Don Mattingly's disgrace

[ShaimOnYou]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

This statement just cracks me up.

So he MANAGED the team for 162 games to get them INTO THE PLAYOFFS, but because they haven't won it all yet, he should be fired.

Makes perfect sense.

SMFH.

No, Smitty, I'm just SMFH. The Dodgers are LOADED with talent. THAT'S why they've been in the play-offs the last two seasons. If you watched the Dodgers on a daily basis, you'd be SYFH at the loses we suffered as a direct result of Mattingly BAD decisions. The team was STILL good enough to win their division. The reason why the Dodgers haven't won it all is because MATTINGLY is LEADING THEM, and his weaknesses are quickly exposed on that stage.

I have explained until my fingertips are bloody this guys snafu's as manager. His complete and utter lack of understanding how to handle a pitching staff, his line-up changes with no rhyme or reason as he PUNISHES the guys performing with "RIDING PINE" on a regular basis, his dismal decision-making process or lack there of, and the results. Oh GOD, those RESULTS! And you would stick with him, because, WHY exactly? Because he reached into a kid's POPCORN container in a cute video years ago???

He's a BUFFOON. Just when the Dodgers needed a guy with some baseball sense, Mattingly stepped deep in it and the Dodgers LOST faster than you could blink an eye. It's happened TWO years in a ROW.

Ever HEAR the old saying "FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU...FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME ON ME? How many FOOL ME'S do we Dodger fans have to live through?

Why not LOOK at how the Dodgers lost instead of "SM(Y)FH"? Ask ANYBODY in BASEBALL what the expected finish of a PLAYOFF game would be when Kershaw is taking a 6-2 lead, on a TWO-HITTER to that point no less, into the 7th. I can tell you this much, NO ONE would ever answer

"I think the manager will FALL ASLEEP and allow Kershaw, tired from 6 full highly pressured innings in 100 degree heat, to implode, NOT get anybody up in the pen in the process, and not even call time OUT to give him a blow until the stink was DEEP. Then, after deciding to leave him in when he was obviously DONE, the Dodger skipper watched Kershaw DIE ON THE VINE, continually PUMMELED until he lost his own lead (now 7-6), THEN is quickly removed! But Donnie wasn't DONE yet with his KEEN baseball insight. Oh HELL NO! He THEN essentially ENDS the Dodgers chances of winning game one by handing the Dodgers SEASON off to a ROOKIE who immediately dishes up a factory ordered 3-run BOMB." Now THERE'S a "SMFH" if there ever was one!! And I won't even REPEAT what he did to GREINKE, or RYU...or the WHOLE DODGER TEAM'S CHANCES!!

I really don't understand how you can't get the concept that he doesn't know what he's doing? Do I need to walk us all through GAME ONE of last years NLCH against the Cardinals, who by the way SUCK. We just MAKE them look FABULOUS! What, do we just let him FAIL over and OVER again until he stumbles over his own mistakes and WINS ONE?

Not me. Fire him. He's a LOSER. And I'm SMH (no "F", admin, please take note!) that you can't make sense of that. Other than to see you're a Colorado fan.....now THAT makes perfect sense to me why you'd like to see him STAY.

[Roady]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

2014 should have been 94-68 not 94-78.

[Roady]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

Let's compare the revered Tommy Lasorda's first 4 years to the beleaguered Don Mattingly.

Lasorda 1977 98-64 .605%, 1978 95-67 .586%, 1979 79-83 .488%, 1980 92-71 .564%

Mattingly 2011 82-79 .509%, 2012 86-76 .531%, 2013 92-70 .568%, 2014 94-78 .580%

Wonder if Dodger fans called for Lasorda to be fired in 1980? Just think the Dodgers may have not won it all in 1981 if Lasorda had been fired. Who knows.

[xpress34]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

We have two consecutive years of play-off PROOF to back that up.

This statement just cracks me up.

So he MANAGED the team for 162 games to get them INTO THE PLAYOFFS, but because they haven't won it all yet, he should be fired.

Makes perfect sense.

SMFH.

[ShaimOnYou]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

As a manager I may agree but as a player nothing's better than Donnie baseball. Just saying.

Yeah? Ask Andre Ethier how he feels about Donnie baseball.

I understand a players goal is just to play, but shouldn't winning championships figure in the equation?

Ask the fans who pay the bills how they feel? I know I'm not about paying $12.00 and up for a beer at a game JUST so players can be over-payed exponentially to play golf in October. The ONLY goal that matters to us is winning. And in Dodgerland, that ain't gonna happen with Donnie Doh-Doh calling the shots.

The funny thing is, I guess Dodger ownership hired this Friedman guy (while neutering Colletti) to improve the Dodger roster. If he does a good enough job, even a Donnie Doh-Doh move may work out because the personnel won't matter if they're all great players.

Assuming Andrew fixes the "Donnie move" debacles, that's only half the problem. That still doesn't get us past the Donnie that WON'T make a move when he should. Knowing when to do that is part of being a good manager. When that half fails like the previous two years have shown us all it will, that will be on the Dodgers for NOT making the right move when THEY should have.

I still have nightmares of Donnie calling for Juan Uribe to bunt a runner to second in an effort to TIE the game. It was the 8th inning of the NLDS in 2013 against Atlanta at home, and Donnie can't get his head wrapped around going for a big inning. Small minded small-ball Donnie.

Juan squared around and fouled off two pitches, the crowd wincing all the while at the fact Doh-Doh Don essentially took the bat out of his hands while he represented the winning run.

I always wake up in a cold sweat as Juan connects on the very next pitch and sends it deep into the stands as he clinches the NLDS with that home run. The nightmare ends as I wake up when McGwire is explaining to Donnie what just happened.

[r_phelps]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

As a manager I may agree but as a player nothing's better than Donnie baseball. Just saying.

[dougiedshow]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

Heading into the postseason and seeing HOF caliber managers like Showalter and Bochy... It kind of felt like the Cardinals brought a knife to a gun fight. I feel your pain, I'm sure Matheny uses a magic 8 ball to make decisions sometimes. Oh well, many teams find a way to win with poor coaches or managers.

On a side note, don mattingly looks more like Bill Murray everyday.

[ShaimOnYou]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

Yep, that video was just fabulous. Don Mattingly is the man. Some small minded trivialization via comedy relief is just what was needed here.

I'll try to hold back my expectations of worthwhile content before I post again. I see beachpatrol and meatslab have a tad of an issue with my comments regarding Donnie Einstein. My apologies. Didn't mean to step on your boy.

And meatslab, you're right. I shouldn't post if I don't care. So I guess I still do. It's called being passionate about something. And since I'm passionate about my Dodgers, I guess the proper thing to do would be for me to continue throwing away my money and keep my season tickets so I can watch the Dodgers stumble through another season, but ultimately winning the Division in the last week of the season, only to watch Division rival WILD CARD San Francisco go to their 4th World Series in 6 years.

Can't wait!!!

Just THINK of all the great pictures we'll be able to add to THESE GEMS!?

[jbsportstuff]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

That video was fantastic. I've seen people have a beef with someone, but this thing goes DEEEEEP. Wow.

[Phil316]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

awesome video

[beachpetrol]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

I found out why you are so mad now....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvSmfyRc3pM

[slab0meat]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

Keep posting about it, while no longer caring. Makes a lot of sense.

[ShaimOnYou]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

Is there some deeper layer to your beef with Mattingly? Did he not sign an autograph for you when you were a kid? Did he accidentally run over your dog?

Nope.

I've been a die-hard Dodger fan all my life. Since Tommy Lasorda retired (as a manager), it's been a painful run, now 26 years, for us Dodger fans. One loser after the other managing the team. And that "loser" list includes Joe Torre. You take away his great Yankee run, when ANYONE could have won with that team, and Joe was a miserable manager too. But at least Joe has personality, is a class act, and could handle the "personalities" in baseball, so he had some measurable success.

My problem with Mattingly is that I see nothing. I see blank darkness when I look into his eyes. I don't know what team or sport you follow, but baseball is not an easy game. You need a cerebral thinker at the controls. One that knows when to act, and more importantly how to not muck things up. Mattingly, in my view, is a complete waste of time. He is too much a "players manager" and therefore he can't make necessary decisions when they need to me made. He won't pull a player when they should be pulled. He benches players who are on fire! He mishandles the Dodgers pitching staff to perfection.

I guess it's not so easy to see if you don't follow the Dodgers on a regular basis. I have nothing against Donnie personally. But I know baseball enough to guarantee you this: The only ways the Dodgers ever win another World Series is if they go find a manager with an understanding for the flow and intricate details of the game. Mattingly manages by the book. He is vacant, without consciousness, asleep at the wheel. Ask ANY serious Dodger fan, and you'll get a similar response. We know were doomed with this guy, and that's my beef. It's frustrating as hell. The Dodgers should have won the National League West by the beginning of September. We all watched Mattingly lose game after game with stupid decisions all season long. And the Dodgers had to wait until the last few days of the season to lock up the Division.

Then...Mattingly struck again. Destroyed Kershaw's two great pitching performance, evaporated Greinke's great shutout, and pulled Ryu too soon in what could have and should have been a Dodger SWEEP of the Cardinals, while he hovered at the bottom step of the dugout each time with that stupid expression of his. So the Dodgers are playing golf as we prepare to all watch the Giants in the World Series AGAIN.

It's the futility of his existence in Dodger blue. I can't understand why ownership can't see it, as all us season ticket holder fans can. The Dodgers will have to put together a team like the late 90's Yankees to have any chance of winning a World Series with this buffoon running the team. And even then, they'll have to win DESPITE Mattingly, not BECAUSE of him.

[Skizzick]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

Is there some deeper layer to your beef with Mattingly? Did he not sign an autograph for you when you were a kid? Did he accidentally run over your dog?

[ShaimOnYou]

Re: Don Mattingly's disgrace

So Andrew Friedman had his big day in front of the media while announcing how happy he is to be a part of the Dodger organization.

The FIRST QUESTION from the reporters was "Will Don Mattingly be the manager of the Dodgers next season?"

I would argue the fact that this, being the FIRST question asked of Mr. Friedman in his new position for the Dodgers as President of Baseball Operations, was a statement in and of itself. It tells me the baseball world is aware of the Dodgers biggest problem going forward.

It makes more of a statement than Andrew Friedman's answer.

Mattingly will stay, at least for 2015. So the Dodgers brass have obviously supported their first financial blunder (Mattingly's 3-year extension after showing he knows how to lose last year) with another, adding a layer between ownership and DON. Is that maybe because Don showed even more convincingly he REALLY knows how to lose this year, so next year when the Dodgers are SURE to be under-performing again, blowing games here and there with line-up juggling, mismanagement of the pitching staff, not base-stealing attempting pinch runners, handing outs to the other teams from sacrifice bunts when the situation doesn't call for them, or whatever else Don's little pea-pod can muster up, that they'll have a guy on board to perform the overdue firing?

Here's one soon-to-be ex-season ticket holder anxious to find out.

But no longer caring. Adios, Dodgers.