Shows what I know. Doug Collins removed his name from consideration. Perhaps I'm looking too deeply into things, but this has got to be a slap in the face for Joe, no? The timing is also a little strange. The day after Joe D signs Ben Gordon and Charlie V, Collins says he's not interested. What happened? I suppose it doesn't matter because the job is now primed and ready for Avery Johnson, who could be the best option anyway. The knock against Avery is that he was a control freak in Dallas. If he's learned to chill a bit, he could be a fantastic hire. The Pistons need a guy who has the intestinal fortitude to stand-up to players when they err but also the patience to let the players be themselves. In essence, they need Chuck Daly.
These aren't freshmen who needing a crash-course in Xs and Os. The youngest player, Stuckey, will be entering his 3rd year in the league. My guess is these guys know their roles. They need a leader, a guiding hand, who will unite the different personalities. With so many new faces, chemistry will be key. Even with the infusion of new talent, their record in the Fall of '09 could be quite awful. I'll hold off on judging them until the 2nd half of the season.
Dead Bats Continue
Rather pathetic showing by the Tigers yesterday. Maggs is now tied for 5th in the majors with most GIDP (grounded into double plays). The dude is killing the team. Leyland gave him three days off - Maggs needs a few weeks off. I believe he still has the talent, but he's going through a mammoth of a slump. And he's not alone.
On this road trip, the Tigers are 7-41 with runners in scoring position (Maggs is 0-6). That's a pretty sweet .170 average in those clutch situations. My pet peeve for the past few years is that this team simply can't hit a sac fly. If they don't get a hit, that runner on 3rd ain't coming home.
To make matters worse, Verlander is having major problems on the road (4-4, 4.98 ERA). He's lights out at home, but can't seem to lay down the hammer outside of Comerica. Of course, even those road numbers aren't horrible. If the bats were stronger, they'd be able to carry a subpar pitching performance. Alas, no.
Now, it's on to Minnesota. The Twins could catch the Tigers in the standings with a sweep.
Personally, I'm happy that Doug Collins decided to decline (assuming that he was offered the position). His ego is bigger than most of the players and that isn't a good attribute for a truly successful coach in the NBA. Plus, in spite of his reasonably successful time with the Pistons the first time around, he never reached the promised land.
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with the Tigers? They look terrible. Is there a possible connection between when they started to go south and when Leyland received his contract extension? As far as Maggs is concerned, he needs bench time; lots of bench time. Bring back Clete. At least he can get to some of the soft liners hit to rightfield. When a player is in a prolonged slump like Maggs is, there is something wrong somewhere. Maybe there is more to his personal problems at home than the press or even the manager knows about. Whatever is bothering him, he is not contributing. Isn't one of the manager's jobs to be father/confessor of his charges? Leyland needs to have a long heart-to-heart with Maggs and let him know that his days as a Tiger may be over if he doesn't start to focus on what he's being paid to do.
I agree wholeheartedly. It's Leyland's job to face the Maggs situation head-on. I suppose it's possible that Dombrowski said, "Play Maggs - we need to get some value out of that $15million." But even DD must admit that Maggs needs to sit.
ReplyDeleteI foresee the disabled list in Maggs' future. Perhaps a 15-day DL stint with "back spasms" or something equally innocuous and nebulous. That would make room for Clete (who I just saw has 17 stolen bases in Toledo).
Did you know that if Maggs doesn't play some number of games he won't get the millions promised him? Might be a good idea to rest him for awhile to see if the loss of those big bucks quakes up his bat.
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