Inside the Mind of John Russell, Part I

Pirates’ manager John Russell does not convey a charismatic presence in the dugout. More accurately, he makes Cleveland (Cigar Store) Indians manager Manny Acta look like Robin Williams on speed by comparison. Fiery leadership does not a successful manager make. Joe Torre is positively placid on the bench.

On the other hand, Joe Torre wins; Russell doesn’t. His teams also have a history of collapsing down the stretch. (I say, “down the stretch” like they were in playoff contention, when Pittsburgh’s idea of a “stretch run” is to climb into fifth place in a six-team division.) True, upper management has a habit of trading every marketable (read: due for a raise) player by the deadline, but still. The newcomers all have something to prove. Show some effort.

My complaints with Russell are twofold: bizarre decisions, and an apparent lack of any sense of leadership. He sits stoically in the dugout, looking for all the world like he’d rather be elsewhere. Some of that is understandable; watching some of the stuff this team does every night could make the Dalai Lama strangle a kitten.

Fielding, baserunning, and concentration errors abound. A recent gaffe against St. Louis showed it’s not just the players who are unfamiliar with the rules, third base coach Tony Beasley isn’t exactly Bill Klem, either. At least some of this has to be laid at the feet of Russell and the coaching staff. He’s been here three years, and the same kinds of mistakes kept getting made.

(An interesting side discussion could be made as to the whereabouts of former infield coach Perry Hill, who walked away from the last year of his contract during the off-season. The team infield defense has regressed dramatically in his absence. No good explanation has been offered as to why Hill chose to take a year off rather than continue in Pittsburgh.)

It’s Russell’s decision-making that defies belief. (I suspect this will become a continuing trope as I watch more game this year.) Last night’s blowout against the Reds had several examples.

The Charlie Morton situation can be set aside for the time being. Why Morton is allowed to continue to get hammered in the major leagues when he has an option remaining and could get his feet under him in Indianapolis is a question for Talmudic scholars, and is an upper management decision, For the record, last night’s beating raised Morton’s ERA to 9.35—three runs higher than the next worst pitcher in the majors—and dropped his Won-Lost record to 1-9; the Pirates are 19-18 as a team when Morton doesn’t start.

Here are Russell’s puzzlers from last night:

1. Second inning, Cincinnati at bat, runners at first and third, no outs, Pirates behind 5-0. Russell plays the infield back, conceding the run even if they pull off the double play. Five-nothing is a deep hole, but it’s only the second inning; the game’s not over. Unless your manager gives up. (Third baseman Andy LaRoche made the point moot when he threw a potential 5-4-3-double play ball into right field.)

2. Top of the third, Pirates down 7-0, Morton scheduled to lead off the inning. The Reds have betted around in each of the first two innings and Morton has thrown 68 pitches. Russell bats for him. This is fine. He hit the pitcher eighth for all of April, a strategy even Bill James says is a wash because the benefits of having someone on base when the top of the order comes up at least balance out the extra at bats the pitcher gets with men on base because he’s been moved up. On the bench is Delwyn Young, who hit three doubles Monday night and was left off the lineup card in the three subsequent games (Consider this Issue 2A.) Who does Russell send up to bat for Morton? Pitcher Zack Duke, hitting .071. Honest to God.

Was Russell saving a bat for later in the game when a clutch situation might arise? You’re down 7-0 in the third inning. The odds this game will get close if you don’t start closing the gap right now are about the same as me winning a Pulitzer Prize for this blog. Earl Weaver, the greatest manager of my lifetime, used to say you should never lose with bullets left in the gun. If Russell didn’t have any bullets left, it was because, by hitting Duke in that situation, he never even felt like loading the gun.

If things like this makes a relatively casual observer wonder how badly Russell wants to win, what must it do to the players?

A Modest Proposal

The Designated Hitter has been the bane of all right-thinking people since its inception in 1973. I was only 17 then, and, contrary to the idea that my callowness would make such an exciting innovation cool and groovy, I hated it with a passion rivaled only by my hatred for the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Flyers. I never have been in favor of getting something for nothing, and the DH is nothing but that.

