jeff Niemann is a pitch to contact style pitcher, so this style seems to suit him well, and he has been successful. Shields is similar in that he can do both, but he has clearly struggled with the home runs this year, and is giving back leads in games that the Rays actually do score runs for him. Hopefully since the Rays are not going to get rid of Maddon and his methods, they can bring in a pitching coach that will help the Rays pitchers utilize their strengths, instead of trying to convert them into a different style of pitching. What will happen to Wade Davis under Hickey's tutelage?

Final notes on Joe Maddon. The Rays were winning 3-1 on Sunday, with 2 outs to go, nobody on base. Wade Davis pitched a gem, and left after 7 innings with a 3-1 lead. Lance Cormier came in and had retired 4 of 5 batters, and was doing fine with 1 out in the 9th, and nobody on base. Then Maddon decided to change pitchers. Remember Cormier is a long relief pitcher, and the Rays have a double header Monday, so they need to save the bullpen, yet Maddon changed pitchers anyways. His reasoning was because the batter was 6 for 14 in his career off of Cormier. This is a perfect example of using SSS, too small a sample, and abusing the sabermetric reasoning. Maybe this works with a 1 run lead, 2 men on, but with a 2 run lead, nobody on base, even a hit wouldn't have hurt the Rays as Maddon suggested. This is where common sense trumps math. Leave Cormier in, the chances of the Rays winning are extremely high. Instead we got to see the 3 main bullpen members that are struggling. Balfour came in and walked the batter, was replaced by Howell who walked a batter, was replaced by Springer, who gave up a single and GRAND SLAM to lose the game. Zero common sense, and another mis-managed game by Maddon. Maddon preaches one game at a time, but he doesn't truly follow this philosophy. Pulling Cormier because of SSS and worrying about saving him for the double header on Monday, shows that Maddon was again thinking about the future games, and not the game at hand. We all understand trying to rationalize in order to think ahead for other games, but you have to win the game you have in hand. Not according to Joe Maddon, he just continues to spread the kool-aid, and so many fans kept drinking it, until the past couple of weeks. Finally the fans are realizing just what Maddon does, and how consistently he does it. This is your 2009 Rays.

Click here for a list of Maddon Blunders this season

MADDON FINISHES RAYS PLAYOFF CHANCES

2009-08-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

Once again, Joe Maddon mismanages a game that the Rays had in hand, and would have won today. How many times this year have Rays fans watched Joe Maddon make a mistake with the pitchers this year? Jeff Niemann pitched a gem today, no walks, 5 hits in 7 innings.

The problem started with Niemann getting to start the 8th inning when he was tired. Even this was possibly an OK move, but after a leadoff double to start the 8th, Maddon decided to go to Balfour. The same Balfour that has blown several opportunities this year, and cost the Rays a lead 8 times this year previously. The same Balfour who pitched in relief of Niemann, and blew a 5-2 lead in a critical game against the Mariners on August 7th, that the Rays lost. The same Balfour who pitched in relief of Niemann, and blew a 4-2 lead in a critical game against the Angels on August 12th. So chalk up 3 blown wins for Niemann by Balfour this month alone.

We all complain about Shields lack of run support, but how about Niemann's lack of bullpen support. They both have been hard luck pitchers this year, and both have pitched fairly well but to no avail. I'm not even sure if I can blame Balfour on this one. He clearly is trying, but shouldn't have been in the game at the point of giving up a home run to lose it. He actually had 2 outs with a man on 3rd, and a left handed hitter coming up. The hitter(Granderson) is hitting .182 against lefties this season. The Rays carry 3 LHP in the bullpen for what reason? To get a lefty out of course. But Maddon chose to use Balfour, who walked Granderson, then gave up the home run to lose the game.

We have gone over this all year long. Joe Maddon makes numerous mistakes, and in 2008 the Rays came back to win games and hide his mistakes. This year in 2009, the Rays simply haven't been able to cover up for Maddon's mistakes, and this is why they are not going to the playoffs.

