Byrnes writing his ticket?

by iceplant on May 17, 2005 3:19 PM PDT

The last few quotes that I've read from Byrnes seem to suggest that he's trying to force the A's hand to trade him. It almost seems as if he's trying to make a petulous point by going on record in the paper saying "I don't care what he says" about his manager. Personally, I'm no Macha supporter, but it seems unnecessarily defiant to make statements like that. By the looks of Matt Watson last night, and Macha's dismissive response to Byrnes, my guess is that Byrnes will be riding the pine until he leaves (I'll bet within two weeks, especially if the A's get a little streak going here). Is this a good thing? I think it would behoove the A's to deal him now before other teams realize that the A's are dealing from a compromised position because he's a malcontent. The last thing they need with a young, floundering team is a charismatic guy like Byrnes to become the proverbial "clubhouse cancer". I would guess he might have more negative influence in the clubhouse than Macha could influence in the other direction (I don't think Macha has the ability to "rally the troops" in the least). Is this a concern? I say trade him now, before it becomes an issue. Then again, I've never been a fan of Byrnes as a player.

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Imagine if he tried that crap with Pinella?

Ouch!!! Or Mike Scoscia? Or laRussa, or any other coach in baseball?!?! He'd be fired!!!

Macha's response : DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'll sit down and DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH have a talk with him in the UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH next day or two!!!!

No wonder we lose under this loser!!!

by saint @ Athletics Nation on May 17, 2005 3:31 PM PDT reply actions

Too much credit

I think you're giving Spicoli too much credit. It takes intelligence to craft a plan and Spicoli lacks even the basic intelligence of lightening bugs. That said, I actually like Byrnes, but think he should just ride the pine like the 4th outfielder he was born to be.

by jubjub on May 17, 2005 3:36 PM PDT reply actions

It's ironic how you think about him

I think he's just the opposite. I thinkt he's smart, or maybe dumb like a fox. The whole Spicoli act is just his rich boy, Woodside cool guy upbringing coming through, and he plays it up because it goes over well with the media. But I do agree he's 4th outfielder quality, and not worth an ounce of clubhouse distraction.

by iceplant on May 17, 2005 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Macha should ride the bus..... out of town

He's a lump of uninspiring flesh in the dugout who relies on his players to inspire eachother. Dump him.

by AthleticsMojo on May 17, 2005 4:31 PM PDT up reply actions

What would you prefer?

I'm not exactly sure what you would prefer in a manager. As pretty much everyone on this site knows, Billy Beane has more control of this club than just about anyone else involved with the team, and certainly more than most general managers. A guy like Lou Pinella, or Jack McKeon, or Larry Bowa would not only never get hired, but would chafe at the restrictions placed on him by management (i.e. Beane). The "fiery" managers, the ones that "rally the troops" and "inspire" people are generally not the kind of guys willing to stick with a plan, to play within a system. They manage by instinct to a large extent. I don't think that getting rid of Macha and keeping Beane will result in any signicant difference in managerial styles. Now, if you want to get rid of Beane too, and let Lewis Wolff hire a new manager on his own, well, maybe there would be a change.

by el generico on May 18, 2005 7:33 AM PDT up reply actions

Doesn't have to be "fiery"

Macha doesn't have an ounce of people skills. His bullpen management is based on his questionable gut instincts. His handling of the lineup borders on the insane. The past two years he kept shuffling the lineups despite the fact we were winning. Now with the team losing he refuses to change the lineup? Talk about delayed reaction!

Wash is a guy whom players have said they admire and he has proven to be effective at mentoring young players. In contrast, nobody has ever said a word about Macha's ability to make his players better. Ever. Let's give Wash a chance. At this point, who cares if we make a couple of outs on the basepaths?

by OaktownTribesman on May 18, 2005 7:47 AM PDT up reply actions

Okay,...

"Macha doesn't have an ounce of people skills."

And you know him, so you have first-hand knowledge of this?

"His bullpen management is based on his questionable gut instincts."

Like last year, when the entire bullpen just naturally sucked? Or this year, when injuries to Calero, Cruz and Dotel are now taking a toll?

"The past two years he kept shuffling the lineups despite the fact we were winning."

I don't recall in any great lineup shuffles last year, but for the first half of 2003, our offense was also terrible. No one could hit, especially Tejada.

"Now with the team losing he refuses to change the lineup?"

We've had Hatteberg, Kielty, and Durazo hitting fourth, Scutaro hitting 2d, 8th, or 9th.

Macha is the easiest person to blame and has certainly made mistakes, but the amount of Macha bashing here is unfounded. People are more likely to remember his mistakes than his successes, or to blame him for failures when he is in fact managing a very flawed team.

"Put a Milo on him."
-Billy Beane

by kaweahkaweah on May 18, 2005 8:01 AM PDT up reply actions

kill the bum!

People are more likely to remember his mistakes than his successes, or to blame him for failures when he is in fact managing a very flawed team

Has any single manager or umpire ever done anything right in the history of the game -- ever?

In the absence of being able to actually do anything about it (such as starting the "belly rally") all we, as fans, have left when we lose is to blame the manager. We would have done something different and so clearly that would have been a better idea than something that has been proven to have not worked in one particular instance - hence, the manager is an idiot.

If you ask me, though, keeping a team whose two best players suffered significant injuries, whose third and fourth best players had poor seasons, and which had an attrocious bullpen focused and playing well enough to win 91 games and only miss the playoffs by 1 is a pretty darn solid job of managing.

I just needed something new here, since the season had started ...

by devo on May 18, 2005 9:20 AM PDT up reply actions

If only

I could manage the team. Then everything would be right, you'd see!

"Put a Milo on him."
-Billy Beane

by kaweahkaweah on May 18, 2005 9:38 AM PDT up reply actions

yes

Joe Torre

by miguel on May 18, 2005 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions

I was waiting for this thread

Byrnes comments are just perplexing...and sort of out of character for him..I guess the pay raise and celebrity status(espn show teammates) is getting to his mop head...can't wait 2 see how this plays out...

by oakwin2004 on May 17, 2005 4:32 PM PDT reply actions

Byrnes should have been named

the everyday leftfielder. He's done a lot for this team in the past and had potential to do more this year. But all tha bull he had to put up with from Billy Boy re: trade rumors and then Macha trying to put him his place by telling the press that no one had a lock in the outfield but Kotsay; the platooning when the season started; the benching everytime he went 0-for (did that happen to anyone else--NO)--this would have pissed me off too. No wonder he slumped. You would too if your bosses were playing bull shit mind games with you.

There are teams that wanted Byrnes to be an everyday outfielder, still do for that matter, so why should he be content putting up with Oakland's crap? The best thing that can happen to his career right now is to get out off of this Mickey Mouse team. He put up with it for 2 years; he should not have to put up with it again this year.

The Gadfly

by Just Me on May 17, 2005 4:53 PM PDT reply actions

Exactly.

Let him go to another team so he can hit .200 and butcher fly ball after fly ball with someone else.

Byrnes should enjoy playing with a "Mickey Mouse" team as you claim, since he looks like a cartoon character whenever he "plays." This guy truly is an amusement park out there, a genuine circus.

Great post Just Me, is it hard writing with a horn in your hand?

VacaAsFan

by Vacafan on May 17, 2005 6:29 PM PDT up reply actions

Put up with Oakland's crap??

How about his??

Under .200 vs. RHP-- why should he have been the starter??

Horrendous defense punctuated by an occasional thrilling play (well I guess even the bad ones can be thrilling)??

The memory of the "no, I didn't touch home plate" incident??

Cmon-- Beane's only regret now is that he didnt deal him in the offseason.

oaktoon

by oaktoon on May 18, 2005 12:09 PM PDT up reply actions

Couldn't agree more..

Even my wife, who loves the guy, said last night on a fly ball to right in the 9th, as the Kuiper said "And that is routine to Byrnes" my wife's response: "Uhm, there is no such thing."

"Hey Jay Stew, you have moles on your dome dude, ha ha, you always say that." Terrence

by rook on May 18, 2005 12:46 PM PDT up reply actions

Well it is obviously not a good fit.

The situation appears to be getting better rather than worse. Yet, I thought we'd be showcasing him until we could get him out of town. The trade Brynes drama has been getting a little played out. I wish they would just get it over with and send him somewhere where they don't care about hitting the cutoff man.

I'm the guy with the Carney Lansford jersey

by gojohn10 on May 17, 2005 5:24 PM PDT reply actions

even better, gojohn10,

how 'bout we become the team that cares about hitting the cut-off man? Pleeease! It's so easy--there's a nice man standing there, with his arms in the air, calling, "Me, me, throw it here!" Throw it to the nice man's chest. Gooood boy!

Nico

by Nico on May 17, 2005 5:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Just Me,

I think you've got the cause and effect wrong. Byrnes didn't slump because he wasn't playing every day. He slumped because he has a poor approach against RH pitchers and he makes adjustments at a rate normally associated with continental drift. Meanwhile, Byrnes couldn't earn everyday consideration for his defensive ability because he is so fundamentally unsound that he hurts a defense more than he helps it, and winds up being outperformed by slower (and uninspiring) outfielders such as Kielty.

If I want a speedy outfielder who can't hit, I may as well play Thomas. If I want a decent hitter who hurts me in the field, I may as well play Kielty. When I want a spastic nut-case who might do anything, I may as well play Byrnes--but that's not an everyday need, sorry.

Nico

by Nico on May 17, 2005 5:24 PM PDT reply actions

Too funny

"makes adjustments at a rate normally associated with continental drift." Truely a classic!

I'm the guy with the Carney Lansford jersey

by gojohn10 on May 17, 2005 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions

Actually

Kielty's a good fielder. A much better than Byrnes, in any case. Not a burner, but the Kotsay-Byrnes dichotomy shows that speed doesn't make a great outfielder.

As for the quote, I was surprised by it too, but then I'd probably have done the same thing in Byrnes' position (hitting the fan, I mean).

I do expect him to be traded. I still think he's a good guy, but he's too much of a liability on defense and not a complete enough hitter to make up for it.

by dchu on May 17, 2005 5:54 PM PDT up reply actions

What Nonsense!

Lots of players are regularly subjected to the trade rumor mill and they laugh it off or ignore it. If ByrnesBrain can't, it reflects on his mental deficiencies and underscores that he lacks a MLB mentality.

BrynesBrain can't hit righties, so even though he hit 20 dingers last year, neither he nor anyone else should have believed it was locked in stone that he would be a starter in 2005. And the way he has continued to struggle vs righties (sub .200 BA) and butcher balls in the OF, he has clearly demonstrated that he doesn't merit being a starter.

Now there is speculation in this diary that ByrnesBrain knocked Macha so that he could be traded. That's like giving a monkey credit for comprehending the Theory of Relativity. ByrnesBrain is simply pissed at Macha for platooning him, hence his unacceptable comments toward his manager.

All the A's fan sites but, of course, OAFC (where the posters hate both BB and Macha and are true morons), are critical of Byrnes for his unprofessional comments. And if you think BB and Macha should just ignore them, imagine if you had expressed such contempt for your boss. Most likely, you'd be out on your ass and headed to the unemployment line. And that's exactly where BB should dispatch Bumblin Byrnesy if another team isn't stupid enough to offer the A's a prospect for, in the words of Peter Gammons, that Crash Dummy's services...

by reztips on May 17, 2005 5:29 PM PDT reply actions

Why?

What beef do you have with OAFC? Fine, you don't like Lil and are against burning books - super! Why do you obsessively feel the need to bring them up constantly? Mentioning OAFC there did not add anything to your statement. In actuality, it detracted from it, since it made your writing sloppy. Why bring it up? Why are you obsessed with them?

I just needed something new here, since the season had started ...

by devo on May 18, 2005 9:25 AM PDT up reply actions

Cmon..it was over a fan on the field...

Big deal.

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on May 17, 2005 5:34 PM PDT reply actions

It WASN'T over a fan in the field

It was about Byrnes' attitude towards authority. Unlike a right-handed pitch or a cut-off man, the fan just happened to be something Byrnes actually hit.

