SE Player Haters Ball
07-15-2018
, 12:08 AM
Quote:
Michael Scott Matheny
The final 3 games of the NLCS were a microcosm of the last 3 seasons. The baseball world has now seen what we have been dealing with since 2012. Bullpen mismanagement. Head-scratching decisions. Double-switches that leave us worse off than we were before. Yes, his predecessor TLR was notorious for double-switches, but at least there was a method to Tony's madness. With Matheny, it's just madness.
I've stayed pretty silent on the issue, but I've had all I can stands, I can't stands no more! For anyone needing a refresher:
NLCS Game 3: In the bottom of the 10th, Randy Choate was inserted into the game, while Martinez and Rosenthal (and even Wacha) were left in the bullpen. Matheny was presumably "playing the percentages", and lining up lefty-on-lefty matchups. What he didn't realize is that those matchups don't work if your pitcher can't hit the strike zone, and can't get anyone out.
Choate faced 3 batters. And after a walk, a hit, and a throwing error by Choate himself, the Cardinals found themselves down 2-1. A tough loss, but by no means was the series over.
NLCS Game 4: Another blown save and loss by the bullpen, this one on Marco Gonzales. Sure, Matt Adams did not make the best decisions on back-to-back plays in the bottom of the 6th, but those are the type of situational baseball plays you have to cover in spring training. Matheny's lackadaisical stance towards errors and general defensive play came back to bite him once again.
NLCS Game 5: Matheny certainly saved his best for last. In the bottom of the 9th, with the game tied 3-3, and the season on the line, he turned to...MICHAEL WACHA! Sure, Wacha was the 2013 NLCS MVP, but he's a shell of the pitcher that won that award. He hadn't pitched competitively in 20 days. He was relegated to the bullpen for the postseason. And you all know the rest.
Single. Flyout. Walk. Series-ending and pennant clinching 3-run home run. And all the while, the entire pen (except for Neshek) watched the season slide away. He overlooked Maness, Martinez, Rosenthal, and even his pet lefty Choate.
"We can't bring him in, in a tie-game situation. We're on the road." - Matheny on why he did not use Rosenthal.
YOU ****ING MORON! If Rosenthal was "do-not-touch-without-the-lead", fine. But Wacha was not the choice in that spot. Wacha was doomed from the moment of the first pitch to Sandoval. And you set him up for failure! What kind of leadership is that? Is that more servant leadership bull****?
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THIS MAN MANAGE THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS BASEBALL CLUB IN 2015. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JOHN MOZELIAK, FIND SOMEONE BETTER. Hell, I'd even take Dusty Baker at this point.
Three seasons. Three trips to the playoffs. Three visits to the NLCS. And zero titles.
Micromanaging every single game. Out-managed every time it counted.
We will eventually win our 12th world championship. Someone other than Matheny will lead us there.
MATHENY OUT!
The final 3 games of the NLCS were a microcosm of the last 3 seasons. The baseball world has now seen what we have been dealing with since 2012. Bullpen mismanagement. Head-scratching decisions. Double-switches that leave us worse off than we were before. Yes, his predecessor TLR was notorious for double-switches, but at least there was a method to Tony's madness. With Matheny, it's just madness.
I've stayed pretty silent on the issue, but I've had all I can stands, I can't stands no more! For anyone needing a refresher:
NLCS Game 3: In the bottom of the 10th, Randy Choate was inserted into the game, while Martinez and Rosenthal (and even Wacha) were left in the bullpen. Matheny was presumably "playing the percentages", and lining up lefty-on-lefty matchups. What he didn't realize is that those matchups don't work if your pitcher can't hit the strike zone, and can't get anyone out.
Choate faced 3 batters. And after a walk, a hit, and a throwing error by Choate himself, the Cardinals found themselves down 2-1. A tough loss, but by no means was the series over.
Spoiler:
NLCS Game 4: Another blown save and loss by the bullpen, this one on Marco Gonzales. Sure, Matt Adams did not make the best decisions on back-to-back plays in the bottom of the 6th, but those are the type of situational baseball plays you have to cover in spring training. Matheny's lackadaisical stance towards errors and general defensive play came back to bite him once again.