Since then it’s become a cluster fuck. Minor league games played under different rules in each city (depending on whether the parent club was playing Real Baseball or overhand fast pitch) morphed into World Series games with different rules depending on year or site, and into regular season games played under house rules as the apostasy of inter-league play gained momentum. Now we’re stuck with it, like an inoperable brain tumor: the Players’ Association won’t let MLB get rid of it because DHs are higher paid than the utility men who would replace them. (Those who argue the National League should give in and adopt the DH are taking the side of adding a brain tumor to the one that can’t removed. How’s that gonna help?)

Here’s my simple, elegant solution, one that captures the best elements of Real Baseball while allowing the simple-minded DHers their little gimmick: pitchers do not have to come out of the game when they’re hit for. The pinch hitter has to come out (unless it’s part of a two-for-one switch), but the pitcher can stay.

Pitchers would still bat once in a while. No point in wasting a bat off the bench when there are two out and on one on, or if you want to sacrifice the pitcher anyway. The decision points—and delightful elements for second-guessing, which is why people watch baseball in the first place—will come when the pitcher’s spot leads off an early inning, and you’d like to get someone on base with the top of the order coming up. Would managers walk the eight hitter as often, knowing the pitcher might not have to bat? How about bases loaded two outs, fourth inning?

Managers couldn’t do this too often, lest they not have a bat left late in the game when the game is on the line. It would also keep so many teams from carrying twelve or thirteen pitchers, which wouldn’t be such a bad thing, either.

Like I said, it will never happen. Which probably means it’s a pretty good idea.

Melting the Igloo

I meant to write this yesterday but didn’t have the heart for it. Losing is okay; half the teams in any game lose. Showing up would have been nice. The effort the Pens expended in Wednesday night’s Game 7 wouldn’t have taxed a squirrel in a rusty exercise wheel. With the exception of Jordan Staal, the “core” of the team—Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar, Fleury—mailed it in.

All credit goes to the Canadiens. They had a plan, they bought into it, and they made the sacrifices necessary to execute it to near perfection. (Aside from blocking just under three million shots, Hal Gill played Game 7 with 40 stitches and staples in a cut left hamstring.) If they continue this run, Jaroslav Halak will join Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy in the Habs’ pantheon, and deservedly so. That doesn’t mean he did it alone.

Pittsburgh would liked to have kept Gill when he became a free agent after last year’s Cup run; the Canadiens had more cap room. Gill has now played two consecutive series this year that, along with last year’s excellence, make one wonder if he isn’t the most underrated defensive defenseman in the NHL.

He had company. Josh Gorges and rookie sensation P.K. Subban were excellent throughout. Jaroslav Spacek returned from an illness to play key minutes in the final games after Andrey Markov went down with an injury. Forwards Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez, and little teeny Brian Gionta came up big time after time. Coach Jacques Martin’s lifetime playoff resume is less than impressive, but he’s been Toe Blake, Herb Brooks, and Scotty Bowman all rolled into one this year.

The Pens problems started at the top and worked their way down. Dan Bylsma was badly out-coached. He had no answers for the Canadiens’ match-ups, even when getting the last change for home games. What are little mistakes at the time can always be second-guessed in the aftermath of a Game 7 debacle, but this isn’t really second-guessing; I hollered “time out” at the screen after Montreal’s second goal. The game was already getting away from them. Fleury should have been pulled after Goal Three.

Crosby was mostly invisible, except for the horrible boarding call at 0:10 of the first period. How he could be surprised at that call may have shown more insight into the Pens’ problems than anyone cares to admit. They played like they were owed this one.

Crosby can’t be expected to play every series like he played against Ottawa. Montreal sold out to stop his line, and it worked. Pittsburgh has another superstar center, and Evgeny Malkin didn’t score any more than Sid did. This was the type of series where he needed to step up. Had his line produced, Martin may have been forced to reconsider his strategy on Crosby, Kunitz, and Guerin; Malkin and his line mates never put him on the spot.

Sergei Gonchar may be the league’s leading example of a heads-up offensive defenseman, but his defensive lapses were glaring at times this season, especially late in the year. The playoffs were no better, and his turnstile impression that led to the fourth goal when Travis Moen would have been content to kill some time was a backbreaker.

That gets us to Fleury. I’m not a Fleury basher. Hell, I own his tee shirt. I thought his play during last year’s Cup run should have silenced his critics for at least a year, but there were too many soft goals to make excuses for. There were plenty of defensive lapses in front of him this year, but an elite goalie makes more saves then he did in those situations. That’s what makes them elite, allowing their mates to take some chances in front of them, knowing they’ll be backstopped.

