Why Bobby Cox can’t (and won’t) start Conrad in Game 4
Managerial mercy required. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Well, I’ve slept on it (though not well), and I’ve decided: Bobby Cox cannot start Brooks Conrad in Game 4 of the NLDS tonight. This has nothing to do with baseball strategy. It has everything to do with human kindness.
Brooks Conrad is a journeyman whose journey has led him into the wilderness, and he can see no way home. It’s incumbent on someone (meaning Cox) to come rescue him. It isn’t that Conrad has developed Steve Sax/Chuck Knoblauch Disease, where he can’t throw straight. Poor Brooks is so confused he can’t even think straight.
We saw it last night even at those times he wasn’t making an error. He looked to second base before throwing — accurately — to first base, and in the game’s strangest moment he called off Derrek Lee to run over and catch a pop that should have been the first baseman’s all along. It isn’t that Conrad isn’t trying. On the contrary, he’s trying so hard he can barely remember where to stand.
Credit Conrad for facing reporters after the worst postseason game any Brave has ever had. (Let’s recall that Lonnie Smith ducked out after stopping at second base in the Metrodome in 1991.) But now it’s up to Cox. He has to do the right thing: He has to bench Brooks.
If that means playing Troy Glaus at third base and letting San Francisco bunt three times an inning, so be it. (The Giants are starting Madison Bumgarner, who’s a lefthander, so having Glaus at third — as opposed to Eric Hinske — makes a bit of tactical sense.) Omar Infante can move back to second, and Conrad can go back to being a pinch-hitter.
The important thing is to get Conrad in the dugout. He’s doing no one any good at second base, himself least of all. (His evocative postgame words: “I wish I could dig a hole and sleep in it.”) And there’s no percentage in inflicting further indignity on the tough little guy whose big hits helped get the Braves beyond Game No. 162.
He’s doing his best, but at the moment his best isn’t very good. I’m not certain what Bobby Cox will decide, but if I’m anything of a Bobby reader after 25 years of study, I’d say he’d made up his mind last night. This would not be a punitive benching, a Charlie-Finley-trying-to-deactivate-Mike-Andrews-in-the-World-Series thing. This would be an act of mercy.
Update: The Braves have announced their lineup for tonight’s game. Glaus is starting at third base. Conrad isn’t starting.
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800 comments Add your comment
Bill Donohoo
October 11th, 2010
10:23 am
Please do not start Conrad or Glaus. Let Diory play second. I agree Cox should have put Diory in for defense in the 9th. Did McCann or Kimbrell call the pitch Sanchez hit? Whoever did made a mistake. McCann should overule Kimbrell if Kimbrell insisted, if McCann called the pitch then McCann screwed up.
Talk about dum moves, why in the worls would you take out J Sanchez?
Paul
October 11th, 2010
10:24 am
Did Brooks enter and win a fantasy baseball camp contest? Sign up and win a chance to play for a real Major League team including actual playoff appearances!!
wawel78
October 11th, 2010
10:24 am
Good point. I also think Conrad’s mental issues get worse if he goes out there today. I think he needs a good week to get sorted out.
I don’t have an issue with Cox pitching Dunn against Huff but if he’s going to do that, I wish he wouldn’t insult the fans by saying he could put Diory in because it would deplete the bench. Why can you deplete the pitching staff but not the bench? Doesn’t make sense.
I didn’t watch the game, only replays, so can someone tell my why Heyward didn’t call Brooks off on the first error? He appeared to be in good position to make the play but I’m only watching replays.
Tami
October 11th, 2010
10:24 am
Eric-C: Brooks is officially a 3B. http://braves.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=462405
Phil
October 11th, 2010
10:25 am
20 years of Bobby Cox, and it’s the same old crap. Thank God the nightmare ends this season.
Will
October 11th, 2010
10:25 am
Mark:
I was curious to see your comments regarding “no cheering in the press box” and your comment that you “almost” felt like cheering for these Braves.
What is the difference in cheering in the Press Box and cheering, as you unequivocally do in the blog?
Although I do not ordinarily have much interest in “blogs”, I happened to read your comments during the UGA-Miss. State game and read your cheering on UGA during the game.
Are you a sports journalist or a fan when you work and write?
Patrick Lowe
October 11th, 2010
10:26 am
Marcus Giles, Mark Lemke, Glenn Hubbard…..hell, at this point, I’d even throw Andres Thomas in there. Walt Weiss would have had all three of those grounders. CUT HIM TODAY! DON’T EVEN LET HIM IN THE PARK!!!
