Mariner Analyst on Lou-Lite (2)
Before he arrived in Seattle in 1993, the Mariners had a culture of losing. He turned that around -- he created a culture of winning. No one questioned that this was Lou's team. It was his way or the highway -- and that's precisely the kind of power and respect that a manager should have. And I would argue that this exactly the kind of manager that this club needs again to get back on the winning track.
That's why I believe that at this juncture, bringing in an experienced, in charge, and fire in the pants kind of manager who wants to win and won't accept any excuses is exactly what this team needs right now.
For my money, (if I'm the one making the decision -- which I'm not) the guy out there right now who best fits that mold -- is Bobby Valentine.
No doubt. And the arguments against him? Are that he's uncomfortable.
Think about it.
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Of all the candidates out there ... his resume is the most impressive and IMO lines up perfectly with what this team needs. Not only is he cut from the same cloth as Piniella ... but his managerial experience is second to none.
He not only has experience managing in a World Series ... but also experience managing in Japan, which makes him the perfect candidate not only to get the most out of Ichiro, but also to potentially attract other Japanese players as well. With Yamauchi as majority owner, it makes too much sense not to happen.
For me, the fact that Valentine is a top-drawer MLB manager --AND-- a top-drawer NPB manager ... the combination is just overwhelming.
It's two completely different styles of baseball. If adapting to the NPB game -- and winning in it -- is not proof of very high (applied) intelligence, what is?
Larry Kaufman is both (1) a notable chess Grandmaster, and (2) one of the strongest Shogi players in the world. He is an absolute artist, in both realms. Do you think there's any chance that Larry is dumb?
Put it this way. Picture Mike Hargrove managing a team to a championship in Japan?
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Dr. D's love for Japanese pitch sequences is controversial. I'll cheerfully admit that when it comes to "the coin of the realm," pitching off the fastball, I'm a math geek trying to tell the athletes how the game is played.
But even hardcore fastball lovers will admit that some great MLB pitchers, such as Roy Halladay, Dan Haren, Francisco Liriano, Mark Buehrle and Jon Lester pitch backwards a lot ...
... and that having a manager who was flexibly minded about pitching approaches would be nice.
Coin of the realm or pitching backwards .... small ball or three-run homer ... you couldn't squawk about having a manager expert in both.
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I don't know if they'll ultimately bring Valentine in or not, but IMO this organization needs to bring in that type of guy ... to give him the power manage the clubhouse ... and to have his back when he makes a tough call. The Figgins incident this last year and the way the Front Office handled the situation was a HUGE red flag. That kind of thing CANNOT ever be allowed again.
But Zduriencik - of whom I'm a fan - deliberately allowed and even encouraged it. Capt Jack's grand vision was to win with Figgins, not with Wakamatsu, so he did the practical rather than the principled.
One would think that Z -- perhaps down to the last manager in his Mariners timecard -- would now want to impose order, now wouldn't one?
A lot of people don't like Bobby Valentine. So they say he'd never come here, like they said Bedard would never come back.
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Bobby V likes American baseball and he likes Japanese baseball. Seattle is the ideal place to utilize all of his skills -- including in recruiting. Bobby's Japanese skill set would be appreciated in Seattle. Don't think that wouldn't matter to him. He can't want those years wasted.
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I dunno if Bobby V is realistic, but I'd go for 3-to-5 years of the dude. Closest thing you're gonna get to a photogenic Lou Piniella there, Chuck.
Cheerio,
Dr D