Why I love the offseason (hint: it makes it easier to be an Astros fan)
by DyingQuail on Nov 1, 2009 10:51 AM CST
in Hot Stove
8 comments
A week ago, I was sipping on some coffee, scouring the web to find last minute insight into who I should start in my fantasy football league, and fully expecting a Manny Acta signing would need to be reported later that day. Add another five or so hours, and you'd find me trying to control my overwhelming desire to smash my laptop across Drayton McLane's thick skull. A quick glance at my two responses (one more thought out than the other) pretty much easily identifies me as miserably resigned to a dismal Astros future.
A week later: I couldn't be more convinced of good things to come.
And that is why I love the offseason.
The offseason is a time that allows the two separate parts of my brain, subjective and objective, a chance to really flex their creative muscle and ride the crest and trough of the news cycle. That's not as possible—or really, even—during the regular season.
For the objective part of my brain, the offseason brings the following things into play: projections, legitimate sample sizes to make observations with, the free agent market to dissect, and more projections. Is there anything better than pouring through a new set of projections, trying to peg whether it's going over or under, and then gathering your teams relative odds for success based on what you discover? The answer is a distinct no.
Subjectively, the offseason is a treasure trove of over-hyped stories that play on your emotions due to the enhanced air of relevance they're endowed with. And that's how, in a week's time, I've gone from woefully depressed to cautiously exuberant (is that actually possible?).
Losing out on Manny Acta was harsh. It showcased our owner's incompetence shortcomings, and, hopefully, left a lot of bitter tastes in people's mouths. Then, Brad Mills' name was announced and we started learning all kinds of great things about the man. Things like:
- Brad Mills is obsessed with knowing the advanced scouting information about his opponents.
- He values defensive alignments in an effort to maximize his team's defensive production.
- Has stated he won't tolerate the base running blunders that have plagued this team the last two years.
- Will run a tight ship and won't accept—for lack of a better term—lolly-gagging (something that makes me think of the Bagwell/Biggio years).
- Just seems—through all the anecdotes, etc.—like the kind of detailed oriented, obsessively focused, driven kind of manager that will milk the best from his players.
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I’m not sure I got the same impression of Mills as a tough ass disciplinarian. He seemed to emphasize communications so that issues won’t arise.
by clack on Nov 1, 2009 5:18 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
I got that impression from all of Footer's anecdotes from her friends who covered the Sox
The Crawfishboxes
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 Nov 1, 2009 5:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I thought those comments were about his penchant for preparation and organization.
by clack on Nov 1, 2009 5:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I guess you're right
But to me, though, that’s the personality type of someone who won’t tolerate bs. Not in an extreme-tight-ass kind of a way, but he definitely strikes as someone who isn’t backing down. And, he’ll actually be able to communicate effectively.
The Crawfishboxes
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 Nov 1, 2009 5:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
That was miserably disjointed
Still oxygen deprived from running.
The Crawfishboxes
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 Nov 1, 2009 5:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
we may not be disagreeing. I thought one nice thing to see in Mills is that he didn’t start off telling everybody how tough he is and how he will clamp down on players, like Cooper did in his initial quotes after he was picked to be manager. Mills stressed his communications with players in his initial quotes. I think Cooper came across with some fake bravado that players could see through.
by clack on Nov 1, 2009 5:55 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I’ll give him this, Mills looks like a lot more of a hardass than Cooper ever did.
by OremLK on Nov 1, 2009 6:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah
We’re on the same page. I was just focusing on one aspect of Mills’ style. Mills seems to have the ability to both talk the talk and walk the walk; the latter has been lacking.
The Crawfishboxes
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 Nov 1, 2009 6:15 PM CST via mobile up 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 2.9.2010 at 5:43 PM CST)
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