[Mick]

Kapler got fired cause he was not respected by the players. You don’t hear comments like those made by Yaz and Webb very often. Nothing is worse from a managerial perspective then hearing that there is not a winning “culture” in the clubhouse and that several players were playing for themselves.

With the greatest of respect, when I hear players make those comments -- players who are performing poorly -- it sounds like convenient scapegoating, like when Stripling claimed he didn't understand how he was being used when his ERA was 9.75.

Melvin is not “Bochy lite”. Very different background - Melvin coming from 11 years of Moneyball.  He does, however, understand that he’s managing players, not chess pieces.

I referred to Melvin as Bochy-lite because they're both have similar profiles and not-very-different backgrounds. They're both Baby Boomer backup catchers who worked their way up the ranks, and they're both strong managers with lengthy careers managing west coast teams with career managing records of around .500. They're both liked and admired by the players. Both are humble and shift the spotlight to the players when things are going well, and don't criticize them when things go poorly.

One major exception is that Bochy is exceptional managing in the post-season...as he's proving right this very second. And that, to me, is why BoMel is Bochy lite...a term employed by Steve Henson of the LA Times in his 8/24 article.

Kapler was not “forced” to use openers three times in 5 games over a long period.  He could have started Manaea much earlier.  He also could have started Beck. Everyone platoons. Melvin certainly will. But he won’t do the “line shifts”. It’s a matter of balance and degree. 

Agree to disagree. The Giants had two reliable starters, and Manaea wasn't one of them, so he was, indeed, forced to use openers -- which was a very effective strategy. As of 8/23, the Giants' record using openers was 15-5.

You and others indicated great satisfaction in the hiring of Bob Melvin, the answer to everyone's prayers.  He had great relationships with players, is respected around the league, can help land the free agents that Robo-manager couldn't, so I figured it was a legitimate request to project the number of how wins that BoMel and Farhan will have next season with all the successful free agents that BoMel lands and the much-happier, much more content Giants players.

You don’t like Melvin. Got it.  Don’t understand why.  But you are entitled to your opinion. 

Not remotely correct. I never said that I didn't like Melvin, nor that I thought he would be ineffective. He's a 3x Manager of the Year, GK was only a 1x Manager of the Year. Obviously, Melvin knows how to manage both up and down, given his lengthy managing career. I just don't think he's going to be very successful, either in attracting high-profile free agents, or improving the results on Farhan's mediocre players. I certainly hope he does, I just think the odds are against it.

Here’s what I will commit to - they will win more than 78 games.   Melvin won’t wear body shirts or have Mini Me sitting next to him in the dugout.  And we won’t have three openers every five games. Coconut oil sales will drop. 

1. Maybe with a 15-5 record in openers, we should use openers 60% of the time.
2. Melvin has his own mini-me (Matt Williams). He'll choose a staff he's comfortable with, and they'll all be mini-me variations.
3. If I was shaped like Melvin, I wouldn't wear body shirts either.
4. 78 wins sounds disingenuous, unless you're tacitly admitting that Melvin will be a lesser manager than 79-win Kapler.

I'm asking for a prediction now because every review and every commentator I've read and heard (including Melvin himself) has claimed that BoMel's storied experience and great reputation and MLB contacts implicitly guarantee that now the Giants will be able to sign the best, high-level free agents, all of whom will want to come play for BoMel. Therefore, we don't need to wait for an actual roster, we can assume that a spectacular roster of mulitiple-year All-Stars is right around the corner. Given BoMel's exceptional upgrade over Coconut Head and BoMel's mystical abilities to sign top-level free agents, I must say that I'm disappointed in a 78-win projection, four wins less than BoMel's performance this year. I am trying to understand (a) the outpouring of love for a manager who failed with the most loaded lineup in the National League and the implicit promise that because of BoMel's disdain of coconut products, he will necessarily cause the Giants to sign successful free agents when Maxi-me couldn't and (b) that the players will rally round BoMel thanks to his experience, Gandalf-like wisdom and sparkling personality.

Based upon the near-universal love for BoMel, I would have expected a prediction of at least 95 wins and an NL West title...

[Mick]

Kapler got fired cause he was not respected by the players. You don’t hear comments like those made by Yaz and Webb very often. Nothing is worse from a managerial perspective then hearing that there is not a winning “culture” in the clubhouse and that several players were playing for themselves.

With the greatest of respect, when I hear players make those comments -- players who are performing poorly -- it sounds like convenient scapegoating, like when Stripling claimed he didn't understand how he was being used when his ERA was 9.75.

Melvin is not “Bochy lite”. Very different background - Melvin coming from 11 years of Moneyball.  He does, however, understand that he’s managing players, not chess pieces.

I referred to Melvin as Bochy-lite because they're both have similar profiles and not-very-different backgrounds. They're both Baby Boomer backup catchers who worked their way up the ranks, and they're both strong managers with lengthy careers managing west coast teams with career managing records of around .500. They're both liked and admired by the players. Both are humble and shift the spotlight to the players when things are going well, and don't criticize them when things go poorly.

One major exception is that Bochy is exceptional managing in the post-season...as he's proving right this very second. And that, to me, is why BoMel is Bochy lite...a term employed by Steve Henson of the LA Times in his 8/24 article.

Kapler was not “forced” to use openers three times in 5 games over a long period.  He could have started Manaea much earlier.  He also could have started Beck. Everyone platoons. Melvin certainly will. But he won’t do the “line shifts”. It’s a matter of balance and degree. 

Agree to disagree. The Giants had two reliable starters, and Manaea wasn't one of them, so he was, indeed, forced to use openers -- which was a very effective strategy. As of 8/23, the Giants' record using openers was 15-5.

You and others indicated great satisfaction in the hiring of Bob Melvin, the answer to everyone's prayers.  He had great relationships with players, is respected around the league, can help land the free agents that Robo-manager couldn't, so I figured it was a legitimate request to project the number of how wins that BoMel and Farhan will have next season with all the successful free agents that BoMel lands and the much-happier, much more content Giants players.

You don’t like Melvin. Got it.  Don’t understand why.  But you are entitled to your opinion. 

Not remotely correct. I never said that I didn't like Melvin, nor that I thought he would be ineffective. He's a 3x Manager of the Year, GK was only a 1x Manager of the Year. Obviously, Melvin knows how to manage both up and down, given his lengthy managing career. I just don't think he's going to be very successful, either in attracting high-profile free agents, or improving the results on Farhan's mediocre players. I certainly hope he does, I just think the odds are against it.

Here’s what I will commit to - they will win more than 78 games.   Melvin won’t wear body shirts or have Mini Me sitting next to him in the dugout.  And we won’t have three openers every five games. Coconut oil sales will drop. 

1. Maybe with a 15-5 record in openers, we should use openers 60% of the time.
2. Melvin has his own mini-me (Matt Williams). He'll choose a staff he's comfortable with, and they'll all be mini-me variations.
3. If I was shaped like Melvin, I wouldn't wear body shirts either.
4. 78 wins sounds disingenuous, unless you're tacitly admitting that Melvin will be a lesser manager than 79-win Kapler.

I'm asking for a prediction now because every review and every commentator I've read and heard (including Melvin himself) has claimed that BoMel's storied experience and great reputation and MLB contacts implicitly guarantee that now the Giants will be able to sign the best, high-level free agents, all of whom will want to come play for BoMel. Therefore, we don't need to wait for an actual roster, we can assume that a spectacular roster of mulitiple-year All-Stars is right around the corner. Given BoMel's exceptional upgrade over Coconut Head and BoMel's mystical abilities to sign top-level free agents, I must say that I'm disappointed in a 78-win projection, four wins less than BoMel's performance this year. I am trying to understand (a) the outpouring of love for a manager who failed with the most loaded lineup in the National League and the implicit promise that because of BoMel's disdain of coconut products, he will necessarily cause the Giants to sign successful free agents when Maxi-me couldn't and (b) that the players will rally round BoMel thanks to his experience, Gandalf-like wisdom and sparkling personality.

Based upon the near-universal love for BoMel, I would have expected a prediction of at least 95 wins and an NL West title...