Who will be canned first?

[Jeffy25]

Acta of the Nationals or Hillman of the Royals?
If it's someone else, please specify

[HoustonGM]

I think Acta has the better chance

but that Hillman should be fired immediately.

[Jeffy25]

five votes for other, but no one saying who

[ragecage]

I think Acta has the better chance

but that Hillman should be fired immediately.

Why? The Royals are 7-5.

[HoustonGM]

Why? The Royals are 7-5.

Because he is directly responsible for 2 or 3 of those losses.

See the recent discussion in the MLB Talk thread, as well as this thread.

Any manager who uses Kyle Farnsworth in tie games in the bottom of the 9th when Joakim Soria is well-rested and available and uses him against power-hitting lefties with 2 runners on base and a 2 run lead late in the game when both Joakim Soria and a strong lefty in Ron Mahay are available deserves to be fired.

[KowboyKoop]

http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2009/...-overcome.html

http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2009/...-come-off.html


Here are the two biggest reasons. I can easily list two really stupid things Hillman has done just these two weeks.

[KowboyKoop]

The answer to the actual question is Acta though, in spite of Hillman's stupidity, they should be good enough to hover around .500 for a while..the Nationals are just awful and the record will show it. Hillman won't be fired if the Royals are a .500ish team, no matter how bad he is (and he's been as bad as I can possibly imagine a manager being....)

[ragecage]

Because he is directly responsible for 2 or 3 of those losses.

See the recent discussion in the MLB Talk thread, as well as this thread.

Any manager who uses Kyle Farnsworth in tie games in the bottom of the 9th when Joakim Soria is well-rested and available and uses him against power-hitting lefties with 2 runners on base and a 2 run lead late in the game when both Joakim Soria and a strong lefty in Ron Mahay are available deserves to be fired.

I just read it, man that is just crazy.

[KowboyKoop]

I can't ever recall the Royals online community being so angry after a loss. This is different....this is a new kind of angry..and I can't blame anybody for it. For the first time in forever there is actual hope, an actual reason to think the Royals can play meaningful baseball in September....and Hillman's actively trying to destroy that hope. People are getting angry.

[ragecage]

I read the wrap up on MLB.com on the game and I am utterly speechless. Especially after this quote that was in the article.

"I didn't want to get Soria up and down for more than one inning," Hillman said.

Who cares? These are athletes, they should be able to pitch more than one f'n inning, especially when you havent pitched since the 13th and your off tommarow. Man, take Hillman out to pasture.

[HoustonGM]

Yep. Hillman's excuses aren't even remotely defensible. He wouldn't use Ron Mahay against Jim Thome because Mahay isn't a "lefty specialist." He wouldn't use Joakim Soria in the 8th inning because Soria is a "closer" and closers only pitch 1 inning.

I haven't heard his excuse for not bringing in Soria in the 9th for the tie game, but it's probably "I didn't want Soria pitching in a non-save situation."

Just utter rubbish.

[KowboyKoop]

Don't forget him throwing the defense under the bus, including calling out players by name...except not bringing up the error by Mike Jacobs until a reporter reminded him of it.

What a POS. You gotta have some gigantic balls to make such obviously ignorant decisions and then blame your LF for not making a diving catch and your 2B for not trying to get a runner at 2nd on what would've been a bang bang play and instead taking the sure out. That's amazing. What a POS this joker is.

[KowboyKoop]

Yep. Hillman's excuses aren't even remotely defensible. He wouldn't use Ron Mahay against Jim Thome because Mahay isn't a "lefty specialist." He wouldn't use Joakim Soria in the 8th inning because Soria is a "closer" and closers only pitch 1 inning.

I haven't heard his excuse for not bringing in Soria in the 9th for the tie game, but it's probably "I didn't want Soria pitching in a non-save situation."

Just utter rubbish.

Here you go, but I warn you, the stupidity of what you are about to read may cause you to go blind. Keep in mind that Soria went over 1 IP 7 times last year.....so it's not like Soria can't do it.

http://www.kansascity.com/385/story/1150717.html

Hillman said he never considered using All-Star closer Joakim Soria instead of Farnsworth to start the ninth inning because it was a tie game.

“Not on the road,” Hillman said. “At home, yes. But not on the road. Just simply because the percentages are against you in that situation.”

The Royals entered the Texas ninth knowing they needed, as the road team, at least six outs to get a victory. Hillman said he wasn’t willing to extend Soria beyond “one up and down” because of a lack of work in recent days.

The problem now is Soria hasn’t pitched since April 13. And because of Monday’s open date in the schedule, he will have at least seven days of rest before his next appearance.

That matches his longest down time logged last season, which is something Hillman has said repeatedly that he hoped to avoid.




Juan Cruz should've pitched the 7th and 8th. Given how it played out, Soria should've replaced Mahay, not Jamey freaking Wright (who has looked good..but still......he's not Soria). So many opportunities for Hillman to dramatically influence the game, and be clusterf****d them up every single time. Amazing

[HoustonGM]

The percentages are against you when you bring in one of the best closers in the game in a tie game instead of one of the most noted arsonists in the game?

ARGH.

[Arctic Blast]

Don't forget him throwing the defense under the bus, including calling out players by name...except not bringing up the error by Mike Jacobs until a reporter reminded him of it.

What a POS. You gotta have some gigantic balls to make such obviously ignorant decisions and then blame your LF for not making a diving catch and your 2B for not trying to get a runner at 2nd on what would've been a bang bang play and instead taking the sure out. That's amazing. What a POS this joker is.

This is the part of it that is REALLY going to blow up in his face...calling people out for something that wasn't really their fault? Yeah, that's a great way to be liked in the locker room. And once you lose the locker room, you're done.