When Phil Garner selected David Eckstein as a replacement for the NL All-Star squad, we could forgive him for what was essentially a bad decision and potentially unimportant move. What we can’t forgive is how he managed the team during the game last night, particularly in the late innings.

Contrary to the message of this ridiculous Yahoo article, which claims that Garner “managed as if it was Game 7 of the World Series,” Garner actually had no vested interest in the game and managed that way.

It was clear from the early innings that the players trying their hardest were from the contending NL teams (read: the Mets). Carlos Beltran was one of the few who did seem to bring his playoff-level game: He singlehandedly created the NL’s second run and in the ninth, legged out an infield hit/error, shook off the fall and tried to steal third. Pete Rose, ca. 1970, would have been proud.

If it were indeed a Game 7 situation, would Garner really have:

• Yakked away on the headphones for almost two innings with the FOX broadcasters? He was so engrossed in the chat that he was barely able to congratulate Beltran when he returned to the dugout after scoring (hat tip: Sebek).
• Gone without signs? The pregame show highlighted Garner’s laissez-faire approach to managing his players. If that were really the best way to manage to win, wouldn’t teams do that all the time?
• Inserted Miguel “Gordo” Cabrera as a late-inning defensive replacement over Rolen? Garner inserted Gordo in a spot in the lineup that basically made him solely a defensive replacement, since even with the NL batting in the ninth and getting a man on base, he didn’t get to bat. And sure enough, on Konerko’s infield grounder, Cabrera took a couple of steps to his left and watched the ball roll into shallow left field. It was a play that most third basemen at least make a play on, if not throw the runner out easily (see Jose Lopez in the bottom of the inning). Look, “Scrap Iron,” I know you were busy getting your backside handed to you this weekend by the Cardinals, a team much more likely than the Astros to get screwed by your devil-may-care approach to the game last night, and you probably didn’t have time to do much checking, but Miguel Cabrera — who has 12 errors already — isn’t a defensive replacement. He’s a future DH. Just ask Scott Olsen what he thinks of Cabrera’s D at third.
• Left Trevor Hoffman in to pitch to Glaus and Young? Prior to the game, Glaus was 1-for-3 with a triple and a walk (1.500 OPS) vs. Hoffman, and Young was 1-for-1. Granted, Hoffman looked dominant against the first two batters, and it’s a tough call to pull one of your best relievers with two outs in the ninth. But if this game is going to “count,” Garner needs to do everything he can to win.
• Allowed Sanchez to lead off in the ninth. Sanchez had already batted once; it wasn’t as if Garner were trying to please the hometown fans. With the NL down a single run, Garner could’ve used long-ballists like Andruw Jones (2-for-2 with a HR vs. Rivera), Scott Rolen (1-for-2) or Nomar Garciaparra (7-for-17, 1.059 OPS) instead of the green Sanchez, who’d never seen Mo’ before.

If Der Kommisar continues the practice of awarding World Series homefield advantage to the winner of the ASG, he needs to change another long-standing tradtion, that of having the previous year’s World Series teams’ skippers manage. To be consistent, MLB needs to have real stakeholders involved in determining the outcome of the midsummer classic. That means that each team’s manager needs to be from the team with the league’s best record (in this case, Willie Randolph) and the coaching staff rounded out by the other division-leading teams’ managers. Not only would this change the complexion of the manager-picked roster, but it would impact in-game strategy.

In retrospect, the All-Star Game was fun and dramatic last night, a rare tight, pitchers’ duel. And the NL didn’t lose because “it stinks” or has inferior players. It lost, in part, because one manager wanted it more. Did you see Ozzie Guillen celebrating? It wasn’t just league pride.

This entry was posted by Pip on Wednesday, July 12th, 2006 at 10:14 am and is filed under editorial. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.