Dusty destroys Chapman's arm

Gotta love The Onion!

over 2 years ago madtown 29 comments 0 recs |

Comments

The Onion is the best, favorite line:

“And when I started to wince from the pain and soreness, he just gave me a thumbs up, winked, and told me to keep throwing.”

"It's been my policy to view the Internet not as an 'information highway,' but as an electronic asylum filled with babbling loonies." - Mike Royko

by DTJchris on Jan 18, 2010 2:55 PM CST reply actions

Reds fans must be loving this.

Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.

by daver on Jan 18, 2010 3:00 PM CST reply actions

I know I am.

Some men learn through what they read. Some men learn through what they're told. Some men have to piss on the railroad tracks. And some men keep on pissin'.

by Ryno Runner on Jan 18, 2010 3:20 PM CST up reply actions

"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze

by eths on Jan 18, 2010 3:09 PM CST reply actions

That is HILARIOUS!

by TJ11 on Jan 18, 2010 3:12 PM CST reply actions

"Second Tommy John Surgery of the week"

Hahahaha

love this

"If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I'd trip her. Oh, I'd pick her up and brush her off and say, 'Sorry, Mom,' but nobody beats me." ~ Leo Durocher

by Musicdude10 on Jan 18, 2010 3:14 PM CST reply actions

Oh my, that's hilarious...

Baker reportedly greeted Chapman with a bucket of 250 baseballs and told him to “hurl them” as fast as he could, later encouraging the fastballer to “go nuts” with his pitching style. “He didn’t even let me stretch out first,” Chapman told reporters through an interpreter.

Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team

by carmen_fanzone on Jan 18, 2010 3:17 PM CST reply actions

Little known fact

Years ago an MRI of Jason Schmidt’s arm disclosed several of Dusty’s toothpicks in there.

"I'd rather hit home runs you don't have to run as hard." -- Dave Kingman

by BucknerKongCardenal on Jan 18, 2010 7:36 PM CST reply actions

LOL...how'd you come up with that?

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."--Rogers Hornsby

by cooliogirl47 on Jan 18, 2010 8:18 PM CST up reply actions

Fact is the Reds have a very impressive young stable of arms

Cueto, Volzquez, Bailey (who was lights out his final 10 starts and may finally have turned the corner), Leach and perhaps also Chapman. To go along with one of the deepest bullpens in baseball.

Laugh all you want about the Reds, but they are a team that is on the serious upswing. Jay Bruce starts delivering to near expectation and they WILL compete for the NL Central title in 2010.

The Blackhawks and the Stanley Cup in 2010.

by BLou on Jan 18, 2010 8:06 PM CST reply actions

We all said the same thing about them in 2009

With Dusty at the helm, they are not going to succeed

by Musicdude10 on Jan 19, 2010 8:22 AM CST up reply actions

I don't question the Red's young arms

I question the idea of entrusting them to Dusty.

by BVictor on Jan 18, 2010 8:53 PM CST reply actions

Myth

Dusty Baker didn’t destroy Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. Not in the least bit. And I’m pretty sure that one of the best GMs in the business in Walt Jocketty wouldn’t let Dusty manage his emerging ballclub if he had issues with how Dusty employs starting pitchers.

Fact is Dusty is a damned fine manager.

The Blackhawks and the Stanley Cup in 2010.

by BLou on Jan 18, 2010 8:58 PM CST up reply actions

neifi perez agrees completely

by jesus christos on Jan 18, 2010 9:13 PM CST up reply actions

Than what did?

Some men learn through what they read. Some men learn through what they're told. Some men have to piss on the railroad tracks. And some men keep on pissin'.

by Ryno Runner on Jan 18, 2010 10:36 PM CST up reply actions

a wizard did it

by jesus christos on Jan 18, 2010 10:47 PM CST up reply actions

Wood was damaged good in high school before being drafted.

Prior, I have my theory, and I have stated it and why numerous times, not going into it again. Dusty was not the cause of their problems, but he didnt help them any if that makes sense

Just because you talk a lot doesn't mean you're saying anything. dtpollitt 1-7-10

by Cubbie-Tim on Jan 18, 2010 10:50 PM CST up reply actions

I think I understand what you're saying.

Some men learn through what they read. Some men learn through what they're told. Some men have to piss on the railroad tracks. And some men keep on pissin'.

by Ryno Runner on Jan 18, 2010 10:54 PM CST up reply actions

not tonight...but sometime I would like to hear your theories on Prior....

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."--Rogers Hornsby

by cooliogirl47 on Jan 18, 2010 10:58 PM CST up reply actions

EVIL!

Some men learn through what they read. Some men learn through what they're told. Some men have to piss on the railroad tracks. And some men keep on pissin'.

by Ryno Runner on Jan 18, 2010 10:58 PM CST up reply actions

Huh?

Not only was Baker not a Jocketty hire, but you have to at least ask the question if Baker didn’t have a high-priced contract that the Reds would have to eat, would he even be there today at all? And I haven’t heard so much as a peep about extending his deal, and there is quite a bit of rumbling coming out of Cincy.

Seriously, Harang is a shell of his former self, Cueto continues with arm and shoulder problems, and many are dumping the Volquez situation firmly at his feet.

