gehringer_2

so you're saying Hinch is being wagged the dog again, but this time by the suits?

Precisely.

Isn't that still the manager's domain? He is the final filter in front of everything the team presents to his players in terms of data and tactics. If they suck, he needed to tell the back office guys to stuff it by now.

Just thinking out loud, with all the other reasons around out there - the live ball, the maple bats, the better hitters 1-9 putting more stress on pitchers, changes in the K zone; I also wonder if the trend to cutting down deliveries has had an overall effect. Back in the day a lot of guys had big windups - and I wonder if somehow on average, cutting all that down may have increased stress on arms. The big thing today is 'no wasted motion' but maybe there were reasons that motion wasn't a waste?

That is where I believe Gibson has it wrong. Pitching is not like running. For most guys pitching is destructive, so pitching more may make their bodies stronger but it's going to run the clock on their arm. There may have been a pitching style 30 yrs ago where that wasn't true, but it seem to be the inescapable conclusion the way guys throw today. If there was a way to get back to a mode of pitching that didn't destroy arms, I can't think of anything I'd rather see, but if there is any org where it's not the case today, it's ours.

That's good night's work for Manning by any measure. Rodriguez Sunday? So maybe we are back up to two. If we can finish this season with 3 names as sure things for next year's rotation that may be the best we can hope for....

I've heard one - some talk in the booth about Coolbaugh and Candelario a couple of weeks ago. But apparently to little avail.

Riley battled there, but Sandoval never made a mistake, even with no help from the ump.

yeah - you love to see pop flies on fast balls.

The hitting this year is the one reason I won't be all that upset if a new GM were to broom Hinch - not that I would expect Ilitch to eat his contract anyway. But I just don't see any signs that Hinch is bringing anything to the table in terms of getting this team out of its hitting funk. Maybe their going at it hammer and tongs and we don't see, or maybe they are but they are doing it all wrong. Whatever, for me right now it's as easy to believe Hinch is part of the problem as that he is part of a solution.

Gives up a hit to Suzuki -- after he has him struck out.

Manning doing fine, no run support. Rinse. Repeat.

As I remember it, Sparky did a lot of things as well or better than anyone, but his weakness was managing pitching - esp his bullpen. He really didn't have a feel for giving guys consistent work and then it was compounded by the FO giving him progressively less to work with year by year. But there was real shift when Roger Craig went off to manage his own team. Sparky had had two strong pitching coaches - assistant manager types really, in Larry Shepard in Cincy and Craig in Det, but he never brought in another strong pitching coach in the rest of his years in Det. You can't separate that from the general decay in the talent he had available, which clearly was the more important factor by far, but I never got the impression in his later years that Sparky had much idea what he was doing with his pitching.

LOLOL - if ever there was a pot calling a kettle.....

and the thing is, at this point there is no reason it's still the way it is and not the way it was. It's just inertia.

interesting point. The originals remain the property of the USGOV don't they? So that would put them under the jurisdiction of the new Admin. I don't think it is unprecedented for material that was once unclassified to be reclassified.

one of my favorites was at Sault Ste Marie. We had come up to take the Algoma scenic tour train and were staying on the US side but were going to the Canadian side for dinner. My wife and MIL were with me and - as though I had never crossed a border before, were adamant that I must not say anything the agent except the exact answer to his questions. So first question was "where are you from" --- answer 'Ann Arbor' next "why are you going to Canada" --- answer 'Dinner' That got an interesting look in return. Of course this was all before 9/11 when things were pretty loose.

a case of localized lead poisoning maybe....

But he wouldn't want to be pinned down on the question.

LOL - I've heard you used to be able to get a ticket on the FLA turnpike if you made it from entry to exit too soon, but never had it confirmed. Maybe they just put that out there to persuade people to make a rest area stop and spend some money.... I spent a couple of years with company car with a speed monitor in it - totally terrible experience esp - in Mi where speed limits are posted just be abused. Initially we got around it by going through the speedometer re-cal procedure and setting with an offset so the thing thought you were going 10 mph less. Once the company figured that out I turned in the company car and took an allowance to drive my own - monitor free.

From what I've read recently, they have made good strides improving surgical technique with Achilles ruptures and the prognoses are better than they were even a short number of years ago. Of course, as noted, he hadn't proved he could play in the NFL before he ruptured it....

All our dogs had lost some or all of their hearing at the end but still saw pretty well. We are dog sitting for a friend this week and her elderly mostly lab still hears a pin drop but can't tell if a screen door is open. You sort of have to be prepared for anything as a dog ages.

2nd Erie game a 1-0 shutout win for the Wolves. Wolf with 5 IP 2H 2BB 5K. Meadows with a triple, scored the games only run. Toledo scores 9. Torkelson 3/5 2B BB 2K, 370 OBP for August (and finally breaks over the Mendoza line). Kreidler 1/4 2B 2BB

yeah - deaf dogs are a challenge. If they aren't profoundly deaf hand claps may still work, otherwise a lot of walking around to get in front of them so they can see you.

Don't get me started!