Jim French Stepstool
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Everything posted by Jim French Stepstool
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We haven't heard anything re Yelich & keeping him away from the OF, but when Chourio re-dinged himself & they didn't just DH him & put Yelich in LF I started wondering if there might be a slight twinge, a shoulder or elbow, something. You COULD see Bauers play LF but part of the blueprint for these playoff games is having someone available to hit for Ortiz late, if need be.
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Hopefully that's tomorrow w/Peralta. If so, a day off combined with Myers being fresh & I think we'll be OK pitching-wise heading west. I imagine a save opp tomorrow would be Megill.
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Theoretically. But I'm wondering how in the world he knew it was a force, unless an umpire gave it a palms down (if one did I didn't see it). Then to realize to go to 3B..........A ground ball is one thing, but zeroing in on a force play--at home, and third--on a drive that almost left the yard, I dunno, I was really impressed. I used to train/run catchers through drills, and I never prepared anyone for something like that. I guess that's on me🤢.
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Agreed. If we had won, it would've been like some of the games we won during the incredible hot streak. And if we're talking about reaching & winning a WS, that's what has to happen. So let's let it play out, hope for better ABs the rest of the week, and muse over the fact that according to his comments CC apparently is in LA right now, without his team. Or anything remaining in his season. Long way to go.
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Actually, if you don't have that mindset, it's next to impossible. And most don't.
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You can't walk everyone, you have to pick your poison. And I'll bet Ohtani gets passed just a little more often Than Freeman. By everyone.
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Agreed. I imagine he guessed FB, got it & just sold out. Bad swing decision. I just have a problem with all the "just let it hit you" comments. It's a quirky sort of mindset that very few players have, especially when you're thinking about pitch, location, and have less than a second to process all that crap.
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That takes a certain mindset, to not react the way most do & jackknife out of the way. Durbin has it. Most don't. I'm sure if he could rewind the AB..........
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It was one of those games where, even though LA wasn't doing much offensively their ABs were collectively much better than ours. Of course we were facing Snell & they weren't. In retrospect a handful of 8-9 pitch ABs might've gotten Snell out after seven, and that might've been the difference.
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The way Snell threw tonight, that was my worst fear going in. Vs Philly in his last start it was like he wasn't actually physically pitching, but playing a video game where you can place every pitch exactly where you want it to land. Every time. Same thing tonite. All you can really do is be more woodpecker-ish, foul off pitches, don't ever chase, extend 3-2 counts so you tax him as much as you can. I would guess he had maybe half a dozen 3-2 counts, and we cashed in on none. Can't exaggerate how good he was. Looking at his approach & where on the bat he made contact, Chourio came damn close to filling the gap in his last AB. Arghhhh. Real kudos to Priester. And it looks like Megill might be a weapon from here on out. I don't know if I've ever seen a more headsup play from a catcher, than what Contreras did in the bases-loaded situation. Magnificent. Also, that play was a 3B coaches' nightmare. The bright side is the characteristics of what made us a 97-win team, returned in the bottom of the 9th (other than the Turang chase). Hopefully it carries over.
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Very true. It's just the combo of that, AND having someone else in RF. It's why I'm hoping Chourios' comments re his health are legit.
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This. Not a fan of Frelick playing CF because of what it does to your OF defense in two different spots. But if Priester does Priester things, this is the game to try it. I took Chourios 'almost 100%' comment with a grain of salt, but being willing to do this tells me it may actually have some validity to it. On the surface, putting Yelich in front of Contreras might get him balls to hit. But when he isn't picking the ball up he'll chase regardless of who the on-deck hitter is. That's one of the keys to this series IMO---his at bats need to be much better. Good to see Collins get a crack.
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Making people nervous sort of comes with the package re Ashby. Still, I have to give him credit for his performance in game five. The leadoff single by Busch wasn't hit hard; seeing eye ground ball. The HBP to Hoerner stunk, but then he comes back from down 3-1 to K Turner. A walk there might've really turned things, that was a huge out. Starting out 0-1 is obviously an edge for any pitcher. But for him I think it can be an especially big advantage, especially vs the LHHs.
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I'm guessing Miz is slated for one of the LA games, meaning he'll either start or (more likely) be used in a similar fashion to Saturdays' game.
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Speaking primarily of the BB GM (Marc VandeWettering), It's closer to the latter, but much more involved. His description is to 'collaborate' w/Greg Gard on things such as roster management & recruiting, which suggests to me that he focuses on the year-to-year turnover, tries to manage who may or may not appear to be a long-term commitment & how that effects roster structure going forward, and is also the point man regarding revenue allocated to BB (Can we afford this transfer? If we pay A, B, & C "X" number of dollars, how much do we have left for D & E, and will that be enough?) He also is in charge of non-conference scheduling. I doubt that his recruiting involvement goes any further than input as to how a prospective recruit might effect the current/future rosters, and how much can be comfortably allocated to a particular kid. Nothing regarding scouting or actually hitting the recruiting trail. I'm guessing the FB GM has similar duties. But one never knows what Fickell might have written into his deal AFA additional control. I suspect it's a collaborative thing as well, as unlike the NBA or NFL the AD is the 'boss', not the GM.
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Some of you have watched Adams much more than I, so you can tell me if I'm nuts or not. Is there a little bit of Ian Happ there in his approach & overall offensive game?
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The last time or two I've seen Snell he seemed to be throwing the ball really well & locating. It'll be tough if that continues. I like the idea of a LH opener, then Priester. As long as if it's Quintana, he's still available to start in LA which should be no problem. IMO this is going to be a real tough series to win. They've won ten of their last eleven going back to the tail end of the regular season, and Muncy & Smith seem to have settled back in. But I do like the mojo of having handled them 6-0, having the home field, yet being able to (in a lot of minds at least) play the underdog card. Be loose & have fun with it.
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Yeah. the WS has gone 2-3-2 since way back before divisional play. No problem with that.
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Wisconsin Basketball Off-season Stuff
Jim French Stepstool replied to Jim French Stepstool's topic in Other Sports
Ty Schlagel is a 6'7" forward from Cretin-Durham Hall HS in the Twin Cities area. You could say he's following in the footsteps of a talented hoopster from the school in the early 70s, some kid named Molitor who later decided to emphasize a different sport. Schlagel is generally regarded as one of the top 2 or 3 HS juniors in Minnesota, and is being pursued by the B10 schools in that immediate footprint--UW, U of M, Iowa, Nebraska. What might give the Badgers a leg up is Brad Davison. It seems the two have worked out together & Schlagel is intrigued by Davison now being a member of the UW staff. -
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.
