Why Is Dave Duncan Immune?

Maybe it is just the media markets, or the reporters themselves. I don't get how everyone thinks Duncan is brilliant, but Carpenter, Westbrook and Jamie Garcia have all had Tommy John operations. Now Wainright looks to have one and Kyle Lohse had an operation for a compressed nerve (all of these within the last few years) all on Duncan's watch. If all this happened with Larry, do we really think he would not be chased by roving mobs with pitchforks? Just asking.

over 1 year ago Cubskingdom 27 comments 0 recs |

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Because he takes mediocre pitchers

and turns them into solid #2s.

by timh815 on Feb 23, 2011 2:45 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

↑ This. ↑

I think it’s because Duncan seems to counteract every arm he supposedly, allegedly “messes up” with a one-season miracle a la Todd Wellemeyer.

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by daver on Feb 23, 2011 3:20 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah.

How is this even a question? Wellemyer, Weaver, Kile, Lohse, Pineiro …

The Cardinals pick up guys from the scrap heap and routinely get good mid-rotation starters out of them. Those guys pitch for the Cardinals for the season, win 15 games and go get big contracts as free agents.

Then, Duncan reloads and does it again — seemingly year after year.

by elgato on Feb 23, 2011 3:56 PM CST up reply actions

And I realize Kile was in a different league than those guys even before he went to STL.

by elgato on Feb 23, 2011 3:57 PM CST up reply actions

even Kent Bottomfeld won 18 games for St L in 1999

then got traded to Angels for Jim Edmonds. Fine work indeed by Duncan

ask not what the Cubs can do for you - ask what you can do for the Cubs.

by holy mackeral on Feb 24, 2011 8:30 AM CST up reply actions

to be fair

Garcia only threw 16 major league innings before having TJ, it’s not like Duncan was the one who messed up his arm.

Wainwright got overused the last couple years, I enjoyed watching him pitch. Hope he recovers well

by PrincetonCubs on Feb 23, 2011 3:02 PM CST reply actions

and Westbrook came over after having the surgery as an Indian.

facts, blah, blah, blah…

Come visit me inside Wrigley along the Addison side mezzanine fence straight up from 1st base.

by section229beer on Feb 23, 2011 7:13 PM CST up reply actions

not to mention

wainwright had the slight tear in the ligament when he came over to the Cardinals (it was identified in 2004)

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by DartmouthCubsFan on Feb 24, 2011 8:25 PM CST up reply actions

I never blamed Rothschild...

…for the troubles with Wood or Prior and I wouldn’t blame Duncan for what your are inferring.

His track record is stellar. The dude is in a league of his own and IMO, is at least 50% of the reason LaRussa as the record he does.

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

by MPH73 on Feb 23, 2011 3:29 PM CST reply actions

you dont blame LR, but many people do

ask not what the Cubs can do for you - ask what you can do for the Cubs.

by holy mackeral on Feb 24, 2011 8:27 AM CST up reply actions

I don't think that's accurate

Far more people blame Dusty than Larry. Like its a 10-1 margin. Maybe the people YOU talk to blame Larry, but I would say “many”

"Oh Crap"
-Famous Last Words by General George Custer

by BoVandy on Feb 24, 2011 8:30 AM CST up reply actions

wouldn't

"Oh Crap"
-Famous Last Words by General George Custer

by BoVandy on Feb 24, 2011 8:30 AM CST up reply actions

I stand by my statement that many people blame Rothschild for Wood and Prior injuries

I personally dont blame, Larry, but I am convinced that others do. If you disagree, I will somehow have to find a way to live with it.

ask not what the Cubs can do for you - ask what you can do for the Cubs.

by holy mackeral on Feb 24, 2011 6:30 PM CST up reply actions

I still say if all the above happened to Larry

there would be a lot more discussion of what he was doing wrong. Different media markets, same story, not the same angle.

Good Guys Wear Blue

by Cubskingdom on Feb 23, 2011 4:58 PM CST reply actions

Larry gets credit for Demp

1<<<<5

by timh815 on Feb 23, 2011 5:40 PM CST up reply actions

Vitamin C tablets

He takes them every day.

by Josh Timmers on Feb 23, 2011 6:20 PM CST reply actions

nicely done, sir

I would have gone with echinacea, but to each his own

"We're young and dumb and ready to go throw strikes." James Russell

by PacificCub on Feb 23, 2011 10:38 PM CST up reply actions

Success Over 30 Years

Duncan has had success with the White Sox, Athletics, and Cardinals, over the course of 30 years. He’s had LaMarr Hoyt, Dave Stewart, Bob Welch, Dennis Eckersley, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Matt Morris over the years. He’s up there with Ray Miller and Leo Mazzone as contemporaries.

2011 - The 103rd time is the charm.

by memphiscub on Feb 23, 2011 6:20 PM CST reply actions

If I had a dime...

for all the times that Leo Mazzone rocked back-and-forth on the bench, I could lend all the money that the Ricketts need to rebuild Wrigley.

by montecarlo on Feb 24, 2011 3:01 AM CST reply actions

This is silly, he takes crappy pitchers and they have good years for him....

A couple of injuries here and there and he’s bad?

Really?

How many of us wish he was the Cubs pitching coach for the last 15 years?

I do!!!!!!!!

by TJ11 on Feb 24, 2011 8:28 AM CST reply actions

He couldn't have been better than Larry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Oh Crap"
-Famous Last Words by General George Custer

by BoVandy on Feb 24, 2011 8:31 AM CST up reply actions

Its hard to do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by TJ11 on Feb 24, 2011 10:41 AM CST up reply actions

I did not say he was "bad", yes really!

please re-read. How did you get Duncan was bad out of “media markets and reporters”?

Good Guys Wear Blue

by Cubskingdom on Feb 24, 2011 12:07 PM CST up reply actions

Every team

has injured pitchers. Only one team has the best pitching coach in baseball.

I don’t get this fanpost. First, Larry Rothschild is not our pitching coach any longer. Second, if you can’t see the difference between Dave Duncan and any current or former Cubs pitching coach—-then I don’t know what to tell you. Watch more baseball.

DEJESUS!!!

by tomas21 on Feb 24, 2011 9:41 AM CST reply actions

Mark Riggins will be amazing!

by TJ11 on Feb 24, 2011 10:42 AM CST up reply actions

The point was what only "Holy Mackeral" seemed to get

I read many articles about LR being ranted at for how he handled Cubs pitchers, their routines, etc.

I do know that LR is not our pitching coach anymore. It wasn’t about that, it was about how the media handles story lines in different media markets.

I think LR was a very good pitching coach, who got ripped apart a lot. All the things everyone is posting here that Duncan cannot be held accountable for holds true for LR as well.

I’ll try to watch more baseball tomas21. Thanks.

Good Guys Wear Blue

by Cubskingdom on Feb 24, 2011 10:58 AM CST up reply actions

I think the issue is that your info is kind of dated.

Prior hasn’t pitched at Wrigley for five years and Wood has been healthy or elsewhere since 2007. So the level of rancor surrounding those two and their injuries is about 2 percent of what it was four or five years ago.

Anyway, most of the blame for Prior and Wood fell on Dusty (infamously pitching Prior too long in the 2003 NLDS, allowing both guys to wrack up HUGE pitch counts down the stretch that year, etc.).

Now, it’s possible that Rothschild didn’t get enough credit for the job he did here. But he was never criticized THAT much for overtaxing Wood and Prior. Likewise, Duncan is viewed as brilliant because of the results he got from so many mediocre arms (much more than LR got). And the pitching injuries you mentioned don’t discount that.

by elgato on Feb 24, 2011 3:22 PM CST up reply actions