Jim French Stepstool
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Everything posted by Jim French Stepstool
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I think at this point in time, colleges are a bit gun shy about flat out calling someone a GM, maybe because of the suggestion of professionalism (even though the professional aspect of it is now obvious). The UW basketball program also has someone performing GM duties.
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Off Season Ideas
Jim French Stepstool replied to Scooterfletcher's topic in Transaction Rumors & Proposals
For awhile now I've seen Ortiz being panned on this board (not saying from you). I don't think some folks realize how little his contributions offensively need to be for him to be a more than acceptable everyday SS. As you said, close to last year wouldn't be a bad thing. At the same time, certainly you look for him to be pushed. Pratt would have first crack at doing that. You might be correct re Mitchell. But right now I just can't wrap myself around the combination of health issues & swing decisions getting to where they need to be. I will admit, after the way he closed out 2024 I started to feel some optimism. The shoulder issues may have permanently affected his throwing, but if he's at least acceptable in that regard I think people are really going to like what they see from Quero. Fischer advancing rapidly could happen. And if he takes to the OF, so could Adamczewski. -
Yeah, the "right now" paints an inaccurate picture. Still, this university doesn't have a storied history of wanting to pay large sums to a BB or FB guy to not coach while having to pony up for someone else. I see donors having to step up. With the nosedive we've experienced, I'd be real interested in seeing what schools might want to look his way.
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Yeah, for Kotelnicki to UW fans the PSU decision isn't good news. But PSU deciding he's their #1 isn't a slam dunk either. Stay tuned.
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The thing is, in a buyout you're talking about coming up with & spending the money right now. Not to mention you're paying a guy not to coach, along with whoever the replacement is. I'd love to see them be able to cut ties immediately but I think it would take quite a bit of contribution from the well-heeled alums & boosters & I don't see UW being able to roust up that kind of coin like an OSU or a Michigan could. Or apparently PSU. Of course you'd have to let a new coach decide on his staff, but Bostad as an OL guy sounds good to me. And I agree his assignment when here should've been OL, period.
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I'm in the middle with Leonhard. I think the folks who dismiss him as a HC candidate are remiss in doing so, but I see little evidence he'd be a slam dunk hire either. IMO a large part of his appeal would be the possibility of him attracting a solid, talented staff based on whatever contacts he's made at the different levels of his FB career. At either rate, I see VERY little if any chance he'd consider UW as long as Macintosh is still in place. I like Leipold. I just think the age might work against him at this time, with the program looking more & more to be heading into a total rebuild. And yeah, "boring" is in the eye of the beholder. I saw nothing boring about this program, or their identity in recent decades. And most, if not all of the successful programs have a strong element of running the ball & controlling the line of scrimmage in their profile. It's just that you don't see those elements highlighted on Sportscenter.
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After Michigan, I thought we might.......not match the physicality of Iowa, but be a little more pugnacious at home w/the Saturday night homecoming crowd. But it was a total mismatch up front. The challenge for opponents going forward might be to figure out how FEW they have to put in the box & still not have to worry about a running game. Not that it makes a difference in the outcomes, but they really seem to miss Zachman on the back end, too. The late-80s unis were painfully appropriate. I half expected Sean Wilson to come in off the bench to take a few snaps, roll out & gain a half yard.
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MAYBE Priester?
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I really thought the move was to send Patrick out to warm up for the 8th, let them bring in the PH, then Koenig. Then Uribe. But this was OK, too. Savor the moment, everyone.
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Think I need to go party. First, a little ditty: "Hey Craig Counsell, whaddya say, Your next games' several months away"
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Good rundown. After competing pretty well from a physical standpoint last week until wearing down a bit, I think this is a good followup game. The biggest challenge remains trying to run the ball at least well enough to make Iowa honor it; otherwise they'll be relegated to bad down-and-distance & most likely won't have time to allow the longer patterns to develop. Maybe the most impressive thing they did last week was limit mistakes. That will have to continue in what I agree should be a low-scoring game. Maybe a sense of urgency too, in what the coaches would never admit publicly but what might be their best chance to win a game for awhile.
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As was Longo as an OC.
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I remember once reading about Yogi Berra talking to a young player about hitting. He started talking about his hands & his feet & this and that, and the kid got more & more confused. Finally Berra just walked into the cage & said "Ahh, just watch me do it". Carew is a great example. OTOH, while his philosophy would make todays' players cringe Charlie Lau was a very successful hitting coach with KC in the 70s after a thoroughly average career.
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The first time I heard the idea of #5 being a possibility I just shook my head. In a series-deciding game, at home, I don't care what has or hasn't happened in the last week, or the last few days. Selling off part of your season or partial-season pass to foot the bill is one thing. Today? I'd like to have a higher opinion of Brewer fans than that.
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- pat murphy
- jackson chourio
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He's definitely trying to go to RF. It's been a LONNNNG time since he's hit something hard to the pull side. His bat HAS been slow. Balls to the left side are jam shots & as you said, late on balls oppo. IMO he should keep the RF attitude but make better swing decisions. As to the article, I was 100% behind the bunt decision with Yelich & Chourio due up next, especially given how much time was left in the game. Tonite it might be different depending on the situation & who's available on the bench.
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OMG, I read @Frisbee Slider's post & immediately thought of that scene. Then three secs later I see this. Well done!!!!
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If it's close, you kind of have to hold someone back just in case. No ghost runner; you might have to cover 5-6 innings. We KNOW Megill is opening, we know Uribe can go more than one. I think you're right that Miz is going to work tonite, and if he's off Patrick might be next. But you have three LHPs available as well. Priester could also be the guy held back.
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You just KNEW there was going to be something surprising personnel-wise, where you could turn the roster inside-out, consider every possible idea, then something still happens that you didn't expect (at least I didn't). It makes sense as long as he throws strikes. You now have 3 LHPs available for later, and Uribe can certainly go more than one inning if needed. Either Patrick or Miz held back in case of extras?
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They'll still have Thielbar for later, but this is a pretty good point.
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If you DO load up on RHH in the opening inning (I don't think they will), IMO one of them needs to be someone you can swap in a LHH for otherwise it's somewhat of an advantage for them when they go with a RHP in the middle/late innings. That would probably mean something like Monasterio, then Turang subbing in. You could just bite the Pomeranz bullet & hit Frelick 2nd after Chourio, then probably Contreras. But I suspect Yelich will hit 2nd. About a 97-win season being 'meaningless' if they don't advance---I suppose that's the residual effect of the evolution (deterioration?) of sports with the advent of multiple rounds of playoffs. Given the money to be made it was inevitable. But by its' very nature & by the length of the season, baseball is the best game for which the regular season should carry the most weight. Byes & home field help to some extent, but IMO it goes against the essence of the game to have twelve teams make the postseason. Of course it won't change back. And of course I'm making myself sound like a 93-yr-old. But here we are--a 97 win season would be meaningless to some with a loss today. I just think that's unfortunate.
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He addressed it recently. I don't remember how he worded it, but it had to do with the idea of getting him the extra AB. It works with Ohtani, but the bottom three spots in their order get on just a little more often than ours.
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99% sure Gasser has thrown his last game in 2025. If they advance I'd expect to see Myers added unless there's an unexpected bump in Woodruffs' recovery. Wouldn't mind Ashby, but I would lean toward Quintana as well.
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Yeah. People are upset about not scoring like we did in the first two games--or even close to that--but to me falling behind early is at least as big of a problem if not bigger. Bauers can play a corner adequately, but there's something to be said for having him ready on the bench to be inserted in a key spot. If we don't figure out the 1st inning thing there might not BE a key spot. Frelick can play CF but not at the level of Perkins, so if he's playing there you're weakening yourself in CF AND RF. And I doubt Chourio in CF right now would be a good idea. That said it wouldn't shock me if there's something different rolled out Saturday, good idea or not. But this whole thing gets magnified when you're down three right away. Put up a zero in the 1st, roll out the lineup from game one & two, and just breathe for crying out loud.
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Great point re Hoerner. Even during the regular season I didn't like the way we pitched him. For two games now, they've been the aggressor on the mound while we seem to take 6 or 7 hitters to make the same determination. Early HRs play a part in that of course, but vs this team reacting by nibbling is never the right response. AFA the offense is concerned, the balance you mentioned is key. It doesn't take much for hitters to go into 'I have to get us out of this' mode & I think that's affected some of them. It can quickly turn Yelich, for example, from a dangerous hitter to a downright liability. Swing-decision wise, Collins hasn't looked like himself for awhile. I don't think Frelick has been horrible but a couple ball-strike calls have affected him, I think. And Turang, geez. I'd love for whoever has been wearing his uniform to give it back to the real Brice. Stringing together good ABs is always a challenge. But even in game two, the long balls came (twice) with 2 runners on, otherwise it's tight late. This 'woodpecker' thing isn't a constant, it needs to be re-committed to every day.
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That's pretty good. It would be even better if he included "And find a way to get our DH to stop chasing breaking balls out of the zone".