Get All The Illegals Out of Gwinnett
October 11th, 2010
10:26 am
The Braves every year build their team with strong pitching and mediocre (at best) offense. Now with key injuries that plan looks like swiss cheese. Just goes to show that next year we need some offense!
tom
October 11th, 2010
10:27 am
If Conrad gets in the game other than to pinch hit, all the fans need to leave their seats and go to the restroom or buy a dog and a coke. Send a message. Bobby has been known over the years to make the wrong call. Like way back in a [playoff game when it was raining and his pitcher obviously was finished, he kept in and they lost. Bless Bobby, he needs it today.
Nathan
October 11th, 2010
10:28 am
I would rather have a hurt Prado in the game than a well Conrad. The logical move is to pull Conrad as everybody has been saying, and put Troy at 3rd. And on a further note Melky never needs to see the field again and what was Bobby thinking when he put Nate in for the last out with our only hope of winning. McClouth had every bit of athletic ability knocked out of him when Heyward plowed over him. But Cox is showing his age and making some of the worst baseball decisions I have ever seen since my Tball days. I really hope the braves can pull it out through SF but if they do, there is going to be a rude awakening in Philly unless something changes.
Dirty Dawg
October 11th, 2010
10:28 am
Bravery, and you Mark, are right. Glaus should be at third -and as for the bunting, if a guy squares just to see if Troy can make the play, drill him…if he drag bunts (again to see if Troy can make the play) so that there’s no time to drill him, then drill the next guy. After a couple of efforts to ’show up’ the old man, they’ll get the message. It may not be the best strategy, but by damn that bunch from SanFran will learn some damn manners.
Agree that ‘The Kid’ should never have been pulled in the ninth…and somebody should never have called a breaking pitch that that guy could get a bat on…and as for Conrad, the pop-up should have been a routine play for Heyward, who’s acting weirder and weirder all the time. That, so-called, triple should have been a routine play for him if he hadn’t taken the wrong move when the ball was hit, and even with the bad move, he should have gloved it – and he didn’t hit the wall nearly hard enough for that ‘act’ he was pulling out there. It was clearly an effort to somehow gain some sympathy after he had botched that play…and then not to come in harder, and calling, on that pop-up was still more ‘attitude’ than anything else…and don’t even begin to get me started on his performance at the plate. The kid probably could benefit from starting out next year in the minors and I don’t care how much hit hurts his psyche.
Good luck tonight, and if we start Conrad we’ll need it…and McCann too for that matter.
SG10
October 11th, 2010
10:28 am
It is painful when you are one strike away from winning it..Kimbrel knew that his fast-ball only style was going to be caught up by the Giants eventually and if Giants made hard contact, it could have scored the tying run..can’t blame him for going with the other stuff against Sanchez. He thought he could freeze him with the slider. If not, it would be a ground ball, hopefully at somebody. Cox should have stayed with him instead of bringing another rookie. Of course, if Dunn gets that out then Cox would have looked genius but Dunn has struggled lately in key situations so no reason to think he wouldn’t there.
Home plate umpire (Immel?) has had awful series, with that blown call in that first game and inconsistent strike zone last night… He should be the MVP of the series if Giants go on to win this..
Updated Blog Title:
October 11th, 2010
10:29 am
Here’s why Bobby Cox starts drinking again after Game 3
Katherine
October 11th, 2010
10:29 am
What was even more sad last night was after his third error and before the braves came up they were showing conrad’s grand slam from earlier in the year and telling people to never give up…and everyone was just booing.
Ted M
October 11th, 2010
10:30 am
Bobby Cox should have absolutely positively known he could not trust his infield defense. Kimbrel is a strikeout machine that over rides the lefty/righty thing especially when the batter hits lefties better.
Bobby Cox messed up big time!
Abner Doubleplay
October 11th, 2010
10:31 am
Well heaven’s to Betsy! The Braves search for Bobby Cox’s replacement is over! Mark Bradley. This is just piling on. Conrad did what he did and Cox will manage as he manages. No need for armchair advice from the press box. If the Braves choose to release or trade Conrad during the off-season, so be it. In case you haven’t noticed, there are not many options, and Conrad is a Major League ballplayer. I would venture to guess every player in the Braves clubhouse trusts both Conrad and Cox to do their best. It’s disturbing to see fans and sportwriters (specatators) commenting on what should/could be done. I know it’s your job, but c’mon.
Bob Pettit
October 11th, 2010
10:31 am
Mark – Duh.
Sleep on it? I thought that’s what he was doing in the 8th & 9th last night……
reckingball
October 11th, 2010
10:31 am
Ted M @10;17…….Who is Jay Glazer? What team does he play for?
He probably stole it from someone else, as that line has been around since God created the first woman.
But women are the best thing that god ever made.
If he has made anything better, he has kept it up in heaven, for himself.
Tami
October 11th, 2010
10:32 am
Katherine
October 11th, 2010
10:23 am
Tami…but he made 3 errors that led to runs…not just one. How can you not blame the guy..I’m sure he is very sad…and I do feel bad for him..but the facts are the facts.
I have not disputed the errors. I do agree with you there. In fact, Brooks probably needs to play winter ball to work on fundamentals. He might not qualify, though. I’m not sure of the rules. Maybe he works with a private coach during the off-season to get better at IF defense? And, I’m aware that the problem with defense really needs to be fixed prior to game time tonight. Bobby doesn’t have a lot of options at this point. Most of his viable options are on the DL. If he plays Diory, will he be much better? Diory is also not tried & true in postseason situations. I’d like to see Glaus play 3B tonight (& Wed), Omar at 2B, and maybe Diory at SS tonight because Gonzo’s barely hitting. And if he gets steamed at the ump — rightly or wrongly — from a previous at-bat, he brings it on to the field and gets easily flustered. We don’t have a lot of answers. But dumping on ONE guy when it’s a team sport is seriously wrong. The ultimate fault lies with the fact that the TEAM couldn’t get one more lousy out AFTER the 9th inning error. We only had 2 on base with 2 outs. Usually, a pitcher would shake it off and try to induce a ground-ball or flyball out. It took how many — two or three pitchers to record the third out! What’s up with that? THAT was not Brooks’ fault.
Bobby Coccyx
October 11th, 2010
10:32 am
A guy who keeps sending Norton up to pinch hit surely will continue to play Conrad down to the last out…
juice sourcer
October 11th, 2010
10:33 am
As a former all star high school baseball player I made 3 errors at 3rd base to blow a playoff game and it was the worst feeling in the world….I can only imagine the pain Brooks must be feeling…gut feel is to bench him as this thing could get much worse for him tonight…the only reason to send him back out is so he can redeem himself with a good game to erase the horrible feelings he has right now…tough call.
Ted M
October 11th, 2010
10:33 am
lol – Glazer is on Fox’s NFL pregame show. They call him the NFL insider or something like that.
DOCTOBER
October 11th, 2010
10:33 am
Good morning Braves fans…Any questions?? Did you see what the Phillies did to the best hitting team in the NL??…to all of you who predicted a Reds sweep…GOOD CALL!! If the Braves have any brains, they will lay down today and let SF run head first into that buzzsaw called the Philadelphia Phillies…plus it will keep that punk Hudson from getting knocked to the dirt for hitting Polanco and Ruiz. By the way, that tomahawk chop is soooo bush league!! Better luck next year, Atlanta….
Katherine
October 11th, 2010
10:34 am
Abner…..that is ridiculous. This is a blog…for people to talk about things that have happened and to speculate as well. If you don’t like it…you really don’t have to be on it. After what I witnessed at turner field last night…there are lots of reasons for monday morning quarterbacking. I doubt anyone trusts Conrad to be back out there today at this point…..
TommyJack
October 11th, 2010
10:36 am
Send him to winter ball and let him learn the Catcher position. He looks like a catcher…might be comfortable there. Some team will keep him around for PH and back-up. The guy can hit. Especiallly from the left side.
Geno
October 11th, 2010
10:36 am
Replace Heyward with Hinske in right. Do it. Heyward’s mired in a slump and Hinske has post-season experience. Hinske in right and batting 6th. Let Gonzalez bat second. Quit throwing the same lineup out there that hasn’t scored a run off of Giants starters in THREE GAMES! Hinske in for Heyward. Everybody chant with me, “Hinske in for Heyward! Hinske in for Heyward!”
oldmike
October 11th, 2010
10:36 am
I know I am beating a REWALLY dead horse here, but, for all his supposed greatness, as a tactical manager in big games – can you say post season – Bobby Cox falls way short when it matters the most. Burn Glaus for Ankiel. Brings in Venters in the eighth when he could have closed. No defensive replacement for Conrad when he had Hernandez on the bench. Takes Kimbrell out for another useless lefty/righty switch when Huff hits lefties better than righties. Brings in Dunn who throws mid to upper 90’s and blows the first pitch by Huff and then hangs a slider/slow curve ( I blame Bobby here because he calls all the pitches). Burns 4 pitchers in the 9th which means Saito was all that was left out there if we tie in the boottme of the 9th or were tied. His overuse of the bullpen bites us year after year. If you have the stuff to get major league hitters out it doesn’t matter what side you throw from or who you are facing. Trust the stuff!!! But after saying all that the lineup is just so pathetic now with all oru injuries. And it wasn’t so hot before them. It’s amazing we made it this far. But this is far enough. I don’t want to see us against the Phils now. ANd one more thing. How many pitches have we swung and missed for a K that were not even close to the strike zone before they hit the dirt. Where is the approach that made us so tough early in the year. The Giants lay off closer pitches than we do. A message to Libert Media. Spend some money in the off season to bring an impact offensive guy in here. PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lifelong Braves' Fan
October 11th, 2010
10:37 am
As much as I feel bad for Conrad, there is NO way he should be in the lineup for tonight. Baseball is SUCH a mental game and it is tough to bounce back from a nightmarish game like that one. I hope we can recover from what was one of the most gutwrenching losses I can remember in a long time.
Katherine
October 11th, 2010
10:37 am
Doctober…typical phillies fan. You haven’t won the world series yet my friend….and as for the chop..its fun and a lot better then what philly fans do…like vomit on people and throw batteries
Elmer
October 11th, 2010
10:38 am
Stick with your closer Mr. Cox!
reckingball
October 11th, 2010
10:39 am
Mark Bradley……….I was just kidding at 10:12, but Cox is hard to figure out sometimes.
kaminari
October 11th, 2010
10:39 am
Will be happy to see Glaus in there. Afraid too little, too late. I feel bad Brooks. But this is a team game & his teammates will pick him. He’s much stronger on the bench & I just wonder why Bobby would let this happen. I mean, where is the humanity? You’re right on Mark. I hope we win & sweep this lousy loss under the rug. Go BRAVES!!
Abner Doubleplay
October 11th, 2010
10:40 am
CurlyHoward, Bobby Cox “micromanages”? Really? How about when Cox swapped Glaus (not exactly in the zone) for Sanchez (who was most definitely in the zone) in the bottom of the 8th? End result; Hinkse goes yard and the Braves take a 2-1 lead into the top of the 9th. The Braves were one pitch away from victory, but baseball doesn’t work that way. Any player – and any objective fan – will tell you a team wins as a team and loses as a team. Whiffing with runners in scoring postion, two-out walks, and errors lose games. As the saying goes, that’s why they play 9 innings. If Conrad doesn’t hit a game winning GS in June, the Braves aren’t even in the post-season.
@friendsofYAA
October 11th, 2010
10:41 am
I would start him in game 4. He is a huge reason the Braves are in the playoffs. Redemption is sweet and if anyone is due some good luck AND redemption, it is Conrad. He has the sad misfortune of being the goat that cost us the game in game 3, the odds of that happening again are slim to none. Give him a chance the redeem his performance, the Braves owe that to him. Let’s face it, they are not going to the World Series with this banged up team….Let him go get his chance for redemption.
VolGuy
October 11th, 2010
10:41 am
There is a reason that Brookd Conrad was a bench player when he got here. You are probably right when you say that he is pressing too much. Right now, the biggest problem is between his ears. The bottom line is that Bobby Cox did a terrific job getting a bunch of retreads and journeymen into the post season, but neither the Braves nor the Giants are good enough to beat the Phillies in the NLCS. I just wish that someone would buy the team and put enough money into it that Frank Wren wouldn’t have to keep constructing a starting lineup out of spit and duct tape.
face palm
October 11th, 2010
10:42 am
Sorry? Not anymore. I felt sorry for him after maybe 4 games with errors. But now, I’m over feeling sorry. This is the majors, it’s time to get you glove down and head out of your *ss and make a play.
I was at the game last night, and after the Hinske HR that place was insane. You could just feel they were about to win. Then Kimbrel was throwing GAS and I knew it was in the bag. Then instead of throwing another fastball they decided to go slider, DUMB.
Bringing Dunn in was dumb as well, should have went out there and tolf Kimbrel to just throw heat.
Sorry Brooksie, get your bags packed and go home.
wawel78
October 11th, 2010
10:44 am
oh and before I forget – I can’t stand Bobby and I’ll be glad when he’s out BUT if we’re going to bash him b/c Conrad was in the game, let’s also give him kudos for the Hinske HR (even though I think he’s making a mistake by not starting Hinske against RH’s).
Larry
October 11th, 2010
10:45 am
I blame Bobby for continuing to put Brooks in a position to fail. It was obvious in September when he played at 3rd that he was a very below average fielder and that is when they should have started working on plan B. Either way, the Braves are playing without 2 starters (Chipper & Prado), their closer Wagner, and Jair so the odds are stacked against them. Their outfield production has to be one of the worst on both leagues.
The Grinch
October 11th, 2010
10:45 am
Bobby’s tenure at the helm of the Braves may be the greatest managing paradox in MLB history.
When given teams full of all stars and HOF-er’s that make it to the post season purely on talent, he then puts them in a position to lose with his terrible big game tactical decisions and thus they do. And because he’s a great guy that everyone loves, he gets credit for their success when he had no part in it.
However, because of his personality, he gets mediocre teams (like this year’s and 1991’s) to believe in themselves enough to overachieve consistently enough to make it to the postseason, which actually is impressive and laudable. Then, because of his inability to make correct big game decisions he puts them in a position to lose all the same.
We win games we shouldn’t win, and lose games we shouldn’t lose. Unfortunately, it’s the big games that fall into the latter category and that’s what the fans are stuck with remembering every off season. It’s exciting, but terribly frustrating.
If it wasn’t for Tom Glavine and Dave Justice keeping Bobby from making a decision of any kind in ‘95, the net result would be nothing but coitus interruptus for his entire tenure. This is so unlike how other teams are managed it confuses people as to whether it’s good or bad (it’s both), and the national media has decided that they’re going to err on the side of good ultimately because Bobby’s a great guy and it’s impossible not to like him. I know; I’ve met him and I understand.
Is he ultimately a great manager? Yes and no. Is he ultimately incompetent? Yes and no. Will he ever be called out by the media for the “no” part? Not hardly. Unfortunately, that’s the only consistent part of Bobby’s tenure.
Newbomb Turk
October 11th, 2010
10:46 am
Let Glen Hubbard play 2B
Dwight
October 11th, 2010
10:46 am
Brooksie is a Braves infielder. As fans we can either dump on him or buck him up. I guarantee you his teammates are doing the latter, so it’s on us to help him out. Yes, next season it’s back to the bench for him, but for the next however many games its got to be “GO BROOKSIE!!!!!” for any Braves fan that wants to see the team advance.
JM
October 11th, 2010
10:46 am
Kimbrell should have been left in the game and Glaus should have started at 3rd…ugh..perhaps just one more game of Cox’s inept managing.
Nevada Roy
October 11th, 2010
10:47 am
Any player who makes 2 errors in 1 game (physical or mental, charged or not charged as an error) should be pulled from the game the next half-inning.
Shawny
October 11th, 2010
10:47 am
Mercy?!? He is a professional. This is his job. He does it poorly. It is not a recent phenomenon; it is a long term trend. If one of us did our primary job poorly, we would be in the unemployment line.
Yes, Cox does need to bench him, but it is not because he needs special treatment for his down in the dumps mentality. He needs benched because he is a defensive liability, on the worst defensive team in baseball.
Bobby won’t do it though. And while I am ranting, lets go back to game 1. The ONLY way the Braves win that game is to get Lincecum out of there. They ONLY way they get Lincecum out is for the game to be tied or the Braves ahead. So they HAVE to squash every scoring opportunity the Giants have. So, the Giants have the go ahead run at 2nd with the number 8 hitter batting… 2 outs. Walk him and go after the pitcher, I say. No, I scream. TV and Bobby do not respond. They pitch to him and he gets the GW RBI. Alas. Yes, and Lincecum strikes out to end the inning. Gads.
Yes, I know why a manager pitches to the #8 guy (to have the pitcher lead off the next inning), but it is a tight game with Lincecum on the mound. Geez alou.
Abner Doubleplay
October 11th, 2010
10:47 am
Old Mike, You obviously don’t play chess. Cox made a brilliant tactical move in the 8th. He didn’t “burn Ankiel for Glaus” – he took Sanchez off the table, and got Hinske (switch hitter) into the mix. It was a pawn for a queen, and it paid off. Geez. My 10 year-old Little Leaguer recognized that move.
James P
October 11th, 2010
10:47 am
Best article I have read in a while. As a Brave fan I feel sorry for him but also know he was put in this situation by injuries. We should have better depth but not many teams could be where we are with the season enders we have had.
Go Braves, sit Conrad, and lets see what happens.
Shawny
October 11th, 2010
10:48 am
Yes, Kimbrel should have stayed in the game last night, too.
Don
October 11th, 2010
10:49 am
Someone said several weeks ago that Bobby Cox is the most overrated or one of the most overrated managers in the history of the game.
Can there be any remaining doubt relating to this?
reckingball
October 11th, 2010
10:49 am
Grinch@10;45……..You nailed it right, on the head.
Mitchell
October 11th, 2010
10:50 am
Here’s why Bobby Cox can’t start Brooks Conrad in Game 4
Because he just got fired?