NLCS Game 5: Matheny certainly saved his best for last. In the bottom of the 9th, with the game tied 3-3, and the season on the line, he turned to...MICHAEL WACHA! Sure, Wacha was the 2013 NLCS MVP, but he's a shell of the pitcher that won that award. He hadn't pitched competitively in 20 days. He was relegated to the bullpen for the postseason. And you all know the rest.
Single. Flyout. Walk. Series-ending and pennant clinching 3-run home run. And all the while, the entire pen (except for Neshek) watched the season slide away. He overlooked Maness, Martinez, Rosenthal, and even his pet lefty Choate.
"We can't bring him in, in a tie-game situation. We're on the road." - Matheny on why he did not use Rosenthal.
YOU ****ING MORON! If Rosenthal was "do-not-touch-without-the-lead", fine. But Wacha was not the choice in that spot. Wacha was doomed from the moment of the first pitch to Sandoval. And you set him up for failure! What kind of leadership is that? Is that more servant leadership bull****?
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THIS MAN MANAGE THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS BASEBALL CLUB IN 2015. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JOHN MOZELIAK, FIND SOMEONE BETTER. Hell, I'd even take Dusty Baker at this point.
Spoiler:
Three seasons. Three trips to the playoffs. Three visits to the NLCS. And zero titles.
Micromanaging every single game. Out-managed every time it counted.
We will eventually win our 12th world championship. Someone other than Matheny will lead us there.
MATHENY OUT!
10-01-2020
, 06:55 PM
Quote:
**** Cincinnati sports. **** it all to hell. Nothing ever goes right here. The only thing positive about Cincinnati sports is we're not Cleveland. And then the Bengals go and lose to a 29 year old rookie all time terrible ****ty QB by double digits in a game where Cleveland had a streak of 7, yes SEVEN ****ING STRAIGHT drives without a first down! Regular season football games shouldn't bother me like this. Especially when its the Bengals. I should know better.
I'm already bracing for the nationally televised beatdown that's coming on Sunday when the Stealers finally figure out how to play a complete game, because what better way to fix your problems than play the god damn worst franchise in sports for the past 20 some years. So of course I stupidly have tickets to the game to watch the dismantling in person. MASOCHISM IS FUN FOR EVERYONE !!!
At this point, it shouldn't even be a surprise. I really blame myself. I don't know why I'm so ****ing naive and easily duped into believing that, well maybe this year could be the year. I feel like the damn kid in the Angels in the Outfield movie asking "God, if there is a god, could you let them win just a little." Seriously. That's. JUST A ****ING LITTLE. I DONT NEED A DAMN SB championship or a NCAA title or a WS ring, but just 1, ****ing home playoff game win. Just one! That's not unreasonable yknow. I've tried every amount of voodoo, rituals, superstitions and any other irrational nonsense that causal sports fan does to reverse this curse. I've tried new hats, rally hats, watch the game on the couch, in my recliner, go to my parents, go to a friends house, watch at a bar, and no matter what happens or what voodoo I try to conjure up it just ends up teasing me Charlie Brown and Lucy style. So
I've STILL never been able to actually experience a real great sporting moment deep in the postseason in Cincinnati history. I was only 5 y/o when the Reds won the WS in 90, so that doesn't really count and while I remember the Bearcats making the Final 4 in 92 with Nick 'shove a ref into the scorer's table' Van Exel'
that I was more concerned with playing video games with my friends that were over at my parents house for that game.
In 95, I was 10 years old when the Reds last won a playoff series and was at the game when Mark Lewis hit the first pinch hit Grand Slam in post season history. They at least won a playoff series that year, but it still felt tainted after the strike and all that went on then. Baseball wasn't "back yet." Then we ran into the buzz saw that was the Braves, with Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz finally having the stars align for them to breakthrough for their only WS. Reggie Sanders must've struck out 29 times in that 4 game sweep vs the Braves.
