Robin Ventura Named ChiSox Manager

[revo]

Is this a surprise to White Sox fans? It's a surprise to me, but I don't follow the team that closely.

[Bodhizefa]

Does he have a protective custody clause in his contract for when he plays in Arlington (aka Nolan Ryan country)?

[gcstomp]

Wait, the punk arse kid that charged the mound and took a swipe at old man Nolan Ryan? The man put the boy in a headlock and helpless in like a second. Some images are forever ingrained in social consciousness, the hobbled Kirk Gibson fist pump as he rounds the bases after hitting a homer off Eck. The ball bouncing off of Canseco's noggin for a homer. The Randy Johnson/John Kruk All Star game at bat. The electric atmosphere when Stephen Stras was in his 1st big league game.

And Ryan standing his ground against the charging snot nosed kid Ventura who was like 90 years younger than Ryan.

[The Dane]

Count on the White Sox hitting an inordinately high number of grand slams.

[Kevin Seitzer]

He's a nice OVEN pick.

[DMT]

Wait, the punk arse kid that charged the mound and took a swipe at old man Nolan Ryan? The man put the boy in a headlock and helpless in like a second. Some images are forever ingrained in social consciousness, the hobbled Kirk Gibson fist pump as he rounds the bases after hitting a homer off Eck. The ball bouncing off of Canseco's noggin for a homer. The Randy Johnson/John Kruk All Star game at bat. The electric atmosphere when Stephen Stras was in his 1st big league game.

And Ryan standing his ground against the charging snot nosed kid Ventura who was like 90 years younger than Ryan.

One of these is not like the others.

[DMT]

Does he have a protective custody clause in his contract for when he plays in Arlington (aka Nolan Ryan country)?

Having seen that this was posted an hour ago, I knew I was too late to make a Nolan Ryan reference.

[Sharky]

Probably the anti-Ozzie Guillen, which was probably a big factor.

[Pauly]

this thread is no fun without this:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=aa1_1280296883

[Moonlight J]

How the hell do you pull a guy out of a an auto shop to manage a team?

[revo]

How the hell do you pull a guy out of a an auto shop to manage a team?

Does Ventura have any managerial or coaching experience? Or will this be like a Mike Singletary situation?

[In the Corn]

One of these is not like the others.

:amen:

That is almost as preposterous as the White Sox hiring Robin Ventura as manager.

[Bodhizefa]

Does Ventura have any managerial or coaching experience? Or will this be like a Mike Singletary situation?

I don't think a Major League manager has nearly as much impact on the outcome of a baseball game as an NFL head coach on a football game. I think a bad coach in MLB may cost the team 2-3 wins over the course of a season (i.e. 2% or less of the yearly total). My guess is that coaches in the NFL impact the likelihood of a win by 25% or more in any given game (I've seen some argue over 50%). However inexperienced Ventura is, he's highly unlikely to cost the White Sox that many wins (if any). I think we've seen just about the worst that inexperience as a manager can bring a team with Mattingly and the Dodgers. He was obviously in a little over his head at the beginning, but he learned quickly. Mostly, as a Major League manager, your job is not to make silly mistakes (unlike the NFL where your job is to formulate a gameplan that is better than your opposition's). Give Ventura a month on the job, and I bet he'll be up to speed.

[revo]

I don't think a Major League manager has nearly as much impact on the outcome of a baseball game as an NFL head coach on a football game. I think a bad coach in MLB may cost the team 2-3 wins over the course of a season (i.e. 2% or less of the yearly total). My guess is that coaches in the NFL impact the likelihood of a win by 25% or more in any given game (I've seen some argue over 50%). However inexperienced Ventura is, he's highly unlikely to cost the White Sox that many wins (if any). I think we've seen just about the worst that inexperience as a manager can bring a team with Mattingly and the Dodgers. He was obviously in a little over his head at the beginning, but he learned quickly. Mostly, as a Major League manager, your job is not to make silly mistakes (unlike the NFL where your job is to formulate a gameplan that is better than your opposition's). Give Ventura a month on the job, and I bet he'll be up to speed.

Perhaps he was over his head, but Mattingly still had 8 years experience as a hitting coach and bench coach before becoming manager.

[Bodhizefa]

Perhaps he was over his head, but Mattingly still had 8 years experience as a hitting coach and bench coach before becoming manager.

Even so, I think you're overrating the impact of experience for a big league coach. Managers just don't matter as much in baseball as all the other sports.