The Pens have played a lot of hockey the past three years: two trips to the Finals, and, for several, the Olympics. I bought the Center Ice package last fall, so I saw every game but one, and it was money well spent. I’ll re-up this year, ready to see the next version of the Penguins. The taste of Game 7 will be gone well before that.

Chattin' with the Porcine One

Washington Capitals coach Bruce “Porky Pig” Boudreau chatted with Washington Post readers this morning. Here are excerpts from his chat:

Mike DC: Who are you pulling for in game 7, Montreal or Pittsburgh?

Bruce Boudreau: I am pulling for Montreal. I could never see myself wanting Pittsburgh to win and Montreal is playing inspired hockey. I can see them winning. I do think whoever scores the first goal will win

Washington, D.C.: Yesterday I bet a free lunch for the four rabid Caps fans in our office if together they could name the teams still in the playoffs -- without Internet or other assistance. They couldn't do it, so they had to buy me lunch. What do you think of that?

Bruce Boudreau: Sounds like they are loyal Caps fans! They love our team and nobody else and like myself they probably have not been able to watch hockey since we lost - so they would not know.

(Then don’t be surprised when teams beat you doing exactly the same things next year, Fat Boy.)

Washington, DC: Coach, Mike Green recently suggested that the team's protracted commute home after game 4 played a role in the team coming out flat at the start of game 5. Do you agree? And in general, what impact do extraordinary travel delays have on a club in a series with little time off between games?

Bruce Boudreau: I think the fog flight had a profound effect on us. The players missed an entire night of sleep and got out of their routine. We missed practice the following day and it showed in the first 10 minutes of Game 5, when Montreal scored both their goals.

(Interesting how this never got mentioned when the Pens had to walk in from Canada for that Sunday afternoon game in February.)

So there you have it. The Caps aren’t just chokers; they’re excuse-making, petty, whiners to boot. Here’s hoping they roll up another 120 points next year and are still free to play golf on May Day.

New Lows

The Pirates lose; we've grown accustomed to that. It's how they lose that wears you down. Management trades favorite and productive players for prospects who may be years away, if they pan out at all. Field management has some strange ideas about strategy and accountability. (More on that later.) Last night the players showed they might have the physical skills to play with the big boys after all, if they could keep their heads glued on.

Zach Duke outpitched Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter into the seventh inning. The Cardinals were ahead, but all three of their runs were unearned. Two came when Ronny Cedeno appeared to look away from what should have been a first-inning-ending grounder to prolong the inning, allowing Yadier Molina to drive in two runs with a single against a bizarrely positioned infield. Normally reliable Andy LaRoche's throwing error opened the door for St. Louis' third run. (First baseman Garret Jones also botched a cutoff play to extend an inning, but Duke pitched out of it.)

The Pirates scratched out a couple of runs and had the Cardinals on the ropes in the eighth, with LaRoche on third, Andrew McCutcheon on first and Jones at the plate. Jones hit a sharp one-hopper to the pitcher, who caught LaRoche between third and home. He prolonged the rundown long enough for McCutcheon to make third and Jones to get to second, so the end result should have been second and third and one out, a net gain considering the ground ball.

Except that LaRoche forgot to let himself be tagged and went all the way back to third, currently occupied by McCutcheon. Catcher Molina properly tagged McCutcheon out, and the base legally belonged to LaRoche. La Roche didn't know the rule and stepped toward the dugout, allowing Molina to tag him as well to complete the double play. Only in Pittsburgh can a ground ball to the pitcher with runners on first and third and none out turn into a runner on second and two out.

Not a problem; they still got Jones home to tie the game. Then, in the ninth, Akimori Iwamura tagged the wrong hand of a sliding Cardinals runner, wasting a perfect throw from Ryan Doumit and allowing a stolen base. The runner eventually scored and the Cards won 4-3.

Hitting, pitching, and fielding are the core of the game; the players are primarily responsible for those. ("It's a simple fame. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball.") Cutoff plays, base running are also on the players, but those are areas management has much more control over. If players can't keep their heads in the game, it's the manager's job to see that they do. (Lastings Milledge was tagged out halfway between second and third Thursday night after hitting a bases loaded double; Milledge thought the ball was a home run and had entered his grand slam trot.)

