Draped in Bunting
All hands on deck for the return of Cap'n Hook! Unloveable curmudgeon Frank Robinson will be returning to the helm of the S.S. Natty in 2006. Along for the ride on our ship of fools: bench coach "Fast Eddie" Rodriguez and pitching coach Randy "Wanna See Me Outduel Tomko?" St. Claire. Cast adrift on the open seas: first base coach Don Buford; third base coach Dave Huppert; bullpen coach Bob Natal and alleged hitting coach Tom McCraw.
Quick Analysis: Hallelujah, let's go find us a real hitting instructor. And with Huppert gone, someone may actual score from second this season. Mitchell Page (aka How Marlon Byrd Got His Swing Back) is the most likely candidate to take over for McCraw. The base coaches are pretty much up in the air, but don't be surprised to see yet more former Reds make an appearance.
Second analysis: With both Robinson and Rodriguez back, the in-game strategy will be virtually identical to last year. While it doesn't make any sense to saddle a manager with a bench coach he doesn't like, it makes even less sense to bring these two back as a team. Expect plenty more hit-and-runs and sacrifice bunts. Let's hope Marbert Fickerson has as-yet-untapped Jamey Carroll-esque bunting ability.
2 comments:
I completely ignored the title of this post until just now. That's a good one.
If the world turns upside down and dogs and cats start living together Soriano will be on base and able to take advantage of Cap'n Hook's propensity for small ball.
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