At that time, the Bengals were a joke. As you can tell, a lot has changed since then. Sunday afternoons were spent watching the first half, then raking leaves and playing outside, but at least the Bearcats basketball team was good. Well, at least until the tournament would roll around when they'd choke away every meaningful game. Multiple 1 seeds year after year to go out in rd 2 combined with bad draws. The 1 season they were a 1 seed that had to play a 8/9 seed UCLA in rd 2 that underachieved with Slimy Lavin as the HC and had Matt Barnes, Jason Kapono and Dan Gadzuric plus who knows who else on it. That may sound like a ****ty team, but when you have 3 future professionals on it and it you end up with a ****tastic seed, you could damn well guarantee they'd get matched up with Cincy. Or, the tournament game that Darnell Burton got tackled in with <45 seconds left and UC having the ball and the lead and somehow gets called for a mutha****ing travel. Or the tournament game where a WVirginia player at the buzzer banked in a 3 from 35 feet ftw that was tipped by Ruben 'I rape women and am so deluded that I believe I can shut down Kobe Bryant" Patterson.
Continue years and years of futilty in all things nationally relevant, the Reds make the trade of the century giving up a pile full of nothing to get the at the time GOAT centerfielder to watch him break down once he hit thirty and end up tearing his hamstring off the bone.
Oh what was that? I forgot about 99. Yea 19 ****ing 99, the year MSU shipped the national title in cbb with Mateen Cleaves and MO Pete, does anyone remember who was #1 before hand? A UC team with KMart (#1 overall pick) Dermarr Johnson (top 10 pick who wouldve been star if not for a car wreck derailing his career) and super role players in Kenny Satterfield, Pete Mickael, Jermaine Tate and future POY Steve Logan. That team may not have won the nat title bc the one and done luck sack filled variance fest of the NCAA tournament, but they were THE best team that season. KMart was a thug and always was a thug but that guy had so much heart. And that team had so much talent and heart with a super star with massive WIM, and if you dont remember watch the last 4 minutes on youtube of this game with Kmart LITERALLY putting the team on his back vs Depaul, before Depaul was DepauLOL a team with 2 future pros Bobby Simmons and Quentin Richardson.
SO what happens in the conf tournament? Of course Kmart snaps his **** up and breaks his leg. GG season
Griffey snaps his hamstring up. And his groin. And loses his bones out on the field somewhere for Dusty to bury them
Finally get relevant in football. CP9 tears his knee up ON THE FIRST ****ING PLAY VS THE STEALERS IN THE PLAYOFFS with Kimo von Scumbag and the rules change once the **** happens to Brady later on. And of course the Bengals still had a halftime lead with ****ING JON ****ING I LOVE JESUS KITNA AT QB, just to ****in tease me and give me hope only to blow the game eventually. Do I even get my god damn schadenfreude by having the Stealers lose. Nope, they luckbox the superbowl as a ****ing 6 seed Wild Card in a tainted, I mean TAINTED SB VS SEATTLE THAT WAS GIFTED TO THEM.
Fast forward a few years of futility and a CP9 blown out elbow and the 2010 Reds are somehow luckboxing the playoffs. What do they do? Get ****ing swept and NO HIT BY GOAT HALLADAY. They can't just lose 3-0. No, they have to get no hit. IN A PLAYOFF GAME.
And now this. ****ing this. Blow a 2-0 lead with all ****ing 3 games at home after seeing our #1 starter pitching a total of 8 pitches and put on the DL while our superstar 250 mill$$ MVP is stuck playing through a knee injury and was nothing more than an elite slap hitter without any speed. At least when this all went down I could talk myself into the collapse as a net positive bc OBVIOUSLY YOU'D HAVE TO FIRE DUSTY BAKER AFTER A CHOKE OF THAT MAGNITUDE. NOPE!!! NOT IN CINCINNATI. God damn muther****ing dusty baker gets a 2 year extension for managing the biggest ****ing choke job in the playoffs. Does he play the ROY candidate in Todd Frazier? Of course not. Why? Bc Scotty is old and this is his last go around. I **** you not. That's the ****ing rationale that Dusty Baker gave to the media in Cincinnati. I hate the Cincinnati media. Grow a god damn spine. The Sports reporters here are so afraid of losing access to Baker that none of them have a ****ing ounce of a testicle to call him out on this nonsense. This is one time that I'm truly jealous of NY and Boston, bc with that many writers at least someone will always point out the ******ed moves and logic that takes place. AND NOW I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS **** FOR ANOTHER 2 ****ING YEARS!!?!?!?!?? WHAT THE **** ARE YOU DOING WALT???? CASTELLINI???? HOW CAN YOU GUYS WANT HIM BACK AT THIS POINT????
EVEN IF HE WAS DECENT,WHICH HE WASNT, HE STILL ALMOST DIED THIS YEAR! ARRRRRRRRG1!! CMON OLD AGE AND HEART ATTACKS. DO YOUR DAMN JOB NEXT TIME and kick it up a notch and do us a favor and put that old dog out of his misery
AND TO TOP all this **** OFF, THE GOD DAMN CARDINALS ARE UP 2-1 IN THE NLCS AND look to be unstoppable right now. I mean seriously, just gouge my eyes now bc I can't walk by a damn tv anywhere without seeing a SPORTSCENTER HIGHLIGHT OF MATT CARPENTERS HOME RUN AND HOW THIS TEAM JUST KNOWS HOW TO WIN IN OCTOBER. Im sure you're a nice guy matt. But **** YOU MATT CARPENTER, AND **** THE CARDINALS. AND **** YOU TOO MATT HOLIDAY YOU DIRTY ASS PIECE OF **** doing one of the pussiest and ******** bull****ing chicken**** bush league slides I've ever seen on SCUTARO. But you're just playing the game hard right. **** that and **** you. And **** the ****ing muther****ing Cardinals. Where's my ****ing schadenfreude???!?!?! That's all I've ever enjoyed as a sports fan here.
So that's what I've been reduced to as a Cincinnati sports fan. I'm forced to root for the god damn SF team that just delivered the most painful stomach punch I've felt in forever and can't even get to root against SF. **** this. **** that. ****KKKKKK!
SCHADENFREUDE IS ALL I HAVE, SO YOU BETTER COME BACK SAN FRAN!?!?! I NEED THIS.
Siri,
What's the most efficient way to kill myself
With pessimistic hatred and self loathing misery,
**** you Cincinnati sports. ****ING CHOKERS!!! **** YOU!!!!
I'm already bracing for the nationally televised beatdown that's coming on Sunday when the Stealers finally figure out how to play a complete game, because what better way to fix your problems than play the god damn worst franchise in sports for the past 20 some years. So of course I stupidly have tickets to the game to watch the dismantling in person. MASOCHISM IS FUN FOR EVERYONE !!!
At this point, it shouldn't even be a surprise. I really blame myself. I don't know why I'm so ****ing naive and easily duped into believing that, well maybe this year could be the year. I feel like the damn kid in the Angels in the Outfield movie asking "God, if there is a god, could you let them win just a little." Seriously. That's. JUST A ****ING LITTLE. I DONT NEED A DAMN SB championship or a NCAA title or a WS ring, but just 1, ****ing home playoff game win. Just one! That's not unreasonable yknow. I've tried every amount of voodoo, rituals, superstitions and any other irrational nonsense that causal sports fan does to reverse this curse. I've tried new hats, rally hats, watch the game on the couch, in my recliner, go to my parents, go to a friends house, watch at a bar, and no matter what happens or what voodoo I try to conjure up it just ends up teasing me Charlie Brown and Lucy style. So
I've STILL never been able to actually experience a real great sporting moment deep in the postseason in Cincinnati history. I was only 5 y/o when the Reds won the WS in 90, so that doesn't really count and while I remember the Bearcats making the Final 4 in 92 with Nick 'shove a ref into the scorer's table' Van Exel'
that I was more concerned with playing video games with my friends that were over at my parents house for that game.
In 95, I was 10 years old when the Reds last won a playoff series and was at the game when Mark Lewis hit the first pinch hit Grand Slam in post season history. They at least won a playoff series that year, but it still felt tainted after the strike and all that went on then. Baseball wasn't "back yet." Then we ran into the buzz saw that was the Braves, with Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz finally having the stars align for them to breakthrough for their only WS. Reggie Sanders must've struck out 29 times in that 4 game sweep vs the Braves.
At that time, the Bengals were a joke. As you can tell, a lot has changed since then. Sunday afternoons were spent watching the first half, then raking leaves and playing outside, but at least the Bearcats basketball team was good. Well, at least until the tournament would roll around when they'd choke away every meaningful game. Multiple 1 seeds year after year to go out in rd 2 combined with bad draws. The 1 season they were a 1 seed that had to play a 8/9 seed UCLA in rd 2 that underachieved with Slimy Lavin as the HC and had Matt Barnes, Jason Kapono and Dan Gadzuric plus who knows who else on it. That may sound like a ****ty team, but when you have 3 future professionals on it and it you end up with a ****tastic seed, you could damn well guarantee they'd get matched up with Cincy. Or, the tournament game that Darnell Burton got tackled in with <45 seconds left and UC having the ball and the lead and somehow gets called for a mutha****ing travel. Or the tournament game where a WVirginia player at the buzzer banked in a 3 from 35 feet ftw that was tipped by Ruben 'I rape women and am so deluded that I believe I can shut down Kobe Bryant" Patterson.
Continue years and years of futilty in all things nationally relevant, the Reds make the trade of the century giving up a pile full of nothing to get the at the time GOAT centerfielder to watch him break down once he hit thirty and end up tearing his hamstring off the bone.
Oh what was that? I forgot about 99. Yea 19 ****ing 99, the year MSU shipped the national title in cbb with Mateen Cleaves and MO Pete, does anyone remember who was #1 before hand? A UC team with KMart (#1 overall pick) Dermarr Johnson (top 10 pick who wouldve been star if not for a car wreck derailing his career) and super role players in Kenny Satterfield, Pete Mickael, Jermaine Tate and future POY Steve Logan. That team may not have won the nat title bc the one and done luck sack filled variance fest of the NCAA tournament, but they were THE best team that season. KMart was a thug and always was a thug but that guy had so much heart. And that team had so much talent and heart with a super star with massive WIM, and if you dont remember watch the last 4 minutes on youtube of this game with Kmart LITERALLY putting the team on his back vs Depaul, before Depaul was DepauLOL a team with 2 future pros Bobby Simmons and Quentin Richardson.
SO what happens in the conf tournament? Of course Kmart snaps his **** up and breaks his leg. GG season
Griffey snaps his hamstring up. And his groin. And loses his bones out on the field somewhere for Dusty to bury them
Finally get relevant in football. CP9 tears his knee up ON THE FIRST ****ING PLAY VS THE STEALERS IN THE PLAYOFFS with Kimo von Scumbag and the rules change once the **** happens to Brady later on. And of course the Bengals still had a halftime lead with ****ING JON ****ING I LOVE JESUS KITNA AT QB, just to ****in tease me and give me hope only to blow the game eventually. Do I even get my god damn schadenfreude by having the Stealers lose. Nope, they luckbox the superbowl as a ****ing 6 seed Wild Card in a tainted, I mean TAINTED SB VS SEATTLE THAT WAS GIFTED TO THEM.
Fast forward a few years of futility and a CP9 blown out elbow and the 2010 Reds are somehow luckboxing the playoffs. What do they do? Get ****ing swept and NO HIT BY GOAT HALLADAY. They can't just lose 3-0. No, they have to get no hit. IN A PLAYOFF GAME.
And now this. ****ing this. Blow a 2-0 lead with all ****ing 3 games at home after seeing our #1 starter pitching a total of 8 pitches and put on the DL while our superstar 250 mill$$ MVP is stuck playing through a knee injury and was nothing more than an elite slap hitter without any speed. At least when this all went down I could talk myself into the collapse as a net positive bc OBVIOUSLY YOU'D HAVE TO FIRE DUSTY BAKER AFTER A CHOKE OF THAT MAGNITUDE. NOPE!!! NOT IN CINCINNATI. God damn muther****ing dusty baker gets a 2 year extension for managing the biggest ****ing choke job in the playoffs. Does he play the ROY candidate in Todd Frazier? Of course not. Why? Bc Scotty is old and this is his last go around. I **** you not. That's the ****ing rationale that Dusty Baker gave to the media in Cincinnati. I hate the Cincinnati media. Grow a god damn spine. The Sports reporters here are so afraid of losing access to Baker that none of them have a ****ing ounce of a testicle to call him out on this nonsense. This is one time that I'm truly jealous of NY and Boston, bc with that many writers at least someone will always point out the ******ed moves and logic that takes place. AND NOW I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS **** FOR ANOTHER 2 ****ING YEARS!!?!?!?!?? WHAT THE **** ARE YOU DOING WALT???? CASTELLINI???? HOW CAN YOU GUYS WANT HIM BACK AT THIS POINT????
EVEN IF HE WAS DECENT,WHICH HE WASNT, HE STILL ALMOST DIED THIS YEAR! ARRRRRRRRG1!! CMON OLD AGE AND HEART ATTACKS. DO YOUR DAMN JOB NEXT TIME and kick it up a notch and do us a favor and put that old dog out of his misery
AND TO TOP all this **** OFF, THE GOD DAMN CARDINALS ARE UP 2-1 IN THE NLCS AND look to be unstoppable right now. I mean seriously, just gouge my eyes now bc I can't walk by a damn tv anywhere without seeing a SPORTSCENTER HIGHLIGHT OF MATT CARPENTERS HOME RUN AND HOW THIS TEAM JUST KNOWS HOW TO WIN IN OCTOBER. Im sure you're a nice guy matt. But **** YOU MATT CARPENTER, AND **** THE CARDINALS. AND **** YOU TOO MATT HOLIDAY YOU DIRTY ASS PIECE OF **** doing one of the pussiest and ******** bull****ing chicken**** bush league slides I've ever seen on SCUTARO. But you're just playing the game hard right. **** that and **** you. And **** the ****ing muther****ing Cardinals. Where's my ****ing schadenfreude???!?!?! That's all I've ever enjoyed as a sports fan here.
So that's what I've been reduced to as a Cincinnati sports fan. I'm forced to root for the god damn SF team that just delivered the most painful stomach punch I've felt in forever and can't even get to root against SF. **** this. **** that. ****KKKKKK!
SCHADENFREUDE IS ALL I HAVE, SO YOU BETTER COME BACK SAN FRAN!?!?! I NEED THIS.
Siri,
What's the most efficient way to kill myself
With pessimistic hatred and self loathing misery,
**** you Cincinnati sports. ****ING CHOKERS!!! **** YOU!!!!
Quote:
Some things never change. Tonight actually topped every single ****ty thing in the history of Cincinnati sports.
I have two boys now that are 3 and 1. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure they don't like the same teams I do, because I can't subject them to this torture.
****kkkkkk
I have two boys now that are 3 and 1. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure they don't like the same teams I do, because I can't subject them to this torture.
****kkkkkk
I ain't even mad. Not even sad. Not a little bit.
Just numb. Completely devoid of feeling anything. This must be like what a depressed person feels when they give you the wrong dosage/medicine and you end up like a temporary zombie. I think I'm dead inside.
10-02-2020
, 12:13 AM
(I'm a Reds fan and Bengals, but at least I have Kentucky basketball)
(though seeing "Kentucky's road to the Final Four got even easier." in the comment section stings)
10-02-2020
, 09:22 AM
02-15-2021
, 09:51 PM
01-17-2022
, 03:27 PM
01-30-2022
, 11:27 PM
01-31-2022
, 12:22 AM
01-31-2022
, 12:55 AM
01-31-2022
, 03:44 AM
