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Tuesday, October 06, 2015

Maybe Mattingly's Job Isn't in Jeopardy


Over the past couple of years I've really come appreciate Don Mattingly.  Sure, he's made the occasional managerial gaffe during a game, but what person hasn't?  Nobody is perfect out there, and as all Baseball fans know you're likely to face failure more often than not.  Still, I couldn't get that feeling out of my bones that this season was a huge test for Don Mattingly - not than every season hasn't been for him. 

The new ownership with Wall Street backing and a front office filled with the brainiest standouts in the league were finally settled in, and they would be expecting results.... and I'm not talkin' about just making the playoffs.  I figured that unless Don Mattingly took home a World Series championship this season his goose was cooked.

After all, we've seen unprecedented turnover in the minor league staffs the past several weeks, and logic suggest the same kind of movement should be expected with the big club.

Then, a couple of reports hit the wires today that has me making adjustments.  Maybe - just maybe - Don's job in the dugout is more secure than many fans are willing to accept.  Maybe, Don has already passed one of the more important test a manager in his position can have. 

To see what I mean check out a couple of key points recently made by Dodger GM Farhan Zaidi.  Per Ken Gurnick's interview at MLB.com
MLB.com: Have you been pleased with the work of manager Don Mattingly?
Zaidi: I think he's done a great job. We've had, again, one of the biggest themes we've had is roster turnover with the injuries and having a lot of young players with options and trying to make maximum use of the 25-man roster. That definitely puts added stress on a manager and staff, not just to deal with the logistics of those moves, but also to deal with managing personnel turnover. From an on-field standpoint, every time you move a player in or out, you have to sort of recalibrate yourself on how to use everybody. So, I think he's done a real nice job with that and mixed and matched in some platoon situations, tried to navigate through some of the issues we've had in our bullpen. There certainly have been challenges with our roster that he's had to navigate and I think he's done a nice job.
So, Don has ably worked within the front office's framework of juggling players in-and-out in order to maximize results, while also putting together lineups that take advantage of various platoon scenarios that are likely to provide better outcomes. 

Although it's fair to say that the front office probably had a lot of input in these decisions, it still took a manager with the respect and ear of the clubhouse to execute those moves. 

To emphasize this further, Zaidi spoke with the press this afternoon and said this (via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider):
“I think the longer I’ve been in baseball, the more it’s tilted toward managing the clubhouse and the personalities and the egos,” Zaidi said. “I think from the outside, the average person watching the game just sees the Xs and Os, and whether you took a reliever out or left him in, but again, in my view, a lot of those are 52-48, 55-45 decisions. You get judged by the outcome rather than the process. But kind of being behind the scenes, (you realize) how important it is to manage personalities, get guys to buy into their roles, maintain the peace in the clubhouse.

“You know, it’s funny: The position is called ‘the manager,’ and in every other industry, being a manager means managing people. And in baseball, we think it’s just Xs and Os, but the reality is, this job is being a manager like it is being a manager of a business, except you also are making X and O moves out there in public. I think they’re both important, but I think from when I first got into baseball 10 years ago to now, I realize that managing down there in the clubhouse is more important than I realized.”
That's a very nuanced argument that clearly defines what kind of "results" really matter to him.  It's not necessarily the "Xs and Os," as he said.  Instead, it's all about his ability to manage a clubhouse as varied and as complex as the Dodgers.  On that point, Don Mattingly may have already passed muster.

I, for one, don't have a problem if this is the case.  Like I said above, I like Don Mattingly, and I can appreciate the way he's managed the Dodgers - considering the many complexities that no doubt exist.  Of course, a total meltdown in the playoffs might still cause decisions to be undone, so he's likely to still be under the microscope.

Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Roy Campanella Original Drawing by Bob Parker - A Former Topps Cartoonist


Just take a look at those little generic Baseball men in the drawing above.  Don't they look familiar?

Featured is an cartoon drawn by Bob Parker, and he is known to be one of an handful of artist, like MAD Magazine co-founder Jack Davis, to have his work grace the back of Topps sportscards during it's heyday.  

