Help with another office debate.

[wutamess]

I'm arguing with the same 2 idiots about the Royals game yesterday.

Here's the situation:
Tie ball game.
5th & 6th innings - 2 straight innings with runners in scoring position with no outs. Pickering was up and ended up striking out. I was hoping Pena would have him bunt or put in a pinch hitter for a bunter to advance the runner.

The idiots: Pickering is developing so you let him get his at bat's and swing away and hope for a deep enough fly ball to advance the runner. Besides, the Royals are in a developing year where his AB's are more important than winning ball games and the only way Pena get's fired before the end of next year is if the players haven't developed like Baird hopes they will.

Here's a direct quote from one of them.
they won the game because they made smart decisions early on, not because of one shot at the end

When I asked him, "What was some of these smart decisions early on?"
Can you believe I didn't receive a reply? :hmmm:

[wutamess]

Well come on you fuggers...
Vote!

[tyton75]

Roger.. it wasn't "late" in the game... in was like the 4th or 5th inning...

and since we aren't going to win the pennant.. you let him swing away... dik

[wutamess]

Roger.. it wasn't "late" in the game... in was like the 4th or 5th inning...

and since we aren't going to win the pennant.. you let him swing away... dik

K, I stand corrected it was the fifth and sixth inning (respectively).
Besides, what does it matter if all we're worried about is player development anyways?

[ksushark]

"Tie ball game."
Wrong, it was 5-3 Royals

"late in the ball game"
Wrong, it was bottom of the 5th

"- 2 straight innings with runners in scoring position with no outs."
Wrong, now you're just making this shit up

"Pickering was up and ended up striking out. I was hoping Pena would have him bunt or put in a pinch hitter for a bunter to advance the runner."
Why would you have a power hitter, who isn't used to bunting, try to bunt the runner over instead of doing what he does best and swing for the fences. If he hits it to right field it would have advanced the runner anyway. If we put in a pinch hitter we'd have to continue to use that pinch hitter or get another pinch hitter for 2 more at bats after this one.

"Here's a direct quote from one of them. they won the game because they made smart decisions early on, not because of one shot at the end"
What does this have to do with Pickering swinging away versus bunting? We had several lines of reasons why it was smarter to have Pickering swing away and yet this is the only quote you decided to throw out here.

[Bearcat]

Good for Pena... it seemed like every freakin' time they had a runner on 2nd with no outs last year, he would decide to bunt.... then Sweeney would pop out for the 2nd out, and they would end up wasting the inning.

With a runner at 3rd and one out, not only are you relying on one of only 2 things to happen, if the next guy hits a sac fly, there's no one on and 2 outs... I know they're struggling for runs, but still... Small-ball is one thing, but jeez.... the guy is already in scoring position :banghead:

[tyton75]

Roger (aka wutamess) is simply "slow"

[Kyle401]

I voted for Gaz in tights. That alone would increase the entertainment value of Royals games. Now if they could only find a way to incorporate a monkey...

[Edubs]

They all talked about how they will have to play small ball to win games this year. Bunting, stealing bases, hit & run situations. You can develop players and play some small ball at the same f-ing time. What when they get good they don't play small ball anymore. Pena is an idiot sometimes.