This started as a rant for the players to get their heads out of their asses. People can live with a team that gets out talented by the opposition if the effort is there, but the Pirates make too many dumb mistakes to earn much of that trust. Watching the game and reading Dejan Kovacevic in today's paper had me ginned up for a John Russell rant in a day or two.

PNC Park Sold Out for Fan Euthanasia Night

From the Onion:

PITTSBURGH—PNC Park boasted a rare sellout crowd Tuesday when more than 38,000 eager Pirates fans showed up for "Fan Euthanasia Night," during which each attendee was guaranteed "the sweet release of a quick and painless death" courtesy of sponsor PepsiCo. "For a diehard Pirates fan who has been following this team for nearly 20 consecutive losing seasons, or really just anyone who watched them get beat 20-0 by the Brewers last week, this is certainly a well-deserved treat," said 46-year-old Jim Martin, walking through the turnstile to receive his souvenir program and his lethal dose of sodium thiopental. "I haven't seen so many people so relaxed and generally happy to be at a Pirates game in a long time." An estimated 200,000 Pirates fans who were unable to get tickets to the game reportedly listened to its radio broadcast while idling their cars inside closed garages.

Vin Scully

I’ve been taking advantage of a free trial of MLB’s Extra Innings TV package to watch Pirates games when I have a chance. (Fortunately I didn’t have such an opportunity during the series where Milwaukee made the Bucs their Bitches for the Ages.) I caught at least parts of all four games from Los Angeles over the weekend, picking up the Dodgers’ feed, and Vin Scully.

No one else in the booth with him, Scully carries the entire game by himself. He talks a more than I remember, but I’d only ever heard him on national games before, with one or two analysts, so leaving empty space was more important. Frickin’ guy is 82 years old and still makes fewer errors than big-time broadcasters half his age. (And with half his skill.)

Listening to him over the weekend, I can see why he’s worn so well with Dodgers fans. Mellifluous voice, easy manner, interesting comments, and he knows everything about these players. I also picked up one other thing about Vin:

He doesn’t think much of how the Pirates are currently operated. This is not because of my highly attuned ear, sensitive to any slight; he makes no excuses about it. A new paraphrased examples:

And, for the first time in the series, Pirates manager John Russell has the pitcher batting ninth. He’s one of those who sees benefit of hitting the pitcher in the eighth spot, though, with the Pirates losing 99 games last year, you have to wonder what those benefits might be.

This is uncharted country for the Pirates, as they led the league in double plays in each of the past three years. Of course, much of that is due to opportunity—they allow a lot of baserunners—but their current situation has more to do with trading away both the shortstop and second baseman from those teams.

He dropped other morsels during the four games; those two stick out because he used them, or variations, several times.

He wasn’t picking on the Pirates. Scully went out of his way to compliment the history of the organization, and told the story about how Roberto Clemente became a Pirate after “the Dodgers owned his rights, but thought they’d get clever and hide him for a year up in Montreal. Well, the scouts knew all about him, and when the winter draft came along…”

The Pirates lost three of four and got blown out on Sunday, but I watched to the end. Spending Sunday afternoon on the couch listening to Vin Scully is as relaxing as a shady hammock and a warm breeze. Almost enough to make me watch Dodgers games, just to listen to him.

Almost.

Welcome

I've been blogging about politics and whatever else comes to mind for about five years now. Frankly, much of the time it's pretty goddamn depressing. I don't want to get too snarky, because people won't take the message seriously. (Not that many are taking it either way.) The nice thing about sports is, the only people who (should) really take it seriously are those actually playing the games. Those fans who paint their bodies and have team logo tattoos or spend the rent money on Super Bowl tickets deserve all the snark they get. So let's have some fun.

I grew up near Pittsburgh as a Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins fan. I've been gone longer than I was there. But there's something about the Burgh and its sports teams that never leaves you. I still follow them closer than what are now my local teams, often treating the locals with disdain when I feel they've earned it. (Calling Washington Capitals fans "front-running bandwagon jumpers" can safely be described as disdain.) Other sports topics will sometimes require dissection; I'm game for that, too.

Feel free to comment at will; if we can't argue about sports and still be friends, what the hell are we going to argue about?