The drawing above is actually the original artwork for an self-produced slightly larger than postcard sized (3 3/8" x 5 1/2") set he sold at collector shows throughout the 1970's to the early 1980's.  It is commonly known as the 1977-81 Bob Parker Hall of Fame set, and as you can see the drawing above is of former Dodger Roy Campanella.  I ran into this on eBay, so check out the auction here.  You can also see what the original card he sold looks like on the right.  The postcard set was produced from 1977 to 1981 in three series.  There are a total number of 103 postcards.  The first series, of which the drawing above comes from, consist of 54 cards.

Considering how little Topps paid for their drawings back then, as low as $3.00 each, it's not surprising that Parker decided to market his artwork on his own... and thank goodness for that.  Otherwise, we wouldn't have these fantastic illustrations to enjoy.

The above drawing measures 7 1/2" x 11", and it highlights much of Campanella's career.  He mentions Campanella's three MVP awards along with a caricature of a ballplayer hammering an MVP sign on the wall.  The bottom cartoon of a swinging batter goes along with Parker's mention of Campy's mighty home run swing.  Click on the above pic to embiggen.

BTW, while doing some research for this post I ran into one of Parker's card show display boards from 1981.  It is for the last (third) series of the set and includes examples of five other cards - Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline, Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra and Lefty Gomez.  Check out the display below.  The eBay auction for this item can be found here.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 10/6/2015 - Dodger Links - Greinke, Seager and Zaidi on Don Mattingly


I just want to have good thoughts.  So in that vein I thought I would share the above photo originally found on the Baseball Hall of Fame twitter account.  It features a young and eager to teach Pee Wee Reese of the Brooklyn club demonstrating the proper way to "choke up" on the bat to a bunch of even younger fledgling Dodger hopefuls.  Some of them are even paying close attention, so I wonder if they made it to the pros.  After all, Brooklyn was a Baseball hotbed back then.  Heck, as I look closely I swear that kid on the far left is a young Fernando... No? 

Below are more links to check out:
  • Here is the complete postseason schedule.  It includes all the dates for every potential game and the channels you can watch them at.  For the Dodgers, Game 1 will be at 6:45 PST and Game 2 is at 6:07 PST.  Both games will be aired on TBS.
  • Via Daniel Starkand at Dodgers Nation, "Zack Greinke Reflects On Career Season, 200 Strikeouts."
    “This year I didn’t pay attention to strikeouts at all,” Greinke said. “In year’s past it would be a big deal, but I didn’t really pay attention to it this year. I just was trying to get outs, that’s all I really paid attention to.”
  • Via Darren Rovell at ESPN, Clayton Kershaw was the #4 selling jersey during the regular season in all of Baseball.
  • Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Corey Seager goes from prospect to key to Dodgers' playoff hopes."
    “It got to the point where we kind of needed him here,” was how Dodgers vice president for baseball operations Josh Byrnes put it at the time.
  • For just a moment relive the time the Dodgers and Mets faced each other in the playoffs in 1988 through the words of those who were there.  Via Lyle Spencer at MLB.com, "Oral history of epic Mets-Dodgers 1988 NLCS."
Mike Scioscia (Dodgers catcher): We felt like we didn't have anything to lose. One thing about that club was that we weren't intimidated, and [we] played free and relaxed. We weren't worried about making a mistake. As far as star power, we didn't have a lot. But as far as a team, we had a great team from one through 25. Everyone knew their role. All of us could do what the situation called for.
MLB.com: Have you been pleased with the work of manager Don Mattingly?
Zaidi: I think he's done a great job. We've had, again, one of the biggest themes we've had is roster turnover with the injuries and having a lot of young players with options and trying to make maximum use of the 25-man roster. That definitely puts added stress on a manager and staff, not just to deal with the logistics of those moves, but also to deal with managing personnel turnover. From an on-field standpoint, every time you move a player in or out, you have to sort of recalibrate yourself on how to use everybody. So, I think he's done a real nice job with that and mixed and matched in some platoon situations, tried to navigate through some of the issues we've had in our bullpen. There certainly have been challenges with our roster that he's had to navigate and I think he's done a nice job.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *
* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *