Jack McKeon, Loser

[andyfox]

In the first inning, Jack McKeon has his number two hitter, a lefty, try to bunt, with a man on second base and nobody out. Why? Play for one run and you rarely get more than one run. You only get 27 outs, Jack, you shouldn't be giving one away in the first inning.

In the 7th inning, he allows his pitcher to hit with one out and a man on first in a 1-1 game. OK, fair enough, have him bunt. But then why take him out when he gives up one baserunner on an inside out ground ball in the top of the 8th? Nobody else in the lineup had even come close to getting hit. If you're going to take him out in that situation, why not hit for him in the prior inning?

With McKeon managing against Torre, the Yankees are going to get, on average, an extra two outs a game.

BTW, the home plate umpire was terrible, but Pudge loses those close calls by yanking the ball into the strike zone. He did it on the low pitch to Posada and on the high pitch to Giambi, losing both calls.

[Clarkmeister]

I doubt McKeon would play for one run with any pitcher but the one he had on the mound. He may have very well thought one run might be enough. The way Beckett has been throwing, I'm hard pressed to say that Jack would be wrong very often. In fact, I think given the guy on the mound, Jack made exactly the right play. Its the Cardinal fan in me I guess.

I didn't see anything after the rain delay because I went to see Kill Bill for the second time. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Zeno]

I missed all of the "analysis" but why in the hell did Pudge stop at third, I thought I saw the third base coach waving him around? That would have given them a 2-1 lead.

The whole Marlin team, coaches, and manager screwed up this game. If this continues they will be lucky to win one more game. Jeter is playing superb ball and the catalyst for the Yanks. The Marlins need to bean him on the head (or the knee) with a 98 mph pitch. It may be their only chance.

Seriously, the Marlin Bullpen lost this game and wasted a good outing by Beckett.

That pitch to Posada was not low. It was a strike (on the front part of the plate). I knew it, you knew it, and everyone else knew it but the umpire. But that is baseball - it is only a strike if the umpire says it is.

Yanks will win the series 4-2. (I was right about the Angels last year - so I hope I'm wrong this year /images/graemlins/grin.gif).

-Zeno

[Josh W]

I gotta agree with Clark here...the way beckett's been tossing the ball...one run figured to be huge. As for seeing Kill Bill a second time...I'd only see it a second time if I thought I was dreaming through the first time (that almost makes sense, right?).

Josh

[Dr Wogga]

.....it was on my mind as well. Being off today, I was able to stay up into the wee hours and watch the non-stop aftergame interviews and reports on YES. Guest Paul O'Neill made a great observation that coach (I think he said Guillen) was way too close to 3rd (a replay confirmed he was). The issue isn't that the coach stopped Pudge and then waved him on, it was where he was stopping him. Pudge started stopping as he was coming into 3rd, instead of being stopped after having rounded 3rd. When Garcia bobbled the ball, although the coach tried to re-start Pudge, the sloppy ground around the base made it difficult for that little Mac truck to get going again. The answer IMO, is this was a run the Marlins could've/should've had, but for the 3rd base's coach lousy positioning. BTW, a great point made by O'Neill - completely missed by everybody calling the game, as well as all the "experts" chimimng in later.

[andyfox]

On "expert," Bobby Valentine, did make the same point on ESPN, that the 3rd base coach was positioned badly and stopped Pudge too soon.

Having said that, Garcia eventually uncorked a strong throw and Pudge might well have been out even had he continued running.

[andyfox]

I agree that the pitch to Posada should have been called strike three, but I still think Pudge loses too many of those calls by jerking the ball closer to the plate as he does. I remember the same thing happening to the Rangers in their playoffs against the Yankees when Pudge caught there.

The Marilins line-up sure looks lame compared to, say, Boston's. I think this is one reason why I felt the Cubs and Marlins looked inferior to the Yankees and Red Sox. But as I say, when a team isn't hitting, they look kind of sick. If they light up Clemens for 4 or 5 runs early tonight, like the Sox did, they're back. Again, the Yankees fielding could be their undoing--note the poor plays by Garcia on the play in question, by Williams/Garcia on Pierre's first inning fly ball, and by Boone, who seems to have trouble coming in on slow ground balls.

[andyfox]

I'm sorry, but bunting in the first inning with nobody out, when your best baserunner is already on second base, is ridiculous. Your number 2, 3 and 4 hitters are coming up. If Jack bunted because he wanted one run hoping to win the game 1-0, he's an even worse manager than I think he is, and that's barely possible.

Two east coast teams, so they start the game at 8:30. Add a 39 minute rain delay and you have a pitcher's duel getting to the exciting innings taking place after 11:00. The game ended at 12:30 AM. Silly.

[andyfox]

Any manager who figures, in the 1st inning, that one run figures to be huge, shouldn't be managing. Any manager who has the second hitter of the game sacrifice shouldn't be managing.

[John Cole]

I wish he had been managing the Red Sox in the eigth inning of game seven.

[Zeno]

[ QUOTE ]
I wish he had been managing the Red Sox in the eigth inning of game seven.

[/ QUOTE ]

You and about 50 million other people.

-Zeno

[Josh W]

It seems we agree to disagree.