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mike
What box?
Joined: 30 Dec 2002
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 Posted: 7/4/2004, 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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I wouldn't mind having Spivey back, either. And maybe Moeller given the situation at catcher this year. Joe Jr's luck was bound to run out. Getting Shea wasn't that bad of a deal, BK is in the minors now. But the fire sale backfired. And letting Schilling go was just plain stupid.
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Davis2001R6
Joined: 12 Dec 2003
Posts: 5591
Location: Italy
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 8:33 am Post subject: |
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| Anybody heard what's up with Kata? I loved that guy last year and he did great as a rookie. I just hope they don't put Alomar back at 2nd. This is a young team and they need to develop those young players. Even if that means going sub-500 for a year. |
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paintninaz
Joined: 06 Jan 2003
Posts: 3515
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 8:47 am Post subject: |
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| mike wrote: |
| And letting Schilling go was just plain stupid. |
I definitely agree with that!!!
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mike
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Joined: 30 Dec 2002
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 9:55 am Post subject: |
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Anybody heard what's up with Kata?
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Kata dislocated his shoulder attempting a diving play, at the end of May. He decided to have it repaired surgically a few weeks ago, and is out for the remainder of the season.
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Davis2001R6
Joined: 12 Dec 2003
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 12:08 pm Post subject: |
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Kata dislocated his shoulder attempting a diving play, at the end of May. He decided to have it repaired surgically a few weeks ago, and is out for the remainder of the season.
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That's too bad, hope they don't do anything stupid like get rid of him. Although Scott Hairston is also looking like a great 2nd baseman and he had some pop too! |
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mike
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Joined: 30 Dec 2002
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 12:36 pm Post subject: |
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I think Hairston has more potential as an everyday player, Kata is more of a utility type player. Long term, Hairston may be moved to the outfield, though.
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dennisbench
Joined: 04 Jan 2003
Posts: 275
Location: El Mirage
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 12:50 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah I really like Kata, but I don't know if he is an all star caliber player long term. He is a guy we need to keep around for sure though, he has those intangibles that a team needs.
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mike
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 1:07 pm Post subject: |
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I think Kata is a player along the lines of Craig Counsell. He really knows how to play the game and can probably play just about anywhere on the field. A guy like that is great to have on the team because he can help in so many ways.
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mike
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Joined: 30 Dec 2002
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 2:35 pm Post subject: Grace is the future |
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Interesting take from Gambo. Not that surprising, this has been rumored most of the season.
| azcentral.com wrote: |
Grace is the future
John Gambadoro
Special for azcentral.com
Jul. 5, 2004 12:45 PM
In three months, after sacrificial lamb Al Pedrique’s tenure as interim manager is officially over, the Arizona Diamondbacks will start its search for a new manager. And with the organization recently admitting, in not so many words, that it is a few years away from competing again, they will look for someone who can work with a solid long-term plan.
That person is Mark Grace. A year removed from the game and with many of the veterans he played with in Arizona gone or soon to be gone, it makes all the sense in the world to allow Grace to do what he has been preparing to do for the last decade.
Grace is a baseball man. Not a broadcaster. Nothing against his work on the air, he is doing just fine. But it is not him. And he knows it. And while the stories from all his time in baseball are great for the viewers, his ability to teach the young players how to play the game the right way will be priceless.
The Diamondbacks miss Mark Grace in the clubhouse. He was always sitting at his locker, win or lose ready to talk shop. And while he no longer wears a uniform he still, unlike most broadcasters, makes an appearance in the clubhouse after most games. Why? Because it is in his blood. Unlike most star players who walk away from the game when their playing days are over, Grace just can’t do that. He loves the game too much and has so much to offer. He’d go crazy if he had to do anything else.
Arizona can go out and look for a retread manager. There certainly are enough of them out there. But there is no reason to go that route. Joe Torre is the best manager in baseball and if the Diamondbacks had a shot at him they should give him the keys to the city. But he is not and will not be available. The organization recently hired Wally Backman to manage in the minors and while he may someday become a manager, Grace is a better option right now.
What made Grace great as a player was that he was willing to do all the little things that it took to win. From hitting a ground ball to the opposite side to move a runner over, to getting a fly ball deep enough in the outfield to score the runner from third. He was the ultimate team player. He was fundamentally sound. And he was great defensively. He will be a hands on manager, working in the trenches with each player during spring training and practices, making sure they learn. Plus only being out a year, Grace knows the competition, which will be an asset.
With Grace already working for the organization one may ask; why not now? Why allow Pedrique to manage if Grace is only going to end up being the guy? Simply because Pedrique is being set up to fail. He can’t possibly succeed with this mess.
The season is basically over with only pride to play for. You need an hour to go over the names on the disabled list. This team is only going to get worse once the organization starts trading its veterans. It wouldn’t be fair to Grace or anyone else to allow them to be a part of this season. When Grace signed here he talked about getting off the titanic in Chicago. We’ll if he was hired now, he would be jumping back on.
Pedrique is a good baseball man. And he will try his very best. But he can’t work miracles and that’s what he would need to turn this thing around. No matter how he fares, the organization will owe him for agreeing to do this. He should be reassigned in the organization because he is still valuable.
Robin Yount would have made a great manager. But after watching Bob Brenly do the job for the last five months, Yount told people close to the organization that he wants nothing to do with managing. Several people in the organization felt that he would be the perfect guy to replace Brenly at some point and he clearly was being groomed for the job after taking over as bench coach. His name even came up before the season started when speculation about Brenly’s future was discussed.
Jerry Colangelo had his doubts about his manager after last season. In the off season he called Brenly into his office and told him he had a spot in the booth for him if he wanted to walk away from managing. That may have been a reason why Grace was considered for a managerial job in the minor leagues.
Maybe the lack of managing experience will hurt Grace. Going to the minors could have helped him. And maybe he should have to pay his dues before he gets a managers job. But then again, what kind of dues did Brenly pay? He came right from the booth to the dugout and won a World Series.
Grace will have a plan. He knows this thing will take a few years to get straightened out. He will bring in a good coaching staff, help out in the decision making process and work his tail off. And for the second time, he will make Jerry Colangelo look smart. Because Grace has always found a way to succeed. He will do it again as a manager. |
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samiam
Joined: 04 May 2004
Posts: 171
Location: Casagrande
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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I think the D-Back's have a good future, they got some good young players that i feel are going to be great..Lett's just hope they dont gut the team again so the rookies can shine..Overbay! jeez what a loss that was and spiveyi just cant believe how that deal went down..If we would have kept Overbay at first and left sexxon in milwakee we would shurly be doing better..Just hang on to the youth for a while JERRY! Maybe get a pitcher back with a great arm..the pitching has been a huge factor in losses this year..hope they dont trade webb and Johnson!!
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Davis2001R6
Joined: 12 Dec 2003
Posts: 5591
Location: Italy
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 8:00 pm Post subject: |
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| I would love to see Grace coach, but not for a few years. I don't want to see him get stuck in this rebuilding stage. |
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Daryl
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1168
Location: Everett, Washington
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 9:14 pm Post subject: |
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When 3B get older and slower they move to easier positions, usually 1B. If you're playing .940 defense at 3b you better have mike schmidt's bat to make up for the extra runs you are giving up. Comon Baseball knowlege, 1B is the easiest defensive position other then DH.
I do like Shea as a first baseman, I think he's a great hitter and would make a perfect 1B. But... We were better off with Council at third and will be better off with Tracy. Look at his minor league numbers! Do you really want Tracy to sit the bench behind Shea the next three years? Do you think it would be best for Shea to ride the bench? One needs to go and Tracy has more upside.
Agree 100% on Kata, great utility guy to have around.
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Daryl
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1168
Location: Everett, Washington
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 9:47 pm Post subject: |
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To clarify,
Shea, througout his career is a .940 3b and a .990 1b. Big difference. If 1B isn't easier, then Shea is just better at 1B.
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mike
What box?
Joined: 30 Dec 2002
Posts: 3134
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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If throwing errors account for the bulk of the errors at third, and first basemen rarely throw the ball, that would account for most of the difference, would it not? And so far, Tracy is a .927 fielder at third, which is still not as good as Hillenbrand's .940. I could also point out that Tracy's fielding percentage at first is below .900, but since he's only played 4 games there, that wouldn't really be fair.
One thing I will say, Hillenbrand shouldn't bunt... 
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When 3B get older and slower they move to easier positions, usually 1B. If you're playing .940 defense at 3b you better have mike schmidt's bat to make up for the extra runs you are giving up. Comon Baseball knowlege, 1B is the easiest defensive position other then DH.
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Somebody should tell the pro scouts they've got it all wrong... 
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Davis2001R6
Joined: 12 Dec 2003
Posts: 5591
Location: Italy
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| Posted: 7/5/2004, 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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| I would have to agree 100% that 3rd base is harder than 1st. |
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