The Reds are emerging, yes. And there are indications say that they’ll be managed by someone else in 2011.

by Damen Jackson on Jan 19, 2010 7:23 AM CST up reply actions 2 recs

Rec'd

"What a lot of people don’t see is the tremendous amount of progress that has been made in the organization over the last few years. We have a lot of very talented guys coming up through the system. Jim has built an incredible scouting organization." - Tom Ricketts

by DGU on Jan 19, 2010 1:08 PM CST up reply actions

It may not have directly caused the problem....

….but it is amazing how Harang just immediately fell apart forever, after that time in May 2008 when Dusty used him on the 22nd (start, 6 IP, 103 pitch), 25th (relief, 4 IP, 63 pitch), and 29th (start, 4 IP, 6 ER, 73 pitch.)

Going into that little stretch, he had a 3.12 ERA and was coming off multiple awesome seasons. Since that back-to-back-to-back set of appearances, he posted a 5.88 ERA in 08 and finished 6-17, followed by 6-14, 4.21 last year as his WHIP jumped to 1.4-ish after a multi-year stretch of 1.1 and 1.2 seasons.

I mean, it can’t be THAT simple, can it? “Don’t use your ace starter for an extended relief appearance in May on 2 days rest – and if you do, don’t have him make his next start 3 rest days later?”

As for Prior, there could be any number of reasons why he broke down. But that doesn’t excuse the hilarious set of 130+ outings in a row Prior posted as a 22 year old. I don’t think that any pitcher in MLB has been worked that hard since.

MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown

by D98 on Jan 19, 2010 2:48 PM CST up reply actions

What the Dusty apologists want us to believe

is that it’s just a coincidence that so many of the pitchers working under Dusty find their careers harmed or destroyed. We’re supposed to blame the pitchers for being weak, because after all, 100 years ago pitchers would throw all day and the next day. Nevermind how pitching has changed over time.

by DGU on Jan 20, 2010 6:55 AM CST up reply actions

I'm burned out...

…on the “Dusty ruined his arm” stuff.

I guess it was funny at one point, but the material is a little worn out.

"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel

by MPH73 on Jan 19, 2010 9:36 AM CST reply actions

You can debate the effect of pitch counts on pitchers

According to the Bill James Handbook 2010, Dusty lead the league in long outings for starters 5 times, including 2009 and 2003. A “Long Outing” was defined a 110 pitches since 2002 (Dusty leads 3 times)and 120 prior to that (Dusty leads twice).Whatever the effect is, long outings by starters is a trait of Dusty’s managing style.

by BVictor on Jan 19, 2010 10:23 AM CST reply actions

It's been 6 years, and I still can't believe Prior's September 2003 pitch counts.

131, 129, 109, 124, 131, 133.

The 1st 131 pitch outing was a 7-0 win in which Prior went 8 innings. Why?!

The 129 pitch outing was a 8-4 win in which Prior went 7, giving up 2 runs in the 7th.

In the 124 pitch game, Cubs were up 3-1. Prior started the 9th inning with 111 pitches already thrown and gave up a single and an RBI double before Borowski came in.

For the 2nd 131 pitch outing, @ PIT – Prior went 7.2 innings, and started the 8th with the Cubs up 4-0. Dusty left a clearly laboring Prior on the mound for THIRTY FIVE PITCHES and 4 baserunners in that 8th inning, including the last three people Prior faced. What on earth was Dusty thinking here?! Especially considering the pitch counts Prior had recently racked up?

At a minimum, you’d think he’d learn his lesson, but the next start (which I was present for), Dusty let Prior hit 133 pitches! This was a 4-2 win in that doubleheader that clinched the division, so to some extent, I can understand wanting to ride an ace pitcher here. I would have a whole heck of a lot less trouble with it, though, if Dusty hadn’t spent the month prior treating Prior like LaSorda treated Ramon Martinez.

So in summary, Dusty deserves all the flak he’ll take for the rest of his career. He didn’t just overuse pitchers – he vehemently defended overusing his pitchers, and proclaimed that he had the magical ability to remove them from games when they were laboring.

Of course, this story isn’t complete without a quick look at Dusty’s use of Prior in the postseason — In the NLDS, Prior threw a 133-pitch complete game in a 3-1 win, including a 19-pitch 9th inning to turn a reasonable outing into a GIANT RED WARNING LIGHT outing.

Then, completely undeterred, Dusty let Prior throw 116 pitches and start the 8th inning in a freaking 12-3 win, and it was 12-2 before Prior failed to record an out in the 8th, throwing 12 pitches.

Then, GAME 6. Dontcha kinda wish Prior had a little more in the tank for that one? At 119 pitches, it was understandable why Prior would still be in the game in the 8th. But…. DAMN.

In closing, I blame him for an awful lot.

MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown

by D98 on Jan 19, 2010 3:14 PM CST up reply actions

So does that mean

in 2 years we can get Chapman for a steal from the Reds after his Tommy John surgery at a basement blue light special price?

- Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
- Germans?
- Forget it, he's rolling.

by Endrick on Jan 19, 2010 1:24 PM CST reply actions