Cecil Cooper Just Loves to Predict Things
by DyingQuail on Aug 18, 2008 12:19 PM CDT
14 comments
Sorry, I've been absent for a few days. In exchange for listening to a timeshare pitch, I spent three days in Vegas winning and losing several small fortunes for FREE (don't worry, I left up $40). The best part about gambling was, aside from the rush, there were several televisions with just about every sporting event you could want placed at all angles. This included not only Michael Phelps being amazing, but some awful Astros baseball as well. Perhaps even harder to watch than our shellackings, was the mens 20km race walk (I can't believe that is a sport).
What I witnessed in between hands of black jack was the Astros getting cut to pieces by stellar pitching and our pitching getting shelled. However, Coop must not have been paying attention to the same games, because he has boldly predicted that we will sweep the Brewers in Milwaukee. Cooper justifies his decision because we took 2 of 3 at Miller Park earlier in the year against, Suppan, Bush, and Parra. Now I have Parra on my fantasy team, but none of those three are CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets -- both of whom we must face this series. It's Wolf vs. Sabathia, Mohler vs. Sheets, and Road-Wandy vs. Parra.
If Cooper were correct, which I won't hold my breath on, or even bet on it (given my recent mindset), we'd suddenly only be 4.5 games behind the Brewers, but that scenario would likely take the Brewers out of the top slot in the Wild Card race. I'm too tired and fried to think of the scenarios, but it would be the Cards or the Phillies leading the race.
As Monday continues to rear it's ugly head, sans Monday Night Football, my question to you is:
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i really don't understand
why Coop would come out and say this. what does it accomplish? i’d think that it would do more to cause his players to press and try to not fail and that it’d be more positive motivation for the opposition than his own team. if he’s just joking and having fun, then that seems to send a message that he doesn’t really believe that his team CAN sweep, which also seems like a bad signal to be sending. the media LOVES to jump on things like this, so at the very least, it’ll be another question that guys have to answer: “what do you think about Coop guaranteeing a sweep?”
the whole thing just seems silly and not well thought out. it’s just another something that smacks of a manager that doesn’t know what he’s doing, which is frustrating. i so want to believe in Coop (mostly cause he’s got a two-year contract and is not likely to get fired after one year, no matter how bad we finish), but he keeps throwing up these head-scratchers.
and for the record, i was fine with going to Valverde with a 3-run lead in the 9th last night. the win is more important than the CG.
by littlevisigoth on Aug 18, 2008 12:41 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Amen to the win-CG comment.
Your points are all spot on, I really just don’t get it. I can’t find the exact numbers on Coop’s contract, but given the abandon at which we’ve let players go for millions this season, I don’t know see how money is the obstacle. The dude just needs to get canned.
A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while.
by DyingQuail on Aug 18, 2008 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
not a money issue
i don’t think Tal and Drayton would admit to making a bad decision after just one season of evidence, particularly after Cooper was so publicly endorsed by Bud Selig (that annoyed the crap out of me at the time, btw… ignoring anything about the viability of the guy as a candidate, it seems to me that the commish should just butt out of individual teams’ bidness). i can’t imagine he won’t at least be given the opportunity to be the manager going into 2009. any earnest movements to get the guy fired should just save it until next June at the earliest.
by littlevisigoth on Aug 18, 2008 1:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Doesn't everybody leave Vegas up a few bucks?
It does seem like an odd thing for Coop to say, or any manager for that matter. Even if you believe it, it doesn’t sound so good.
As to the pitching match ups, yes they are better for the Brewers, but Sheets hasn’t pitched all that great since the ASB and he is vulnerable to high pitch counts and sometimes teams that go after fastballs early in the count.
Wandy? I’m a big Wandy fan but if he’s going to play pretty well and pretty poorly at different times, why does he make the appearances against the Brewers the good ones?
Glad we’re missing Roy O as it sounds like he is back on track.
by ol Pete on Aug 18, 2008 1:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I don't know, it was my first time
But with two hours to go I was down $110, and found a table that played by the book and as a result we all were rolling. It also helped that I split Aces for two Black Jacks at the end too.
A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while.
by DyingQuail on Aug 18, 2008 4:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I rarely leave vegas up a few bucks
although, I usually manage to avoid big losses as well.
Vegas always lets me go on a small winning streak right before I leave … just to keep me coming back.
Coop’s prediction seems very silly, but considering he predicted we’d win 90+ games, it’s not surprising.
by lnewcomer on Aug 18, 2008 2:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Classic Cooper
In the Arizona game Saturday night, we are down 4-0, Backe up with a runner at first – WE SACRIFICE! Backe may be “only the pitcher”, but he happened to have the second highest BA in the Astros lineup that evening, trailing only Berkman, PLUS, we’re down 4 runs!
There’s a new name for it – SMALLER than Smallball!
And if you enjoy predictions, I’ve stumbled across an interesting website:
http://www.coolstandings.com/baseball_standings.asp?i=1
These guys show the expected finish and playoff odds, along with some interesting discussions as to how they do the math. Plus, they do NBA and NFL, too – you may be interested to know they have the Texans going 7-9 for the upcoming season with just over a 14% chance to make the playoffs..
It takes more than pitching to win a pennant, but not much!
by bwhite2323 on Aug 18, 2008 3:52 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Great link!!
I like their method the best of any I’ve seen thus far.
A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while.
by DyingQuail on Aug 18, 2008 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I doubt that Cooper's "prediction" will have much effect, one way or the other.
But it does seem to fall within a whole body of ill conceived quotes by Cooper which indicate inexperience. I look at the recent faux pax with Cooper’s comment about Bonds, and can imagine the same thing happening here. It seems like he becomes too informal with the reporters and says whatever pops into his head.
Now I’m not so sure that the 90 game prediction was such a bad idea. If it had any effect, one way or the other, it would appear to have been positive. I can almost buy the notion, put out there by Richard Justice and others, that the high degree of confidence which Cooper and Wade have shown in their players layed the groundwork for the Astros’ recent win streak.
by clack on Aug 18, 2008 3:58 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I think the win streak was fueled primarily
by playing the Reds and the Giants, who are both worse than awful.
It takes more than pitching to win a pennant, but not much!
by bwhite2323 on Aug 19, 2008 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Headline was partially covered by another window
And I thought it was saying “Cecil Cooper Just Fired”. Imagine my disappointment…
Michael Phelps has been amazing, but we’re still in 10th and way behind the leader Ukraine. http://www.realmansolympics.com/
by Xan on Aug 18, 2008 5:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Sorry for the tease
I love the link.
A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while.
by DyingQuail on Aug 18, 2008 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
5 people
Wrong.
A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while.
by DyingQuail on Aug 18, 2008 10:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis
|
91 | 71 | .561 | 0 | Lost 6 |
|
Chicago
|
83 | 78 | .515 | 7.5 | Lost 1 |
|
Milwaukee
|
80 | 82 | .493 | 11 | Won 3 |
|
Cincinnati
|
78 | 84 | .481 | 13 | Won 2 |
|
Houston
|
74 | 88 | .456 | 17 | Lost 3 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
62 | 99 | .385 | 28.5 | Lost 2 |
(updated 2.10.2010 at 5:43 AM CST)
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