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Thursday, October 20, 2005
Mazzone’s role overstated
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Notwithstanding the hysteria that seems to be surrounding the imminent departure of the Braves’ pitching coach, I’m going to tell you at least two things Leo Mazzone has never done in Atlanta:
Thrown a pitch.
Called a pitch.
This isn’t meant as a slap at Mazzone. Clearly, when a team has had only one pitching coach during a run of 14 division titles, it means something. There becomes an escalating belief that Mazzone has become one of the better pitching coaches in baseball.
But this feeling that the Braves are suddenly going to crumble like Pompeii or that Mazzone even remotely approaches the importance of Bobby Cox or John Schuerholz to the organization represents the height of absurdity.
He doesn’t pitch.
He doesn’t call the pitches.
He’s basically a shrink and an adviser. That’s what pitching coaches do. Yes, the Braves have had some wonderful reclamation projects through the years. But if you’re going to give Mazzone credit for Jaret Wright, you had better put him on the hook for Dan Kolb. Here’s a guy who went from a pretty decent closer to a complete basket case. So the teachings of Leo didn’t apply to the Braves’ bullpen this season?
John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine — they were going to be great, with or without Mazzone. Even Mazzone would tell you that. He also would tell you that when it comes to handling a pitching staff, Bobby Cox may go down as the greatest manager in baseball history. A lot of pitchers have come through here. When they leave, they all say the same thing: “I loved pitching for Bobby.”
That doesn’t mean Mazzone hasn’t done well. But judging the impact of a pitching coach is not an easy thing to do. This isn’t football. In the NFL, assistant coaches can stand out. Alex Gibbs, Joe Bugel and the late Bobb McKittrick made their mark as outstanding offensive line coaches. Buddy Ryan, and later Bill Belichick and Jim Johnson became noted for their defenses.
When Mike Shanahan was the offensive coordinator in San Francisco, former 49ers coach Bill Walsh said, “He’s done things with this offense and taken it to a new level.” That was basically Walsh saying, “He’s better than me.” He just doesn’t say that.
But pitching coach? Did Houston’s Jim Hickey suddenly become great this season, or is it only because he had Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Roy Oswalt and Brad Lidge?
This isn’t about money, at least not in the way you think. If Cox and general manager John Schuerholz really believed that Mazzone was worth a salary bump from $250,000 to $400,000, do you not think they would go to the wall with corporate on his behalf?
This is Time Warner. I think they can count to a billion. Say what you want about budget cuts, but the Braves still have an $80 million payroll. Paying an extra $150,000 to the pitching coach isn’t going to affect the stock price.
Nobody wants Mazzone to leave. But that doesn’t mean anybody in power feels the need to punch through the salary ceiling for the pitching coach. And why should they?
Is Mazzone really better than Mel Stottlemyre, the guy who just resigned as New York Yankees pitching coach (and was a part of four World Series teams)? Is Mazzone better than Dave Duncan in St. Louis? Or Orel Hershiser in Texas?
Is he better than the guy he’ll likely be replacing in Baltimore, Ray Miller, who has coached three Cy Young winners and seven 20-game winners with two teams (Baltimore, Pittsburgh)?
Or Bud Black (Los Angeles Angels), or Rick Peterson (New York Mets, recently of Oakland), or Carl Willis (Cleveland) or Randy St. Claire (Washington). Don’t laugh: The Nationals finished ninth in the majors in ERA. That was two spots ahead of your Braves.
The Chicago White Sox just did the unthinkable in the AL Championship Series. Starters threw four straight complete games. I’ll give you a buck if you can name their pitching coach.
Time’s up: Don Cooper.
Mazzone is as good as gone. Only his signature and a decision on compensation is holding this up. But Mazzone’s not going to win any ERA titles in Baltimore, and the Braves aren’t going to send out distress signals without him.
The last time I checked, he wasn’t going to start. Or close.
Permalink | Comments (123) | Categories: Braves / MLB, Jeff Schultz
Weekend picks, minus the transparency
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Before launching into this week’s big meeting between the kind, upstanding, clear-minded, stable and often hygienic people of Alabama (shoot me now) and their plump but worldly counterpart in Knoxville (twice), we here at Weekend Predictions would like to offer a tip of the skullcap to NBA commissioner David Stern.
Yes. It takes a real visionary to embrace the hip-hop culture, milk it for every last dollar, endorsement, synergy, bling and courtside celeb sighting that it’s worth, then drop kick it to Des Moines when your marketing people yell, “No white people! Fire!�
For the past decade, Stern did everything but open press conferences with, “’Sup, y’all? Any questions, ’cuz I gotta go make time with my peeps. Yo, Dre! Is that you back there? Got your back, man! Oh wait, I was Bar Mitzvah’d and went to Columbia. I forgot, where was I?”
There’s nothing wrong with a dress code. I mean, it’s their business. But can we be any more transparent? All of a sudden, it’s an issue to wear a sportscoat? But six months ago it wasn’t an issue? A year ago? Forty raps ago?
Did Stern just all of a sudden wake up and decide, “Hmmm. I really miss tweed. Whatever happened to Kevin McHale?”
I bring this up for two reasons: 1) It’s only October. It’s too early to waste all of my BCS jokes; 2) Phil Fulmer, while weasely, otherwise has little in common with Stern. He’s not a visionary. He actually thought he could give “secret� testimony to the NCAA and a grand jury about Alabama and thought it wouldn’t get out.
This week, Fulmer makes his first trip to Tuscaloosa since the tobacco spit hit the fan. He’ll be the guy surrounded by a SWAT team. But Alabama has other problems. Last week the Tide barely beat Mississippi. The team is losing bodies and didn’t have a lot of depth to begin with. There’s also a concern that Mike Shula is turning back into Mike Shula. Yikes.
The line says Bama by 3 1/2. Psst. I say, take the gift. But Tennessee wins this straight up.
Saturday value menu
(Buy any three games and win a viewing guide to the Astros-White Sox World Series. Chapter 1: Blow up the TV.)
Hogs and Dogs: D.J. Shockley is 6-0 as a starter and leads the SEC in passing efficiency, which basically means that so far the only thing separating him from David Greene … was opportunity. (That should kick up my e-mail.) Shockley won’t catch Greene in career passing yardage. But Arkansas’ secondary makes you wonder. It’s the week before the Florida game, which falls before the Auburn game. Win now, there’s time to complain about the BCS later. Doggies cover 19.
Auburn at LSU: Since losing to Georgia Tech, the Tigers have beaten Mississippi State, Ball State, Western Kentucky, South Carolina and Arkansas. This week’s game with KinderCare fell through. Fortunately, LSU drops balls like pre-schoolers drop blocks. Five turnovers vs. Florida? Missed in my Florida upset pick (though not with the line), but LSU otherwise did little to comfort Les Miles. Take Auburn and 6 1/2. And I like the upset (again).
Vanderbilt at South Carolina: Steve Spurrier says he’s worried about Vanderbilt. I’m going to assume that wasn’t expected on the, “Things Steve will say this season� list in Columbia. Humility, table six? Gamecocks win but take Vandy and 7 1/2.
FSU at Duke: Quoth Duke coach Ted Roof: “Each week it seems like there is a Top 25 team that we are teeing it up against.� Dude, you’re not teeing it up. You’re the ball. The Devils have been outscored in four ACC games 170-24. More importantly, the Blue-White Scrimmage is Saturday at Cameron Indoor. Seminoles cover 30.
Mildcats at Old Missy: Rich Brooks says he is “planning on being here� after the season, which suggests his Kentucky contract calls for a seamless transition from Coach to Cafeteria Fishstick Engineer. Brooks has gone 1-7, 1-7 and 0-2 in the SEC. I know, it’s Kentucky. But show a pulse. Mississippi covers 10 1/2.
Permalink | Comments (24) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Tech / ACC, UGA / SEC
Falcons not as flawed as NFC
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
The Falcons haven’t dazzled anybody. They’re fortunate — lucky, if you prefer — to be 4-2. But now we need to ask the next question: In the NFC, who looks really good?
The answer: Nobody.
Only one NFC team has a better record than the Falcons, and that one, Tampa Bay, just lost its quarterback for the duration. The Carolina Panthers, Sports Illustrated’s choice to win the Super Bowl, are 4-2 by an even skinnier margin than the Falcons. Dallas is 4-2 but scares nobody. The Eagles are 3-2 and in apparent decline. Of the eight teams in the NFC North and West, only Seattle is above .500.
We around here fret that the Falcons aren’t playing defense and can’t throw the ball, and these are legitimate concerns. But the NFC is the place to be if you’re a flawed team looking to break upwards. The AFC is stacked: Indianapolis, Denver, Pittsburgh, New England. The NFC is wide open. Philly has ruled the conference the last four seasons but isn’t apt to do it this time. But somebody has to win the NFC, and the Falcons, as shaky as they look, seem as good a choice as any.
Yes, this is subject to change. Teams can and do get better over the course of a season. That’s another reason to like the Falcons’ chances. A year ago, they scraped by early but got stronger the more they played (and the more Greg Knapp adjusted to Michael Vick). This is a clever coaching staff, and they have resourceful players at their disposal. If you’ve made Super Bowl plans for sunny Detroit, don’t go canceling them just yet.
Permalink | Comments (14) | Categories: Mark Bradley, Quick Hit
