Idiots Write About Sports

I didn’t figure I’d be the only one puzzled and confused by Ozzie Guillen’s strategic voodoo Tuesday night. Rob Neyer emerges from behind ESPN.com’s velvet rope to second-guess the Sox skipper’s moves in Game One.

In a game that figured to be run-starved — October in Chicago, two excellent pitching staffs against two middling lineups — Ozzie Guillen and his “smart ball” risked 11 percent of his precious outs on one-run strategies. Earl Weaver famously said that if you play for one run, that’s all you’ll get. Three times, Guillen played for one run and didn’t get anything at all.

In the fifth inning, Scott Podsednik was caught trying to steal second.

In the seventh, A.J. Pierzynski was caught trying to steal second (on what looked like a busted hit-and-run).

In the ninth, pinch-runner Pablo Ozuna was out at second base on Aaron Rowand’s failed sacrifice attempt.

I was in the kitchen — and consequently away from the TV — when Pierzynski was thrown out, but I had my laptop open to the Game Day account of the game. I was convinced that the Pierzynski: Caught Stealing update had to be some sort of typo — you send a runner who hasn’t stolen a base all year (and has six steals in his career!) during the middle of a tightly contested playoff game? Really?

In Ozzie’s defense, I guess he had the element of surprise working for him.

In either case it’s an interesting discussion between Neyer and David Schoenfield on the merits of smart ball (or lack of same) — the kind of thing I wish I read more of at ESPN, instead of the usual Frat Boys Talk Sports piffle.

…it might seem like we’re blaming Guillen for this loss. I’m not. The White Sox lost because they were very slightly outplayed by the Angels. But I think that Guillen’s tactics in this game lowered his team’s chance of winning, just ever so slightly.

Preach on, brother.

[Edited to Add: No, I can’t spell ‘wizard…’ you wanna fight about it?

One of the funnier moments, if I haven't been hallucinating (cripes, the games are over at midnight!), was in the ninth, when F-Rod kept checking the runner at first. McCarver and his booth ilk kept riding on F-Rod for being so cautious: "Concentrate on the hitter and make a good pitch. There's no way the runner is going in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. Ozzie would never do that."

Suurrre...

I eagerly await your insight on A. J. Pierzynski's theft of first last night. Also I don't think Pinella is helping his rep with his "Timmy" comments to McCarver. Funny though...

as usual, great stuff on this site.

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