If there is any member of the Brewers roster that is more hated than Derrick Turnbow was, it has to be skipper Ned Yost. Often criticized for making the wrong choices with the lineup or the bullpen, Ned has been a favorite to take the blame when the Brewers struggle. Now, with the club experiencing a rough patch this season, some are once again calling for him to be fired.I planned on writing a brief post before Ned got tossed in tonight's game vs. the Marlins, in which he got ejected after arguing balls and strikes after Mike Cameron was called out. Sometimes managers will try to get ejected to light a fire under their team, and I feel tonight was one of those situations. But with the ejection of Yost, many will be closely watching the moves made tonight by Ned's one-night replace, Ted Simmons.
Simmons was brought in to be the bench coach, and to be the guy to help Yost make the tough decisions throughout a 162 game season. When he was hired, many fans assumed he was being hired to fill-in for Yost, if and when Ned was eventually let go. We've already pledged our support for Yost, but we still feel like we're in the minority.
A comment was made by one of the readers here once that they felt Yost was the perfect man help some of the young guys to make the transition from AAA to the bigs. However, the same reader also said Ned is anything but capable of leading this team deep into the playoffs. I'm not sure what to think. The move I criticized Ned for was having Jason Kendall bat ninth, and that has actually worked out quite well for the team. Ned isn't the guy causing Suppan to pitch poorly, or causing the struggles of Rickie Weeks, or causing the implosions of Eric Gagne. But he is the manager. He's the guy who makes the decisions and takes responsibility for the success or failure of his team.
The Brewers are struggling, yes, but I'd expect them to turn it around soon. They have too much talent not too. However, if these struggles continue, Yost may eventually be relieved of his duties with the club. I think it's going to have to be something insurmountable, like 10 games under .500 at the break, and I don't think Melvin would make the move mid-season. But I can finally say that I wouldn't be surprised if he did.
3 comments:
Anyone who harbors more contempt for Yost than Turnbow is an idiot.
I don't see how Yost can be blamed for this huge hitting slump. Unless there's some hidden clause just recently revealed in his contract that calls for him to go up & get some hits.
It was obvious that our hitters were pressing tonight. What's more, Olsen pitched a very good game. The only Brewer hitter to be patient & get on base consistently tonight was Kendall, & by the time the rest of the team decided to be patient, it was the 9th inning & their rally was snuffed out.
The "rally" ended appropriately ... with a one pitch at bat by Bill Hall. Patience at the plate is what helps keep slumps from aggrandizing into guide-less tours of Rock Bottom.
I think there are a lot of people who don't like Yost BECAUSE of Turnbow.
We got Turnblow out of here, Ned should be next!
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