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45. Fence Sitting

The extremes in the world of Major League Baseball managerial philosophy are the Whitey Herzog school and the Earl Weaver school. Obviously, Ted and I tend toward Whitey's side, the side of using speed and small ball as the primary offensive skillset while putting a premium on defensive play. The rest of the world, it seems, likes the Weaver brand of conservative baseball, the play-for-the-three-run-homer-at-all-times philosophy. It's sad.

The Mariners have a broadcasting crew that frequently makes comments like, “let's see if he can get into one here” when a batter comes up, even when the situation calls for driving in a runner from second or third base to tie or go ahead in the game. “He's due for a long ball.” “We need to see some power out of him here.” No — especially with a team as sucky as the Mariners, what's needed in those cases is smart execution, not an all-or-nothing swing for the fences.

Anyway. I am but a lonely voice in the wind championing the rapidly fading memory of the Herzog School in a world of Earl Weavers.