Jimmy "The Hook" Williams had a bettter strategy for starting pitching utilization? Dierker got the job done. His record stands for itself.
Dierker drove me nuts. I don't ever recall seeing a manager get more out-managed in a playoff series than he did that year against the Braves.
So Dierker should have known that Biggio and Bagwell would s*ck and should have benched them? Dierker's managing got the Astros to the playoffs. Doesn't that count for something?
Dierk's philosophy was great for a veteran club with strong starting pitching during the regular season. He did not adapt to the playoffs. What does Jimy have to do with anything we're talking about?
No, but he could have brought in Dotel instead of Mike Freaking Jackson. OH, and, when playing against the best of the best, sitting on one's ass and waiting for a dinger or big inning is not a good strategy. That'll beat the scrubs to the tune of 95+ games/year, but you can't play that game with the big boys. It's called small ball. Look it up. I was one of the whiny fans calling for Dierk's head in 2001. I was horrified, however, when they hired Jimy Williams.
Jimy was touted as a great bench manager and a great teacher. The Anti-Dierker. The only problem was that he could not make the playoffs with essentially the same talent Derk had. Derk had a great run as manager with the Astros. His teams did not win a world series, which can't be the final say in rating his managerial skills. BTW, how many world series has Garner won? Does that make him a not-great manager?
So this was the singular reason why the Astros did not beat the Braves? How many abats did Biggio and Bagwell have? How well did they do with RISP?
Jimy WAS the anti-Dierk as far as in-game strategy goes (and he IS a great teacher, his rep in that regard is sterling throughout baseball). Dierk undermanaged, Jimy micromanaged. Both have their weaknesses. Again, Jimy's success or lack thereof has nothing to do with any critique of Dierker. Or are you suggesting Dierk should have stayed on after '01? Again, the regular season - and the strategy used - is different than the playoffs. As I said earlier, Dierk was an excellent manager for a veteran team with strong starting pitching DURING THE REGULAR SEASON. He failed at the basic task for any manager - putting the right players in the right situations so they have the best possible chance of success - repeatedly in the playoffs. Is it totally the manager's fault, of course not, players have to perform. But managers serve a purpose, and that purpose is magnified in the playoffs, and Dierker's shortcomings as a manager played a part in the team's failure. Also, for you to say that "Biggio & Bagwell sucked in the playoffs" and not mention any number of others - C.Everett, Alou, Wagner, Reynolds & others - is disingenuous at best, ignorant at worst.
Check the last half of the referenced post, which seems to have gotten lost in your quote of it. How many mediocre managers have that kind of talent for 5 years? The argument was always, "Don't blame Dierk; he can't swing the bat for those guys." Well, isn't it disingenuous to employ this argument in his defense in one breath and credit him with the great regular season records in the next? Dude could manage against sorry teams--by not managing. When the challenge was tougher, and leadership was required, a pat on the ass, a smile, and a Hawaiian shirt just weren't enough.
Biggio and Bagwell were the team's leaders, that is why I mentioned them. They did not lead. It is not like they hit for average in the playoffs, only to be foiled by sutpid manager moves. No, I am not. I am suggesting that Derk was a very good manager, Derk's playoff failures had more to do with his player's on field accompishments than his mismanagement, and playoff games are decided by 9 innings of play versus *that one pitch or abat*. Derk had a good five year run as manager. In 2001, it was time to find a new manager (like when the Rox replaced Rudy). Players win the games and championships. A change was needed and the manager as it should be was the man out.
Then wouldn't the regular season accolades also be less to his credit and more to the players? And the point is, Dierk mismanaged all 9 innings of the game. It's easy to point out MJ/OD like I did, but why in the hell didn't we run and bunt against freaking Millwood, Glavine, Smoltz, Brown, Maddox, et. al.? Because of that dumbass AL-minded offense Dierk *watched*. He didn't run it; it's not like he was making calls. Agreed. Good, not great.