Nico

by Nico on May 17, 2005 5:42 PM PDT reply actions

Byrnes' comments to the press

were quite a bit more what the A's don't like than what Guillen said back when he was on the team (all he did was complain that he wasn't being put in the lineup every day). So I imagine that the management is quite annoyed with Eric...and will likely do something about it.

by OaklandSi on May 17, 2005 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions

I bet you could get killer movement

if you threw a right handed pitch left handed (or vice versa)

I just needed something new here, since the season had started ...

by devo on May 18, 2005 9:26 AM PDT up reply actions

I don't buy the argument...

...that Byrnes would have done better if he was given the starting job.

Macha stated in April that Byrnes would get his 500 at bats this season. I'm not sure what else he needed to hear.

by Sharon on May 17, 2005 6:00 PM PDT reply actions

and didn't byrnes perform the last two years

when he didn't have the starting job?
except, of course, in the second half of 2003, when he had the starting job, yet couldn't hit at all.

"Popcorn pictures have always ruled. Why do people go see them? Why is the public so stupid? That's not my fault." --George Lucas on Star Wars

by xbhaskarx on May 17, 2005 6:22 PM PDT up reply actions

exactly.

by Sharon on May 17, 2005 6:29 PM PDT up reply actions

Byrnes hitting 9th tonight

... according to Yahoo Linueps !!

by HerbWashington on May 17, 2005 6:46 PM PDT reply actions

I wonder if John Mabry is available....

I'm the guy with the Carney Lansford jersey

by gojohn10 on May 17, 2005 7:12 PM PDT reply actions

too bad!

I thought the worm turned against Byrnes in all ways when he went on Best Damn Sports Show last year and acted silly...... right after Boston had hammered us. There is such a thing as Karma.

by steve g on May 18, 2005 6:02 AM PDT reply actions

He'll play a lot over the next week

I heard on the KFRC broadcast the A's may see five LHP in a row, starting with Wells today.

by almostreggie on May 18, 2005 8:54 AM PDT reply actions

One word some this up:

Ole!!!!!

Either at the plate or in the field, the Matador is going to play, and there is nothing we can do to stop it.

"Hey Jay Stew, you have moles on your dome dude, ha ha, you always say that." Terrence

by rook on May 18, 2005 9:26 AM PDT reply actions

RELAX A BIT ABOUT BYRNES, OKAY!

What we have here is a young man who has done virtually nothing thus far this season to prove he can play everyday against all types of pitching. He has been caught in a slump , which has been essentially team wide. Any redeeming qualities he may have, would appear on offense but his slump has made his weaknesses more obvious. He may be coming out of it now, too hard to say.
After "assisting" the fan off the field the other night, Byrnes has taken heat for doing the unconventional. He grabbed the fan. Some of us remember when that large busted kissing bandit confronted Nolan Ryan on the mound. What would have Byrnes done to her? His manager might not of liked his response in that instance, but Macha probably would have a smile on his face talking about it.
The fact is, the A's aren't in a strong position to deal right now, especially considering the short term memories of both fans and management in MLB. If Byrnes hasn't done much lately for Oakland, he may be a hard sell. His mouth won't necessarily get him out of Oakland unless he declares something completely outragious. By stating, " I act before I think" is telling us what we already know about him.
His play in the field will be the biggest reason he stays or goes. We already know that this is his last year in Oaktown anyway. Might as well enjoy him.

"If you burn your mouth on soup, you end up blowing on your yogurt"-Romanian Proverb

by Gerard on May 18, 2005 11:15 AM PDT reply actions

One the fan..

Macha is right, and would not say this publically, but who knows what that guy has on him. What if Byrnes grabs him and the dude has a knife? Would you rather have Byrnes grab him or the security guard?

If that lady was out at Byrnes, the only thing he would have to worry about is not getting hit with those plastic guns, and yes it would be hilariousssss, but she is known quanity.

If this team is built around young pitching and "defense" then it's time to start seeing some defense. Players need to be benched for making airhead plays, ala Byrnes and Hatty. Once our guys start hitting, we can afford to get some young defense in the field.

"Hey Jay Stew, you have moles on your dome dude, ha ha, you always say that." Terrence

by rook on May 18, 2005 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions