From NYCU:

[MusicMan]

Bill Spiers quoted in NYCU:

In Houston, one of my teammates – Lance Berkman – said he wanted to play the game like Bill Spiers, and that felt good.

Wow.  Of all the players I could compare Berkman's approach to, I don't think Spiers would be in my top 50.

[JimR]

Bill Spiers quoted in NYCU:
Wow.  Of all the players I could compare Berkman's approach to, I don't think Spiers would be in my top 50.

i think he meant hit LH.

[MusicMan]

i think he meant hit LH.

Interesting you mention that.  Charlie Palilo has a new windmill to tilt at:

Berkman should give up switch-hitting.

Apparently Garner mentioned, in response to Palilo's question, that he's raised the possibility with Berkman "once or twice", but that it has not been seriously considered.  Palilo took this to mean that the Astros should "order" Berkman to go strictly LH, and that if he refused, "well, shame on him."

[JimR]

Interesting you mention that.  Charlie Palilo has a new windmill to tilt at:

Berkman should give up switch-hitting.

Apparently Garner mentioned, in response to Palilo's question, that he's raised the possibility with Berkman "once or twice", but that it has not been seriously considered.  Palilo took this to mean that the Astros should "order" Berkman to go strictly LH, and that if he refused, "well, shame on him."

funny. our boy Bohls mentioned that issue, too.

[MusicMan]

funny. our boy Bohls mentioned that issue, too.

What's the saying?  Lazy minds regurgitate alike?

[Limey]

i think he meant hit LH.

...and have a bad back.

[Limey]

What's the saying?  Lazy minds regurgitate alike?

Eventually, all stupidity devolves to zero.

[Arky Vaughan]

What's the saying?  Lazy minds regurgitate alike?

It may be that they're all sharing a single brain that would have trouble powering one person's thinking, much less that of a whole group.

[Noe]

Interesting you mention that.  Charlie Palilo has a new windmill to tilt at:

Berkman should give up switch-hitting.

Apparently Garner mentioned, in response to Palilo's question, that he's raised the possibility with Berkman "once or twice", but that it has not been seriously considered.  Palilo took this to mean that the Astros should "order" Berkman to go strictly LH, and that if he refused, "well, shame on him."

Actually, Berkman experimented with hitting exclusively left handed one spring and it was a disaster for him.  Berkman said he couldn't pick up the baseball hitting a left hander from the left side as he did hitting from the right side.  A couple of times, he came close to getting hit by the pitch because his reaction time was severely hampered.

So if Pallilo has a new rant, it's actually been tried by Berkman already and if he got up off his lazy arse and asked Lance directly he'd get his answer.  Freaking parakeet!

[Arky Vaughan]

Actually, Berkman experimented with hitting exclusively left handed one spring and it was a disaster for him.  Berkman said he couldn't pick up the baseball hitting a left hander from the left side as he did hitting from the right side.  A couple of times, he came close to getting hit by the pitch because his reaction time was severely hampered.

So if Pallilo has a new rant, it's actually been tried by Berkman already and if he got up off his lazy arse and asked Lance directly he'd get his answer.  Freaking parakeet!

But, Noe, "news" is made up by the talking heads as opposed to speaking with the actual players, dontchaknow?

[austro]

But, Noe, "news" is made up by the talking heads as opposed to speaking with the actual players, dontchaknow?

Besides, if that got shot down, he'd have to come up with another one of them there "ideas". That's hard work.

[Bench]

Actually, Berkman experimented with hitting exclusively left handed one spring and it was a disaster for him.  Berkman said he couldn't pick up the baseball hitting a left hander from the left side as he did hitting from the right side.  A couple of times, he came close to getting hit by the pitch because his reaction time was severely hampered.

So if Pallilo has a new rant, it's actually been tried by Berkman already and if he got up off his lazy arse and asked Lance directly he'd get his answer.  Freaking parakeet!

I remember when he tried that he said he couldn't hope to hit a curveball off a left hander. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before.

[strosrays]

Actually, Berkman experimented with hitting exclusively left handed one spring and it was a disaster for him.  Berkman said he couldn't pick up the baseball hitting a left hander from the left side as he did hitting from the right side.  A couple of times, he came close to getting hit by the pitch because his reaction time was severely hampered.

So if Pallilo has a new rant, it's actually been tried by Berkman already and if he got up off his lazy arse and asked Lance directly he'd get his answer.  Freaking parakeet!

I guess CP is looking at this year's splits, which do show Berkman tailing off badly from the right side.  Of course, the five or six years before that he was quite respectable hitting righty (career as RH: .267/.384/.407).

The only reason to question this is if one believes Berkman will hit lefties from the left side as well as he hits righties from the left side; or if one believes he will hit lefties from the left side better than he hits them from the right side.  Or I guess if one believes 2007 is a better indicator of how Berkman will hit lefties from the right side from here on out, rather than the previous five seasons are.  

Berkman's own testimony and experience you cited would indicate he should stick with switch-hitting.  But then again, Charlie Pallilo may know better than the rest of us, including Berkman himself.  I suppose that is a possibility.

Yes.

[Reuben]

I remember when he tried that he said he couldn't hope to hit a curveball off a left hander. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before.

So I'm guessing Berkman is not one of those switch-hitters that will occasionally bat lefty against a LHP with a tough change-up, like some guys used to do against Steve Avery. I seem to recall Carl Everett would do that with certain pitchers.

[Frobie]

The only reason to question this is if one believes Berkman will hit lefties from the left side as well as he hits righties from the left side; or if one believes he will hit lefties from the left side better than he hits them from the right side.  

So you are saying that the handedness of the batter AND the pitcher are important?  Fascinating.

Baseball Prospectus also brought up the Berkman-should-drop-the-switch-hitting thing in their annual a few years ago.

[S.P. Rodriguez]

Not to divert the justified criticism of "sports writers"  (in quotes because it's more of a euphamism than a job description.  I'll let you know when I figure out what it's a euphamism for.) but did Garner's comments about defense seem a bit disengenuine?  Does he really think defense has been solid?  Or that there have only been rare defensive breakdowns and that the problems have been hitting and pitching? 

I can see where he could fairly state that hitting has been the biggest problem of the year and now the pitching staff has hit a few bumps.  But Defense has been mediocre to poor all season.  I don't mean to challenge the guys integrity, and could be sincere in his answer.  I very well could be mis-reading or over/under-thinking his answer.  I like the guy, but that sure seems like a spin-doctor answer.   Obviously, it serves no productive purpose to criticize the players he knows to be playing out of position on defense. 

[JimR]

Baseball Prospectus also brought up the Berkman-should-drop-the-switch-hitting thing in their annual a few years ago.

total idiots, but very funny ones. when they get on an agenda, they hammer it into the ground.

[MusicMan]

total idiots, but very funny ones. when they get on an agenda, they hammer it into the ground.

When they listed Julio Franco's comparables as "Satchel Paige, Abraham, Methuselah" this year, I had to set the book down from laughing.  Such a simple joke, but by just putting it in the same format as the other stats, it worked.

[Froback]

I guess CP is looking at this year's splits, which do show Berkman tailing off badly from the right side.  Of course, the five or six years before that he was quite respectable hitting righty (career as RH: .267/.384/.407).

The only reason to question this is if one believes Berkman will hit lefties from the left side as well as he hits righties from the left side; or if one believes he will hit lefties from the left side better than he hits them from the right side.  Or I guess if one believes 2007 is a better indicator of how Berkman will hit lefties from the right side from here on out, rather than the previous five seasons are.  

Berkman's own testimony and experience you cited would indicate he should stick with switch-hitting.  But then again, Charlie Pallilo may know better than the rest of us, including Berkman himself.  I suppose that is a possibility.

Yes.

Wow!  Channelling your inner Joe Morgan there?

[Froback]

but did Garner's comments about defense seem a bit disengenuine?  Does he really think defense has been solid? 

Ok, I am guessing you have not been reading any of the threads that touch on Garner lately, huh?

As has been discussed many times, Garner is a players manager meaning he will say things in the press that might not be true to make his players look/feel better.  He will rip them a new one behind close doors, but NEVER in public or to the media.  So just like Chris Burke is the best LF in baseball type comments, file this away with those.

[MusicMan]

did Garner's comments about defense seem a bit disengenuine? 

I'd just like to nominate "Disingenuine" for the glossary.

[Kent's Moustache]

But, Noe, "news" is made up by the talking heads as opposed to speaking with the actual players, dontchaknow?

When the players won't speak to you because you're such a choad, what's a writer to do?

[Froback]

I'd just like to nominate "Disingenuine" for the glossary.

Hmm, let's try to define it:

Dis- Absence of; opposite of
in-not
genuine-authentic or real

opposite of not real  -or- absence of not real -or- opposite of not authentic

Hmm, seems pretty genuine to me.

[Noe]

As has been discussed many times, Garner is a players manager meaning he will say things in the press that might not be true to make his players look/feel better.  He will rip them a new one behind close doors, but NEVER in public or to the media.

Especially one as "disingenuine" as JdJO.  That writer will take an ant hill and make in into Kilomanjaro.  Always safe to say "there is no problem" when it comes to players with those guys.  The players and manager know differently and as far as fans are concerned, well, they better trust their own eyes and stats sheets to tell them what they wanna know.  Because they ain't getting it through the media talking to Scraps, that's for sure.

Closes thing to saying "managers decision" without saying "managers decision" as you can get.

[Phil_in_CS]

But, Noe, "news" is made up by the talking heads as opposed to speaking with the actual players, dontchaknow?

Some people are saying that, anyway

[S.P. Rodriguez]

So, I meant disengenuous, but don't let up on the ridicule.  I need it as a reminder to proof-read my posts before submit!

As to the content of the post, that's what I figured.  Manager's decision/Player's Mgr taking the heat for his players.  I needed a reality (and spelling) check. 

[Limey]

Baseball Prospectus also brought up the Berkman-should-drop-the-switch-hitting thing in their annual a few years ago.

Making the suggestion is not, in and of itself, lunacy.  What is lunacy is the thought that you're the first person to think of it, and that the player hasn't thought of it and/or tried it to see if it makes sense.

It's the same thinking that kept the Bagwell to 3B and/or throwing left-handed thing in the mix for so long.