All those games earlier this year, when Maddon made mistakes and cost the Rays a win, he continued to say it was early. What is his excuse now? Bottom line is Maddon has blown several games the past 2 seasons, and the Rays continue to fall short because of his mistakes. Clint Hurdle made the W.SERIES in 2007, then had a non playoff year in 2008, and was fired in 2009, only to see the Rockies return to the playoffs in 2009 with their new manager in Jim Tracy. Could this be what happens to the Rays in 2010. I doubt it, even if they have a poor start in 2010, the Rays front office seems too loyal to Maddon, but I guess time will tell. Maddon just continues to make a playoff team, not make the playoffs.

Click here for a link to blown games by Maddon, as well as Kaz, Sonny stats

FOX SPORTS BLAMES MADDON FOR RAYS SKID

2009-08-13T00:04:00.000-07:00

Looks like the national media's love affair with Joe Maddon is finally starting to cool down. Lots of baseball scouts, and sportswriters have disagreed with Maddon's methods this season, but finally this article actually calls it right out, stating:

The Rays also play better when Maddon is less loyal and more pragmatic. The defending AL Manager of the Year has hurt the club with his devotion to unshakable faith in veterans.
Maddon stayed a long time — too long, in the view of some scouts — with B.J. Upton as leadoff hitter and Pat Burrell as the DH this season. Both failed to produce, but Maddon has responded with only one mild move.

Interesting, our sentiments exactly. I know alot of the Rays fans feel the same way and have stated as such on blogs such as the Heater, and other Rays blogs, as well as Twitter. Love him or hate him, Maddon is the reason behind the Rays downfall, just as much as the players that aren't producing, because he sticks with them, and refuses to make changes until it's too late.

Click here for the Fox News article

MADDON AGAIN MISMANAGING GAMES

2009-08-12T15:08:00.001-07:00

Well, I tried. Really tried to lay off Joe Maddon. The guy was actually starting to grow on me, as he actually started to manage and stop making ignorant pitching decisions with his starters and pitch counts, and bringing in relievers that can't get it done. Then suddenly, Maddon started to slowly revert into stupidity again. Rays fans watch the games, we see what is happening. Maddon tries to be loyal to his guys, but again he goes beyond being loyal, and enters the stupid zone. Grant Balfour, no matter how you spin it, absolutely is awful this year. He has one pitch 90% of the time, and it' a fastball, and usually down the middle. He can't get out of jams this year, yet Maddon continues to go to him when it matters most. Friday night against Seattle, Jeff Niemann is doing fine, winning 5-2, and gives up a bloop hit. Niemann has composure, and gets out of these jams all season, but Maddon removes him for Balfour, and bingo, game is tied, an they lose again. This loss not only took them away from being within 1/2 a game of the wild card, but started the losing trend all over again. The Rays of course have gone on to lose 5 out of 6 on the road trip, and guess who blew the last game on Wednesday? Grant Balfour of course. Niemann had a 4-2 lead, in comes Balfour, and bingo 3 run Home run, and the Rays lose again. To keep going on a pitch count instead of how an actual pitcher is pitching is insane. To take a guy out at 101 pitches when he could have finished the inning, or at worst you can bring in an effective reliever, isn't a numbers game. It is just plain stupid. Regardless of stats, numbers, etc, common sense has to come into play. Dan Wheeler has been good in this spot most of the year. Last year was the complete opposite, Wheeler was awful in this spot. Last year is just that, and for some reason Maddon lives in the past on what a guy has done, and now on what they are doing currently. This has been proven time and time again. The only thing is last year the Rays offense bailed Maddon out alot, and covered up his managing mistakes with come back wins. This year they have not. The Rays defense is shoddy, fundamental plays are not being made, guys can't call each other off on a popup, the shortstop makes routine plays errors, and the same guys keep blowing games in the bullpen, and the starting pitching has gone south, and the offense can't score. This is partly because the players aren't doing well, but really let's be honest here. This is poor coaching on the Rays staff. Too many fundamental things are not being done properly, too many mental mistakes, and too many routine plays turned into runs for the other team. Maddon has done a good job in alot of areas, but his continued stubbornness, and lack of common sense in bullpen situation continues to haunt the Rays. This team deserves to finish out of the playoff race because they simply don't play like a playoff team when it matters. They went from being on the verge of 1/2 a game out of the wild card, and now will be 4.5 games back if Boston wins tonight. All that work for nothing. Picking up waiver wire pitchers from losing teams, and trying to sell them as legitimate bullpen help is another farce, but that is another story for another time. The Mariners and Angels are good, but the Rays gave away 3 wins on this road trip due to Joe Maddon's mistakes and lack of common sense, and tried darn hard to give away the one game they did win. All of this means no playoffs, and this can be pinned on Joe Maddon. 17 blown games this season due to manager mistakes and counting...

Click here for list of Maddon BLUNDERS this year

CHANGING THE ROTATION FOR SHIELDS BACKFIRED

2009-07-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

As we stated in our last blog entry, Maddon had been doing a good job lately, but needed to manage with a sense of urgency, and changing around his rotation to get James Shields extra starts was going to backfire. So let's take a look

July 1st-Shields lost 5-0 against BLUE JAYS-Shields lost
July 7th-Winning 1-0, couldn't finish, gave up tying run in 8th, No decision
July 12th-Rays score 3 runs in the 6th winning 3-0, Shields gives up 3 in the 7th, Rays lose, Shields no decision
July 17th-Rays score twice, take 2-1 lead in the 3rd, Shields gives back 5 runs in 3rd, makes it 6-2

Now in the meantime, David Price had his best game of the year, winning 3-2, and Niemann threw his second complete game shutout of the year. But Niemann only pitched once, while Price got 2 starts, and Shields had 4 starts.

Joe Maddon has a good pulse on this team, but why tinker with things that are working. The Rays had won 7 in a row, and them lost 4 in a row, won 4 in a row, and then blew 2 leads and games they should have won. Would they have won more if the rotation hadn't been changed? We really have no way of knowing, but when your pitcher who is winning the most games this year continues to get pulled and you give those starts to a pitcher who isn't winning, it just doesn't make sense.

Shields ERA this season is better than Niemann, and he has pitched well overall, but the point is the Rays continue to lose when Shields pitches, while they win when Niemann pitches. Why change and take 2 starts from Niemann and give them to Shields, when the odds are against you winning.

As far as Shields not getting run support this season, that is true. However when he does have a lead, he has failed to put teams away this season, and gives back leads. Being a #1 starter, means you need to be able to put teams away, and help your team when they aren't giving you run support. Shields just hasn't been the go to guy this season that stops the losses.

Joe Maddon has done a good job with this team lately, but all the mistakes early in the season that cost the Rays so many wins, especially with Kaz and Sonny, are now making even the slightest mistake stand out, as the Rays simply have no room for mistakes at this point if they want to get into the playoffs. This team needs a sense of urgency, and they need it now. Giving away so many games to last place teams isn't what a playoff contender does. 72 games left after tonight, there simply isn't enough time to keep making mistakes.

RAYS & MADDON NEED A SENSE OF URGENCY

2009-07-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well, just as Maddon started to manage well, and the Rays started winning, the Rays players decided to take time off from hitting, pitching, and playing defense. The Rays lead the league in Runs scored, but that is deceiving, as they scored alot of those runs in blowouts, and aren't scoring runs when they need to in order to win games.

Maddon decided to tinker with his pitching staff again, right when they start hitting stride, he changed the pitching order and dropped Niemann from his normal start for the 3rd time this year. That may have not had any bearing on the 4 game losing streak they are on, but why change it when it was working, and Niemann had actually been your most reliable starter for wins this year?

Pat Burrell still isn't hitting, it's over half a season, and yet he still starts every game. The Rays starters were rested early in the season when they were hot and didn't need rest, and they cooled off. Now that they need rest, they aren't being rested. Pena, Burrell, Longoria, are all struggling, and Aybar was hot and can play any of those 3 positions and give a rest to the struggling hitters and provide some needed offense. Navarro is just flat out hopeless at this point, but the Rays don't have much of an every day alternative.

Any manager would have a tough time when your best players are struggling and not producing, but changes have to be made when players struggle, even if it's just a game off. They are simply not playing up to their capabilities, but it is already over half a season, and the Rays need to show a sense of urgency in trying to get their hottest players in the lineup, as they simply can't afford to keep losing games against teams they should beat. Losing to 3 rookie pitchers in a row, and not only losing, but getting a total of 6 runs in 3 games, is simply not good enough if the Rays want to make the playoffs. This team has to show the urgency and put in the effort and hustle to win. Running ground balls out and hustling is not an option, it is a must. It not only creates runs, it becomes infectious, and the whole team could sure use a spark. Winning 7 games in a row was nice, but playoff teams don't turn around and lose 4 in a row, and give up games in the standings. It's time for the Rays to show the urgency and start playing consistent. They have the talent, now it's time for it to show up on the field.

NOLAN RYAN, BILL JAMES AGREE TODAY'S PITCH COUNTS ARE RIDICULOUS

2009-06-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

Interesting that the day after this blog wrote about the pitch count alienating pitchers, that none other than the original stats guru, Bill James, and Kansas City Star writer Joe Posnanski have an article published on SI today, discrediting these pitch counts, and showing that Nolan Ryan is spearheading the drive behind it. So now where are all those naysayers that claimed we wrote a reckless blog on pitch counts. Obviously they are the ones who agree with babying today's pitchers, and participating in shortening their careers and actually ruining the game of baseball.

We have attached the article here for all to read. Not our words, but those of Bill James, an original stats guru, as well as currently a Boston Red Sox senior advisor. To all those pitch count apologists, try actually reading the article from those inside the game, an stop your tree hugging mannerisms to keep baseball churning in its current mediocre stage. It needs to go back to the days when pitchers throw 7-9 innings, not this 100 pitches and then get pulled.

Watching a pitcher stare at the scoreboard where the pitch count is posted during the game, how can you honestly say that the pitcher can't see his count and in turn may attempt to overthrow pitches in order not to get pulled, or in order to get to that 5 inning marker so he gets a win, and in turn possibly injure himself? You can't guarantee that, but you falsely guarantee that a 100 pitch count will make sure they don't get injured.

Those who advocate the 100 pitch count, always name Wood, Prior, the Bird, but they never like to name the hundreds of pitchers who threw shutouts, pitched complete games for years, and never got injured. Baseball had a few injuries along the way for sure, but in today's babying of the players, they have clearly had far more injuries than they ever had when pitchers threw complete games and pitched deep into games. Their arms simply didn't fall off as the Joe Maddon's of the world would have you believe.

This blog has placed several stat sheets showing the blown games due to ineffective managing, as well as showing the pattern of losses by taking out pitchers early, and this just covers the Rays and Joe Maddon. All you have to do is imply look around the league and compare notes. Winning teams don't use this constant pitch count scam, they embrace good quality starting pitching, not yanking a guy who isn't tired because of a pitch count, and letting bullpens blow the wins.

Click here for the article regarding Nolan Ryan and Bill James in regards to pitch count

MADDON'S PITCH COUNT ALIENATING MANY IN BASEBALL

2009-06-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

Joe Maddon has long theorized about pitching counts, and not hurting pitcher's arms, and has his beliefs that pitchers need to be under a pitch count. That being said, when asked, the main two names that come to mind for damaged young arms are Kerry Wood, and Mark Prior both formerly Cubs. The list of hundreds of young pitchers the past 20 years, that have come and gone in baseball, doesn't seem to include to many of them leaving for arm injuries. Wood and Prior are always who get referred to, but who else really has been injured severely, and was it really because of a pitch count?

The Rays use the theory that after 105 pitches the "possibility" of a pitcher injuring his arm becomes greater. Well, sure it does, and after stealing 40 bases, a runners legs could get injured, or after 30 home runs, Longoria could pull a hamstring, or injure his shoulder. These "numbers" are created by mathematicians, not by true baseball men. Ask Jim Leyland, a World Series winner as a manager, ask Hall of Fame Pitchers Bob Gibson, Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan, future HOF's Randy Johnson, and Tom Glavine.

Nolan Ryan currently is the President of the Texas Rangers, and he steadfastly disagrees with Maddon's philosophies. You'd think that World Series winning managers, and Hall of fame pitchers that disagree with these theories would probably have better insight than a 30 year career minor league player and baseball coach, recently turned manager. Under Ryan, the Rangers pitchers are not being babied any longer, and in his first year, they are actually in first place at this point. Instead of babying these players, they are taught how to be durable and pitch effectively, not be pulled out after a certain pitch count that is extremely low. Don't you think these pitchers can look at the scoreboard and see how many pitches they have thrown, and know they are getting close to coming out, so they actually overthrow a pitch or tow, or a few, so they try to not get removed? That alone brings the real possibility of being injured, more so than a few extra pitches under normal game situations.

Joe Maddon is slowly becoming the laughing stock manager of baseball. Ask fans from any team, and they will tell you how annoying these theories sound to them, and how they all laugh at the Maddon way. Ask baseball men, and the majority of them will disagree with Maddon's philosophies. The ones that do agree, are the handful of teams that believe in low pitch counts, and babying their players too, but can you name one team that does this and is successful?

The Rays are successful despite Maddon's tinkering and loyalty to the wrong players. These pitchers clearly don't agree with the Maddon pitch count, but are forced to walk the company line in fear of being demoted to the minors, or in looking like the outcast. The past week we have seen Irsinghausen call out Maddon for his use of the bullpen, other relievers including JP Howell showing their frustration over not having a set role in the bullpen, we have seen Price give up 3 runs total in 3 outings, yet get yanked because of a phantom pitch count, so that he has not gotten a win in 2 of those starts. The past 2 games Matt Garza has pitched, he has been pulled while struggling, but had still battled his way through the games to have a lead in 1, and only trail 3-2 in tonight's game. Yet the almighty pitch count prevails instead of letting him get the last out of an inning.

The worst comments of all were from yesterday's game, when Maddon is quoted as saying "I didn't see it as getting any better,'' said Maddon, who was booed when he came out to pull Price. "I'm more concerned about the future of the Tampa Bay Rays and also David Price. I'm even concerned about his future wife and his kids. So I want to make sure we take care of him properly." Are you kidding? He is so worried about Price's wife and kids, he pulled him for a pitch count. Maddon altered his rotation this past 2 weeks, to give them"rest", and instead of it helping, it caused a loss in the Shields game, it has messed up Garza for 2 starts in a row, and it forced Niemann to get out of sync on 6 days rest, when he had just thrown a complete game 2 hitter the previous game.

Proof is in the results, Maddon's ways are hurting this team more than helping them, and what pitcher wants to pitch on a team that continues to yank him. When these guys have contract years, it'll be disaster for the Rays, as you will see them leave for teams that have managers that actually allow pitchers to pitch, and try to win games, instead of trying not to injure a pitcher by babying him and overall stunting their growth and development.

We write it, but it isn't just our opinion, ask the Hall of Famers, the baseball executives around the league, and then ask the fans. Especially the older fans that understand baseball and the way it really is supposed to be played. Maddon will continue to preach that the game has changed. No it hasn't, it only changes when people like Maddon try to alter it to caress their ego, rather than go with what is established and already works. Change is good when it's for the better, but not good when it makes the game go backwards. Click here for an updated JUN 15TH article regarding Nolan Ryan and Stats guru and current Red Sox senior advisor Bill James's opinion and insight on the "pitch count".

Click here for the full article on Joe Maddon's comments about David Price's wife and kids from the SP Times
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Added June 15th-Bill James, Nolan Ryan disagree with the pitch count"