"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
Horse hockey. Antonio Bryant and the Bengals say hi. They had full access and got it wrong.
But sometimes you just kinda know. In this case, Walt knew Rolen as a person. He was banking on the person to facilitate a change in the clubhouse and it worked. I've never heard a person say a bad thing about Eric Milton. He obviously pitched in a lot of pain, so he's a gamer. And I still wanted no part of him. Rolen is 35, and his best years are behind him. NO WAY did Walt think he was getting what he got from Rolen this year. No. Way.
I'm beyond thrilled it worked. And I know I wouldn't have pulled the trigger on the trade that brought him here. I do agree that giving up Stewart was too much, but I likely would have suffered through this year with Frazier at 3B.
Dubito Ergo Cogito Ergo Sum.
"This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner
Ummmmm, I was right about Joe Randa, so not sure what your point is. He put up stats exactly within his career line and the Reds were not one bit better record wise while he played here. My point was then as it is now that he did not make the Reds better and they had in house solutions that would have made the Reds still bad but with money to spend elsewhere.
Now, Wily Mo Pena I was wrong about. And Rich Aurilla. And Scott Hatteburg too.
"I came here to kick ass and chew bubble gum... and I'm all out of bubble gum."
- - Rowdy Roddy Piper
"It takes a big man to admit when he is wrong. I am not a big man"
- - Fletch
Championships for MY teams in my lifetime:
Cincinnati Reds - 75, 76, 90
Chicago Blackhawks - 10, 13, 15
University of Kentucky - 78, 96, 98, 12
Chicago Bulls - 91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98
“Everything that happens before Death is what counts.”
― Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes
You are right, Walt knew the impact Rolen could have on the clubhouse and the other players. But we were also talking about him getting lucky with his health. I could have seen the doctors telling Walt "Look, you are going to get Rolen for 125 or so games and those 35 or so games he will miss will either be on your terms or in the form of 2 or more stints on the DL".
The Reds have done well with him this season and we can't say that it has definitely been all about luck. They picked their spots when to rest him and to this point it has worked well.
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