OFFICIAL TLR HEAD SCRATCHER THREAD

[JackofDiamonds]

Holy [expletive] last night made me angry. I haven't been viscerally angry over a baseball game in years. What the [expletive]? Really? What the [expletive]? You're in a heated race with the Reds and you only have a 2 run cushion over a hot Astros team in the first game of your new #3 starters Cardinals career. Why, for [expletive]'s sake, are you going two innings with Motte, putting MacDougal in for the 8th, and leaving Miller out to get shelled? What the [expletiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive]?

[vinsanity]

What'll we [expletive] about when we these things happen if we have a conventional manager?

[Joe Shlabotnik]

What'll we [expletive] about when we these things happen if we have a conventional manager?

A-freaking-men. This is baseball. It was designed to send you into ecstasy and then rip your heart out. Sometimes several times in the same game or inning even. If its not TLR and his unconventionality, its Kirk Gibson limping up to the plate and then depositing one in the seats against the best closer in the game, or Curt Flood slipping in center field while a ball goes over his head or David Eckstein with a walk off granny or any number of other occurrences with probabilities between slim and none completely changing the complexion of a game.

I mean jezuz H Krist, it's baseball. And there is NO crying in baseball.

Suck it up and move on. There's a game to win today.

[jagtrader]

As he gets into the advanced stage of his managerial career, La Russa really doesn't seem to value position player talent like he should. It's strange considering some of the A's and Cardinals teams he managed over the years.

[jim]

The managing fit the play on the field. Both embarrassing. Was KMac not available? He threw 7 pitches on Sat in a blowout to keep him sharp, I can't understand what the thinking was there.

And I second greenback's comments on the double switch and Rasmus.

[BW23]

I third greenback's comments on the double switch. I said something along those lines in the GDT.

I think I've finally realized why guys like Miles and Gallego and David Howard's mean so much to Tony. They're him. Doesn't really fit here, but I had the thought with nowhere else to post it.

[jim]

Did he feel the need to do so simply because Rasmus had made an out in the previous inning and the pitcher was due up second?

Pretty sure that's it. What else could it be?

I would like to see a statistic on how many times LaRussa ds's, but the pitcher that comes in is removed before his spot ever comes up in the order. If you are improving defensively then I understand, but if you aren't and you don't plan on keeping the pitcher in long enough for his spot to even come up why do it? Just leave him where he is and use a PH'er when the time comes, or do the DS when you think the guy you do want to leave in to pitch will come up in the order.

It's an effective tactic if used sensibly, but I'm not sure I understand the way we use it all of the time.

[greenback44]

And there is NO crying in baseball.

I wouldn't exactly say I'm happy, but I for one am laughing. It's like watching a Beavis and Butt-head episode. "[expletive], he's not going to stick his finger in the light socket, is he? [expletive], yes, he is." Of course, the difference is that Mike Judge created the BnB characters specifically to be idiots, while Tony La Russa is respected enough to be second all-time in managerial games (and the #1 guy should have an asterisk) and to have a couple of different books written about him. While the humor is unintentional, it's humor nonetheless.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

All this begs the question - Is TLR Chauncey Gardner in a baseball uniform? And if so, when did it happen?

[lukethedrifter]

All this begs the question - Is TLR Chauncey Gardner in a baseball uniform? And if so, when did it happen?

Yes, yes he is.