Trey Hillman, Supergenius

[haveacigar]

Forget Soria, where the hell is Juan Cruz?

But that's ok, cause Leyland effed up too. Brandon Lyon enters with 2 out in the 8th, gives up a single and then a homer to blow the lead. Brandon Inge bails him out with a game tying homer in the 9th, so what does Leyland do? Oh, throw not at all effective Brandon Lyon out there, and watch him give up a walk, a single, and eventually, the game.

[200tang]

At least they got the W

[HoustonGM]

At least they got the W

Joke? lol

[200tang]

Joke? lol

Part joke part real I suppose; if that makes any sense

[HoustonGM]

I don't get it.

[KowboyKoop]

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/roy...y/1130790.html

Posnanski article on the "Farnsworth incident"

Boy, you gotta be some special kind of ***** to come up with gems like this. He didn't want to bring in a lefty (Mahay) because he wasn't a "lefty specialist" and "is better in the 6th than in the 8th." Also, he's stunned that Posnanski, a freaking baseball writer, wanted to ask him a question about the game.

WHAT THE ALF:JD:LAFOIEAHFOIDHOIPFH!??!!??!?!?!

[HoustonGM]

What the hell? Seriously. Wow.


Here's Rany's rant.

[gRYFYN1]

well Royal's fans, based on this quote :

He [Hillman] paused: “I believe in Kyle Fansworth. This time, he got the pitch up. But I believe in him to get the out in that situation.”

Better luck next year.

[Alloutwar]

Well, I can see any manager sticking with their guy, after one game (the first game, no less) with a bad outing. Especially with the $9mil (ack, cough) investment they put in him. Can't exactly come out and say 'Yah, shoot, he sucks, sorry guys, he's relegated to mop up for the next two years."

Signing Farnsworth at that rate was a bad move. Leaving him in (or even putting him in) was a bad move. Having faith in Farnsworth for whatever reasons, over another inning of Soria or a guy like Mahay or Cruz, appears to be a bad move.

But standing up for your guy no matter what - well, on the first day of the season, that's not a bad move.

As a side note; hiring a guy named Trey as your manager might be the problem. Everyone knows the rules of when to go with a guy named Trey:
1) as the lead guitarist for your Vermont-based neohippy jam band
2) as your co-writer and co-cartoonist for an animated series about 4 youngsters in Colorado
3) when you are looking for a good pot dealer

I don't see 'baseball manager' up there. If you are looking for Managers, you should go for guys named Ron, Joe, Tito, Lou, Dave or Tony. No Treys.

[gRYFYN1]

So the Manager should intentionally handicap himself becasue the GM screwed up?

From Rany's blog

If Hillman decided that he needed to justify the fact that one reliever is making $4.5 million a year and the other one is making $3 million a year – or if Moore is forcing Hillman to make that decision – as far as I’m concerned, that’s a fireable offense.

There was NO reason that Farnsworth wasn't the 5th best option in that (Soria -Mahay- Cruz - Meche then Farnsworth.)

This wasn't a manager making a borderline decision that was defensible (like Cox putting Gonzales in on Opening day - or even Larussa using Motte)

This was a Manager making an awful decision that no one, other than him, thought was good, with no sound backing.

[Alloutwar]

Sure, that's all true.

But do you expect the manager to come out and say he DOESN'T believe in Farnsworth getting an out? To slander his own reliever? What would that do for the guys playing under him, morale-wise (especially on the Royals, where losing might become a frequent occurence)?

I think we've already stated the bajillion ways in which this is a bad move. It's being analyzed everywhere as such. But you can't expect anyone to make a public statement that they don't believe in their reliever, for any situation. That stuff happens behind closed doors, or the guy gets sent down to AAA or has an "injury" (cough, Dontrelle Willis, cough)

Farnsworth isn't the greatest 8th inning guy, but a manager isn't going to say that. Even if Hillman had a change of heart and realized his massive error in judgement, and realizes Mahay/Cruz/Soria is better in the 8th, he's going to make a statement to confirm his belief in the pitcher, because he wants that pitcher to be an effective, confident contributor in the next 161 games.

Even if (hopefully) that contribution comes in the 6th/7th, or during lopsided mop-up situations.

[KowboyKoop]

I agree that what he says after the game means nothing, of course he's not going to say anything that causes a player to lose confidence or whatever.

However, if he puts Farnsworth out there in the 8th again, I might have to hop a flight to KC and kick some ass.

[Alloutwar]

lol - you go KK.

I think Hillman should find himself back in Japan if he runs Farnsworth out there again.

[gRYFYN1]

However, if he puts Farnsworth out there in the 8th again, I might have to hop a flight to KC and kick some ass.

Point is there never should have been a 1st time.

[KowboyKoop]

Point is there never should have been a 1st time.

......I think everyone knows this. Well, everyone except the manager of the Royals.