Word is that Jr. is in the line-up and batting 6th tonight for the White Sox.
Manager Ozzie Guillen said Griffey will play center field, a position he hasn't played since 2006, and occasionally serve as the designated hitter.
"He comes here to play every day, no doubt about it," Guillen said. "But we are here to win. And we'll see how it works."
Griffey will start Friday night in Kansas City and bat sixth or seventh, Guillen said.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,3373752.story
Looks like Ozzie doesn't respect Junior. Mayhem incoming.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
I wonder if he asked Griffey if that was ok or if he just made the decision based on what he felt gave his team the best chance to win?....Because here, nobody had the stones to do that.
I bet Ozzie did what he felt was best for the team, while still respecting Junior as a ballplayer.
Cedric 3/24/08It's absolutely pathetic that people can't have an opinion from actually watching games and supplementing that with stats. If you voice an opinion that doesn't fit into a black/white box you will get completely misrepresented and basically called a tobacco chewing traditionalist...
I think the crap loaded onto Junior for batting 3rd is another load of crock. If you read some of the comments from the REDS previously and just yesterday it was more that the REDS players here don't want to bad third. Junior stood up as a man and said he'd do it. Phillips already said he is uncomfortable batting third, Dunn has said it before too (he also seems much more comfortable batting 5 or 6) so as much as REDSZONE loves pounding on Junior for batting third its not Junior.
Looks like Fay can't help keeping his paranoia either. The faster he loses his job the better REDS baseball will be. I mean he now blames Junior for depriving him of sleep last night!
A lot of stats have been posted on the subject of batting third on RZ.
Are you stating that there has not been a decline in the batting skills of a aging player ?
Player comments are so subject to facades and saying the right thing, how can you be so sure that, that is not just office politics, and saying the right thing?If you read some of the comments from the REDS previously and just yesterday it was more that the REDS players here don't want to bad third. Junior stood up as a man and said he'd do it. Phillips already said he is uncomfortable batting third, Dunn has said it before too (he also seems much more comfortable batting 5 or 6) so as much as REDSZONE loves pounding on Junior for batting third its not Junior.
One thing that we do know is that Reds ownership never built a team around Griffey or Dunn.
Last edited by Spring~Fields; 08-01-2008 at 04:40 PM.
Man that's a load....
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...=.jsp&c_id=mlb"I didn't want to put that pressure on him to lead off," Baker said. "The third spot right now belongs to Junior. The fourth spot belongs to [Brandon] Phillips. The fifth spot belongs to [Adam] Dunn. Junior has 20 years of batting third. Just bide your time and learn everything. It will work out sooner or later."
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs...808010349/1071
One respected sabermetric service ranks the Reds' No. 3 hole hitters and right fielders (in both cases, almost exclusively Griffey) 23rd out of the major leagues' 30 teams this season.
But because every statistical fielding service says Griffey no longer has any range in the outfield, all indications are that he will be exposed even more playing center than he was playing right for the Reds. He presently ranks among the bottom third defensively among all National League right fielders.
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs...808010349/1071
Holy crap, a ML manager has the balls to not bat Griffey 3rd. Griff is hitting 7th tonight for the White Sox.
I am in shock.
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