Okay, I kept my trap shut (at least HERE) about all the trades and swaps and roster moves during the off season and even most of them during the early season, but this latest BONEHEAD decision at the hands of the Athletics front office really chaps my hide.
Part of it is WHAT is happening, but more of it is THE WAY its being handled. On June 7th, an article came out (Susan Slusser, SF Chron) http://goo.gl/2MPvk letting us know that for 20 games beginning next week, Ray Fosse, our veteran broadcaster and former Oakland Athletics catcher, was being replaced by Scott Hatteberg. REALLY? I mean for me, this is like replacing a Porterhouse steak with Tofu.... or Wild Turkey with iced tea!! I mean in the first example, they're both protein and in the second, they look similar... but other than that there's NO comparison in the intended application.
Sure it MAY be a temporary situation... and some say "well, it's related to the anniversary of the streak..." but in reading published reports, it took Ray by surprise and it was probably a tough blow. The "Marion Mule" spent 12 years in the Majors, including post season play in 3 years and 2 Gold Gloves. After a break from the game for about 6 years, he joined the Atheltics broadcast team in 1986 where he has remained for 25 years effective this season. And presumably he would remain in that role as long as he desired... at least most of us fans have always hoped so.
Are the Athletics looking for "something new"? Do they want to see if they can turn a former catcher and short term first baseman into a broadcaster now? Don't know, can't tell... bet even Hatteberg seemed surprised by the move. His reactions?
"I'm excited to do it. I've never done it before, though, so I'm not sure how well I'll do."
"It wasn't my idea"
"I haven't pursued it. But they asked if I'd have interest, and I'd like to try it. We'll see."
Maybe part of the whole thing is Ray *IS* old school (thankfully) and he talks about stuff relate to baseball that lots of fans grew up on- not the kind of stuff that is being discussed now in making transactions or that impact many roster moves and player shifts.
Similar to many others, I'm not mesmerized by all the new stat categories, I
still see baseball as a tactile sport. Just like I prefer to read a
book printed on paper as opposed to on a screen digitally, I prefer to
rate a player's ability by what I see on the field and how they react to
situations placed before them "in the moment", not how it looks when its reduced to stats. And don't get me wrong, I'm NOT a troglodyte- I have a smartphone, am completely computer literate and I even live tweet games!
But for me, when you see a Lou Brock, or Rickey, or Jemile get that lead and edge a
little farther and a little farther... they aren't doing it based on
what they read about a pitcher's timing or a catcher's release... it's
based on their GUT and a feeling that they can take that base. Same as
when a single gets stretched into a double, or a bad hop gets gobbled up
and a player can STILL turn that DP.
The WAR I'm interested in is the one going on in "Battlefield Baseball",
between the white lines on the green grass. And yeah, I'm old
school... but I do pay attention to stats like RBIs, HRs, BAs, PAs, pitch count,
complete games, ball/strike ratio etc... but it doesn't color my
feelings about what I'm watching. In football, there's a saying "On any
given Sunday...". For me in baseball, it's "On any given day, of the
162 days"
Back to the important stuff- I think its CRITICAL the Athletics keep Ray around as long as he's
willing to stay. His perspective and ability to add the history of this
team and the game in general is impossible to put a price on. He's been
in and around the MLB nearly 50 years, and no amount of reading and
watching games is going to replace that. The experiences he's shared
with players, managers, coaches, top-notch broadcasters and learning
how to "paint a picture with words" from people like Monte Moore, Bill
King and Lon Simmons who broadcasted baseball before we were watching
more than just the "Game of the Week" on TV puts him head and shoulders above
the rest.
I don't care that he doesn't embrace Twitter, or can't spout New World stats, but when you can hear
someone talk about the stadiums that were there in the past and how they
were configured, it goes a long way towards explaining WHY some stats
exist for classic players that can't be matched now. And when he can
shed light on how decisions were made to allow a pitcher to be left in
for a complete game, or how many games they started and finished in a
season and why- be it the lack of a bullpen, or that another pitcher had
gone 11 innings two days earlier, or there was a double header coming
up in a week... you know WHY you NEVER WILL SEE the pitching stats of
yesteryear repeated again.
As for Hatteberg as a color man, his exposure to the game is rather
limited, don' t you think? 14yrs in MLB (sorta), 1300 games, but only 6
REAL near full seasons... but he *IS* the only player in MLB history to
hit into a triple play
and hit a grand slam in his next at-bat =) I just don' t think he has
the 'depth and breadth' of experience and exposure to baseball to give
the role what it deserves and placing him in that position opposite a
lackluster Glen Kuiper will drive more people farther away from
interacting with a team that's having trouble maintaining a "base"
already.
Is this the WORST decision made by the Athletics Front Office? Not by A LONG SHOT... not the worst one this season even... but it's a highly visible BONEHEAD MOVE and I would REALLY like to see them think twice about it. If they want to try this, add Hatteberg as a third man maybe. Let him give some insights, or maybe do color every third inning for a couple of weeks and see what kind of feedback they get... but don't do it this way.
It's demoralizing and it's underhanded... Hmm... wonder WHO that smacks of?
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