Is It Time to Fire Robin Ventura?

[fungo bat]

Last year he received consideration for Manager of the Year. Now he's considered the problem, rather than the solution.

Robin came in cold. He had absolutely no managerial experience on any level, with the exception of being a batting specialist/coach on a local high school team.

Take a look at the players Williams and now Hahn have put around him. That pathetic display of baseball last night at the Cell vs. Cleveland hammered home a simple fact: this is a lousy baseball team. Not even the guru, Don Cooper, can wave his magic wand and makes things better. The pitching staff is in shambles. Santiago and Quintana are appearing more and more to be flashes in the pan, suspects as opposed to prospects.

Fire Ventura? Yea, this team may actually respond for a week or two. And then they will flounder right back where they were before.

Bring back the Blizzard of Oz? This is not the answer.

The farm system is a mess thanks to the mismanagement of Williams and company for the past decade. There are no prospects the Sox can look forward to in a year or two. Nothing.

I suppose the painful answer is a complete rebuilding project, similar to what's happening on the other side of town. Bringing in more retreads is not the answer anymore. We've seen enough of guys like Adam Dunn.

Ventura may just walk at the end of the season and decide this just isn't worth it anymore. He's not a quitter. But he doesn't need the money either. And he doesn't have a huge ego that needs to be caressed daily, like his predecessor.

Fire him? I have a hard time identifying Ventura as the main problem. He got too much credit last season when we overperformed. He's getting too much blame this season as this team continues to sink.

Getting rid of Ventura, or anyone on the coaching staff for that matter, would be placing blame in the wrong place, IMO.

[CoopaLoop]

When he didn't pinch hit for Giminez in the 9th last night, I said to myself why even bother managing if you can't make the most basic of decisions.

[amsteel]

Since it was a bad hire in the first place, yes.

[Steelrod]

It actually started last September!

[34rancher]

Originally Posted by Steelrod

It actually started last September!

It actually started the day Adam Dunn was considered. His lazy attitude and work ethics are contagious.

[captain54]

as is typical, the Sox organization never addressed the real issues as to why the team coughed up the lead to Detroit in the last couple of weeks, rather I believe considered 2012 a success. So any positive of 2013 is the warts of the organization are out in the open for the world to see

[blandman]

[Mr. Jinx]

Originally Posted by 34rancher

It actually started the day Adam Dunn was considered. His lazy attitude and work ethics are contagious.

And you have any idea this is the case how?

[StillMissOzzie]

Originally Posted by KingXerxes

He should be shown the door - but only under the following condition:

Either Terry Bevington or Max Patkin is hired as his replacement, and the organ music is replaced with a tape loop of calliope music.

Otherwise keep him.

King X, you never disappoint! I almost spewed on my monitor & keyboard when I read this.

SMO

[BigKlu59]

Originally Posted by CoopaLoop

When he didn't pinch hit for Giminez in the 9th last night, I said to myself why even bother managing if you can't make the most basic of decisions.

This pains my cerebrum as well...If there was ever a time to try different things in different situations just to shake things up, now would be the time as a manager. *** do you really have to lose. If there are still ego's on this floundering Flying Dutchman, **** them...If I were him I'd twist that lineup inside out just to **** with their heads to let them know they are playing like a steaming pile. Fire Robin? Nah, He's not out in the field turning routine plays into excercises of mass ineptitude. He's not standing in the batters box swinging like a 4 year old seeing the first overhand ball ever thrown his way..

If he were teaching a bunch of neophytes the game and it was on him to groom them and he was failing at the task, yes.. **** can him. But the reality is he is coaching players who should be "fundamentally" at the top of their profession.

I dont know what halfassitis virus has infected this team or where it came from. Is he in over his head? Dont think so.. I think they are taking advantage of his demeanor. If thats not the case, then they outright suck..

BK59

[joegraz]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jinx

Is anyone all that surprised that a guy who had no previous managing experience in any capacity who didn't even seek out the job is doing poorly?

Close thread....No further responses necessary.

[shingo10]

Not time to fire him. I don't think the result of this season would be any different if it were Dave Martinez or Sandy Alomar Jr managing. This team sucks.

I think Robin will be fine. Part of the reason I thought he was hired was to teach kids how to play during the rebuilding process that we have yet to start.

[TheVulture]

I hate how Robin always speaks in second person. It seems to be spreading like an infestation throughout the team. Of course, if the Sox were any good I would care less.

[Bobby Thigpen]

While I don't think Robin is a great manager, all of the things people want to blame him for were there before he was hired with many of these players. Mental lapses in the field, mental lapses on the base paths, laziness, lack of "fire", etc have all been with the core group of these players since they got here. To say Robin is to blame for the faults of these players is ridiculous. They've all had these faults since the Sox got them.

Jesus Christ couldn't come in and make this team a disciplined, well oiled machine. It's just not happening with anyone.

[LITTLE NELL]

Robin was one of my all time Sox favorites but I was very surprised when he was named Sox manager. The Sox after Ozzie needed someone more sedate but firm. A Joe Maddon or Al Lopez type is what the team needs. There doesn't seem to be any fire in the belly with Robin.
Someone asked "where are the repercussions", in this day and age what with multi-year contracts plus with a horrible farm system there just is not a lot that management can do with. I'm hoping for some trades very soon and after the season we should see a lot of changes.