I've got Kendall's back; Who's with me?

The Pilots Dared Me To Die — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 19:56:51 -0000

If Mr. Fosse honestly believes that Mr. Kendall is a kick-ass pitch caller, then that's probably true, because it takes one to know one.

It's important to throw the right pitches to the right hitters at the right times. Many pitchers these days have always taken the signs from their catchers, and never learned to call their own game. That's why it's important to have a catcher who knows the hitters, knows the strengths and weaknesses of his staff, and is a monster in the video room, looking for any little edge he can use against the opposition.

Some pitchers, of course, call their own game, and any signals given by the catcher are merely to make sure the catcher and pitcher are on the same page.

However, it seems like most of the pitchers on the Athletics are not tactitians out on the mound and throw what Mr. Kendall calls. If it is true that Kendall is a great pitch caller out there, then we all need to be aware that he's basically the defensive captain out there, and even though the pitcher is doing the work of throwing the pitch, Kendall's the guy at the chessboard plotting his moves hitters and innings in advance.

Just as we have to count the 25-30 runs a year Chavez saves on defense (as opposed to an average 3rd baseman) we have to count the runs that Kendall saves through calling the right pitch at the right time.

The A's pitching staff is made up of a lot of great arms, but without strong leadership behind the plate, those arms won't be used most effectively.

Even if he only hits .200 on the season, I want to see Mr. Kendall behind the plate as the #1 catcher for the rest of the year, and have high hopes that Mr. Beane can sign him cheap for next year in order to mentor Mr. Suzuki and hopefully help him learn to become as good a defensive catcher as Mr. Kendall.

Bring back the shutout and the beanball!

The Pilots Dared Me To Die — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:32:19 -0000

I am still steaming mad this morning that Haren didn't go out to pitch the 9th last night. I was doing the dishes during the bottom of the 8th, so I don't know if Haren begged off, or if Geren pulled him out, and that's the only reason I'm not posting a diary chewing out Haren for begging off or chewing out Geren for being a slave to pitch counts. However...

I just read Blez's post and thread about last night's game, and I have to admit that I'm a little bit upset with the general readership of AN that there's not a groundswell of righteous indignation that Haren left the game. Most of you folks seem to assume it's the right move to pull him just because he's tired or has a high pitch count. I tell you what, if you tried to pull Bob Gibson or Don Drysdale or Jack Morris pitching a shutout, he'd have shoved the ball so far up your a$$ that you'd be crapping out of your bellybutton for a week! I sure hope to hell that when Haren was pulled he didn't just go sit on the bench with a towel over his head. I hope he kicked the water cooler or threw his glove or something to express his frustration at not being able to fulfill his manly duty to pitch the 9th in a shutout ballgame! Not going out to pitch the 9th in a shutout ballgame is the ultimate "Gee, honey... this hasn't happened to me before... Maybe we'll use the vibrator tonight..."

If it were up to me, I would make it against the rules of baseball to pull a starting pitcher that's throwing a shutout. Even in extra innings. Even if it's 0-0 in the 13th!

The shutout is the ultimate pitching stat of manliness and godliness. That, and HBP's. Teams need to use their 12th bullpen spot as an enforcer. If an opposing hitter is crowding the plate, bring in the enforcer, and have him throw his first pitch behind the head of the hitter. The hitter, thinking the pitch is coming at his head, is inclined to back up, and maybe gets hit in the face and breaks his jaw. Having to eat dinner through a straw for a month will teach those dirty SOB's to back the XXXX off the plate. And if the enforcer gets suspended... no great loss... (yes, I know that you can't fill the roster spot of a suspended player) You've still got an 11 man bullpen and an intimidated opposition, not just the team you're facing, but every other team that sees the highlights on Baseball Tonight. Who cares if the manager gets suspended too? It's not like there are any genius managers out there singlehandedly winning and losing games anymore. The days of Earl Weaver, Billy Martin, Dick Williams, and Gene Mauch are long over, unfortunately.

I am so sick and tired of conservative handling of athletes. Athletes are SURROGATE GLADIATORS! Even in baseball. Just because baseball is more akin to eastern-style single combat martial arts than western-style total warfare does not mean that it is not a WAR. There are casualties in war. Any BS whitewashing of that fact does not serve the warriors... in fact, it gives them a false sense of security that makes them more likely to be KILLED (lose the game)...

One of my favorite pitchers, Jim "The Bulldog" Bouton (you may have heard of him, or read his book "Ball Four" forty or fifty times when you were a kid, like I did...) used to psyche himself up by imagining that kidnappers were holding his family hostage and that they all would be killed if he didn't win the game. I admire that mindset. That's the headspace I want my pitchers in on the mound... Losing is supposed to be painful. Winning is merely the byproduct of the quest for perfection... Pitchers should be prepared to sacrifice in the line of duty...

And that's where Rich Harden comes to mind. I know that the trainers and management downplay the extent of his injuries, but I'm going to say it right here... I DON'T THINK HE'S HURT THAT BADLY... I loathe the mindset of mollycoddling him, hoping that he's going to find some period of health... He's not. The dude's just not built to have a long career throwing 97MPH fastballs. If he can still get people out, even in pain, the team should send him out there. It's his duty to pitch until his arm falls off. He can take two years off for surgery and rehab and come back as a Jamie Moyer type later if he can, but not on our time and not on our dime!

To sum it all up... Starters pitching a shutout shouldn't be pulled. The beanball is an effective weapon against plate crowders. Hockey fights should be encouraged. American Football needs less padding and more casualties... Title bouts in Ultimate Fighting should be TO THE DEATH! Kids who fight in the schoolyard shouldn't be suspended, but taken into the gym, given boxing gloves, and allowed to take care of business, and Dan Haren should have gone nine last night.

SB Nation User Blog: The Pilots Dared Me To Die

I've got Kendall's back; Who's with me?

Bring back the shutout and the beanball!