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Moondizzle... said 06/29, 09:27 PM
You didn't really leave much room for discussion here. Its either Gaston, Riggelman, or Manuel. It wouldn't be fair to pick the Mariners. That team is in oblivion. So I'll go with my hometown Mets. Charlie Manuel.

Manuel takes over a team that is underachieving, one that hung under a cloud of uncertainty with Randolph at the helm. Randolph rarely defended his players on the field, mis-managed the bullpen, and failed to get Jose Reyes - the main cog to winning hames - back on track after a year of mediocrity.

So far, we've seen Manuel defend his players loudly and arrdently, assign key roles to members of the bullpen (which is performed quite well), and admonished Jose Reyes publicly. Reyes, lately, has resembled the Jose of old.

Gaston is renowned for hitting, but it will take actual hitters to fix the Jays. A hot offense has little to do with a new manager. We're also talking about a guy who is selfish, as far as I'm concerned. He bowed out of managing in '97 after 4 losing seasons, going on vacation rather than evaluating the team. Then didnt manage again. Fishy much?

The Wild Card will likely come out of the AL East, but the Jays are the 5th team I'm thinking of.

Moondizzle... said 06/29, 11:05 PM
No respect? I flipped first names after reading the post-game AP roundup. And you dont....respect me? Huh?

The Jays have good hitters? Nobody on the team has more than 8 home runs. Nobody on the team has more than 36 RBI. You cant fix that. Rolen, Eckstein, and Overbay are marginal offensive talents. The HOME RUN DERBY?? How does that fit in here? Alex Rios has 4 home runs this year. Woopie.

You want to talk about overpaid? Vernon Wells' picture is in the dictionary next to the definition for 'overpaid'...

These guys will only get better? Well they cant be much worse.

You bring up the Mets' chances in the division. The Mets are 3 games out of first. 2 out of 2nd. They have managed that playing awful. The Blue Jays are 10 games out of first. 10! And in last. They happened to have won 2 in a row, hence this throwdown.

And all this stuff about their divisions? The Mets clearly will do better in theirs. But this TD is about the teams themselves. The Mets, with Santana (a 2nd half pitcher, mind you), Wright, and Reyes leading the way - can bring this team back. Manuel is more frank with his team and brings a different style.

In Toronto, a manager cant fix talent.

Moondizzle... said 06/30, 09:49 AM
The Jays offense happened to get hot this week. Coming out of their slumps at a rapid pace is overstating it. These aren't 'slumps' basketball guru. This team simply does not possess the hitting. Wells has been awful since last season, injuries or not.

Beltran's contract is actually $7 million less than Wells', and Jones is on a 2 year deal. Wells has underperformed badly with that albatross of a contract.

You assume too much about the AL East. The Jays are 10 games back, and are behind all 4 teams. Without extended standings, it seems the Jays are 9th for the Wildcard.

The Jays pitching has been very, very good. And yet they still sit in the basement. They have the 3rd best E.R.A., and yet they still suffer. If you cant score, you can't win. They haven't been slumping. This is the offense they own.

How do you know the Mets are, as you put it, 'unwilling to learn'? Are you in that clubhouse? They are 3 games out of first using Tatis and Nixon as OF regulars.

Manuel is a different manager. Only time will tell. But as far as potential is concerned, he has a better chance of extracting wins out of this Mets club. Gaston has sub-par talent and 4 teams to hurdle.