Bobby Thigpen
04-25-2003, 05:51 PM
Ok, this may sound a little bizarre, and may just seem like me sticking up for JM again, but the more and more I think about it, the more and more it makes some sense. Please bear with me.
What if JM's situation in Chicago is very similar to Mike Shanahan's situation when he was with the Raiders? What if all of these mind boggling manuevers by JM in the last three years haven't really been his calls, but Reinsdorf's calls instead? What if 2000 was really an indication of what kind of coach JM is and the last three years are a result of a different situation?
It's been pretty well documented that Al Davis likes not only to control personnel moves, but that he likes to control his coaches up to the point of even calling down from the owner's box and demanding that certain plays be ran. What if JR has been doing the same thing himself either personally or through his henchman Kenny Williams?
This would explain his apparent dependence on high priced players that are not producing (White, Gordon, etc.) It's a lot more likely to me that JR is demanding that these players be put in certain situations so that if the succeed he will feel justified in paying them the money he is, or so that if they fail he will be justified in bitching about players salaries. We all know that his ego is large enough to believe that he can ran a baseball team well. This would also explain why JM stuck to Ritchie last year. JR had paid dearly for him and he had ordered JM to stick Ritchie out their every 5 days so he could take credit one way or the other.
The way I see it, JM did at least a decent job his first couple years with the capper being the 2000 season. The 2000 team had very little money invested in it, and perhaps JR didn't feel it necessary to meddle, so that JM was allowed to do his job in peace. Maybe since 2000, since he has put his neck and wallet out a little bit, JR has felt the need to take more control over the everyday running of the club and this has left JM with very little control over everything.
I just find it hard to believe that JM can make some of these moves becasue of lack of baseball knowledge. The guy is a protege of Jim Leyland, a great manager. I just think there is more to this than meets the eye. Sorry about the length. Let me know what you think.
THEN AGAIN, MAYBE I JUST SHOULDN'T WATCH THE X-FILES ANYMORE. :smile:
What if JM's situation in Chicago is very similar to Mike Shanahan's situation when he was with the Raiders? What if all of these mind boggling manuevers by JM in the last three years haven't really been his calls, but Reinsdorf's calls instead? What if 2000 was really an indication of what kind of coach JM is and the last three years are a result of a different situation?
It's been pretty well documented that Al Davis likes not only to control personnel moves, but that he likes to control his coaches up to the point of even calling down from the owner's box and demanding that certain plays be ran. What if JR has been doing the same thing himself either personally or through his henchman Kenny Williams?
This would explain his apparent dependence on high priced players that are not producing (White, Gordon, etc.) It's a lot more likely to me that JR is demanding that these players be put in certain situations so that if the succeed he will feel justified in paying them the money he is, or so that if they fail he will be justified in bitching about players salaries. We all know that his ego is large enough to believe that he can ran a baseball team well. This would also explain why JM stuck to Ritchie last year. JR had paid dearly for him and he had ordered JM to stick Ritchie out their every 5 days so he could take credit one way or the other.
The way I see it, JM did at least a decent job his first couple years with the capper being the 2000 season. The 2000 team had very little money invested in it, and perhaps JR didn't feel it necessary to meddle, so that JM was allowed to do his job in peace. Maybe since 2000, since he has put his neck and wallet out a little bit, JR has felt the need to take more control over the everyday running of the club and this has left JM with very little control over everything.
I just find it hard to believe that JM can make some of these moves becasue of lack of baseball knowledge. The guy is a protege of Jim Leyland, a great manager. I just think there is more to this than meets the eye. Sorry about the length. Let me know what you think.
THEN AGAIN, MAYBE I JUST SHOULDN'T WATCH THE X-FILES ANYMORE. :smile: