October 8, 200620 yr http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basebal...-sports-marlins BERARDINO: Beinfest handles manager switch with intelligence Published October 8, 2006 One of the positive side effects from last week's Joe Girardi firing, besides the fact a great baseball man like Fredi Gonzalez will finally get a chance to manage, was it forced Admin Beinfest into the spotlight. Too often reclusive during his five-year reign and admittedly "media shy," the Marlins' general manager was left in the unexplained absence of owner Jeffrey Loria to justify an unpopular decision and lay the groundwork for a smooth transition. On both counts Beinfest acquitted himself well. He struck just the right balance between praising Girardi for his on-field work and making it clear why that wasn't enough for him to keep his job. Beinfest also shed light on how the modern dynamic between a GM and a manager should work. "When you have a young team with unproven players, basically a new roster, I think there can be spirited conversation about usage," Beinfest said. "Not about playing Monday, Wednesday and Friday and batting `X' number in the lineup but just about usage in general. What are we trying to find out about this player? Is he ready to play here? Should we send him back to the minor leagues? Can he face right versus left? "Talking generally about usage I think should happen. It should happen a lot with a young team like we had when we're trying to figure out things as we go along and it can happen with an experienced team. `Well, this guy that's been around 10 years and is hitting .094, should he continue to hit against left-handed pitching?' Just fundamental usage issues -- because I am in charge of the personnel -- those should go on both ways." Daily lineups, setting up the rotation or setting roles in the bullpen all remain the purview of the manager, Beinfest said. Incidentally, contrary to my report, Beinfest said the front office wasn't upset with Girardi for his decision to bring rookie right-hander Josh Johnson back from an 82-minute rain delay on Sept. 12. "I was fine with it; the organization was fine with it," Beinfest said. "There was never a conversation before or after with Joe about it, that there was a problem. I knew they were doing the right thing keeping him `hot' downstairs. ... The Mets sent out Oliver Perez, we sent out Johnson. He has a little thing in his forearm. Was it because of that? Who knows? We'll never know. I would not assign it to that." Finally, as for this ridiculous media notion that somehow managers don't matter in the least, Beinfest wisely disagreed. "I think good managers can't make a bad team good, but good managers can make a good team great," he said. "I think managers do matter. I think it can be philosophical and making the guys believe in what they can do can be as important as actually pushing the buttons during the game. I think it's multifaceted and I think it is important. And I think it's important for the manager to be on the same page with the organization so they can all move forward together."
October 8, 200620 yr "Talking generally about usage I think should happen. It should happen a lot with a young team like we had when we're trying to figure out things as we go along and it can happen with an experienced team. `Well, this guy that's been around 10 years and is hitting .094, should he continue to hit against left-handed pitching?' "I think good managers can't make a bad team good, but good managers can make a good team great," These two quotes explain why Beinfest is God. :thumbup
October 8, 200620 yr "Talking generally about usage I think should happen. It should happen a lot with a young team like we had when we're trying to figure out things as we go along and it can happen with an experienced team. `Well, this guy that's been around 10 years and is hitting .094, should he continue to hit against left-handed pitching?' :mischief
October 8, 200620 yr "Talking generally about usage I think should happen. It should happen a lot with a young team like we had when we're trying to figure out things as we go along and it can happen with an experienced team. `Well, this guy that's been around 10 years and is hitting .094, should he continue to hit against left-handed pitching?' :mischief :whistle :whistle :whistle
October 10, 200620 yr I'm sure Girardi BLATANTLY ignoring Amezega's ability against lefties continually had a little affect on Beinfest's view of Girardi's intelligence.
October 10, 200620 yr Amezega has not been around for 10 years, unless Beinfest is counting play on a Mexican sandlot when he was a teenager. He's got just a few hundred MLB at bats in really just 2 years. His .094 BA is based on a sample size of 55 at bats this year against lefties. And he didn't exactly look clueless or inept up there against lefties or righties. He hit a number of balls hard right at people. His average against lefties could have easily been .220-.250. He was the best overall choice from a bad group of possibilities. None of the possibilities were great or even capable fielders and batters. Or would we have liked to see Reggie flailing away at the plate and misplaying nearly every ball hit his way, or the batboy Reed who can field but hitting wise he's high school level at best, or Ross, another meh fielder, hitter and runner. What a choice.
October 10, 200620 yr Amezega has not been around for 10 years, unless Beinfest is counting play on a Mexican sandlot when he was a teenager. He's got just a few hundred MLB at bats in really just 2 years. His .094 BA is based on a sample size of 55 at bats this year against lefties. And he didn't exactly look clueless or inept up there against lefties or righties. He hit a number of balls hard right at people. His average against lefties could have easily been .220-.250. He was the best overall choice from a bad group of possibilities. None of the possibilities were great or even capable fielders and batters. Or would we have liked to see Reggie flailing away at the plate and misplaying nearly every ball hit his way, or the batboy Reed who can field but hitting wise he's high school level at best, or Ross, another meh fielder, hitter and runner. What a choice. Plus, shouldn't Beinfest be ashamed that, by his own admission, the best he could muster for this team as a starter was a deeply flawed player?
October 10, 200620 yr Amezega has not been around for 10 years, unless Beinfest is counting play on a Mexican sandlot when he was a teenager. He's got just a few hundred MLB at bats in really just 2 years. His .094 BA is based on a sample size of 55 at bats this year against lefties. And he didn't exactly look clueless or inept up there against lefties or righties. He hit a number of balls hard right at people. His average against lefties could have easily been .220-.250. He was the best overall choice from a bad group of possibilities. None of the possibilities were great or even capable fielders and batters. Or would we have liked to see Reggie flailing away at the plate and misplaying nearly every ball hit his way, or the batboy Reed who can field but hitting wise he's high school level at best, or Ross, another meh fielder, hitter and runner. What a choice. Plus, shouldn't Beinfest be ashamed that, by his own admission, the best he could muster for this team as a starter was a deeply flawed player? not with the lowest payroll (by a large margin) on the league. so no shame
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