What a frustrating year to be a Sox fan. In fact, if it wasn't for a pretty brutal collapse by the Twins last year, this would be second straight season that Ozzie had lead a talented team who got some great years out of a lot of their players to a garbage also-ran finish.
Actually, it's worse than that. If the Twins hadn't collapse that weekend after they swept the Sox, Ozzie's post-World Series record would look like this:
- 2006 - Powerhouse offense leads a team that falls apart embarrassingly in the second half.
- 2007 - Worst season on the South Side since the late 80s.
- 2008 - Great break-out years from Alexei, Carlos, Danks, and Floyd all wasted on team incapable of winning a garbage division.
- 2009 - Strong rookie years from Getz and Beckham, solid years top-to-bottom from the vets, and a Top 3 of the rotation and Top 5 in the pen all w/ ERAs below 4 still incapable of winning another garbage division.
But the point remains that the difference between Ozzie getting no heat from the press (as is the current situation) and getting a whole bunch is one lousy weekend by the Twins. And to me, that's BS. I'm looking bigger picture and I'm seeing Kenny building talented teams, seeing Reinsdorf's group spending good money, and I'm seeing Ozzie doing jack squat with it since that magical 2005 run.
It's time Ozzie has to answer the bell for what this team hasn't been able to do since winning the Series - i.e. be a legit contender. It was nice to win a division and make the playoffs last year, but the reality is we weren't ever considered a post-season threat. And we lived up to that, meekly bowing out to an inexperienced Rays squad in 4.
This year, there was some hope it'd all come together down the stretch and that with a full-go Peavy in the fold, the Sox would be dangerous. But I'm sorry, I've given up on that dream after what I've seen recently. And I'm generally as optimistic about the Sox as anyone.
To me, it's clear that Ozzie just hasn't been able to rediscover whatever it was he did right in 2005. None of his teams these past four seasons have been able to get it done consistently, despite having loads of players playing well. There just seems to be something missing - and it's different every year.
But one thing has been the same - Ozzie. So I'm gonna blame him for not being able to get the vets to hit with any consistency. I'm gonna blame him for not having anyone who can lay down a bunt.
Sidebar: Guess who's leading all of baseball (or near the lead) in sacrifice bunts this year? Javier Vazquez. So either Ozzie was too stupid or uncreative to realize he had a good bunter on his roster this whole time, or it's not that hard to figure out how to bunt if it's demanded of you (as it is by the Atlanta coaching staff of their pitchers).
I'm gonna blame Ozzie for how terrible the defense has been this season, despite having great athletes and good tools guys at every spot. I'm gonna blame Ozzie for how the bullpen fell apart in 2006, got worse in 2007, and again fell apart in 2008. I'm gonna blame Ozzie for not finding himself another leadoff hitter to replace Pods once he fell apart in 2006, until Pods magically returned to form this year. I'm gonna blame Ozzie for being unable to develop talented athletes who looked great in his farm system (Fields, Owens, BA).
And do you know what else I'm gonna blame Ozzie for? Not being able to close out series. This year, the Sox are 12-26 in the last game of a series. That's .316 baseball, or good enough for 111 losses if you played that way all year. 111 losses. That's the kind of team Ozzie puts out in the most important game of the series.
That last game always turns the whole feel of the series. Obviously when you're tied 1-1, that game dictates who gets the ever-important series win. If you're down 0-2 or 0-3, avoiding the sweep is huge. Same the other way - not letting that sweep get away from you on the last day is big to getting a nice win streak going.
Most telling of all - in this last month, Ozzie's guys have not won one single final game of a series. With all the pressure on, with every game possibly meaning the series, with every bit of momentum necessary to grind through these final weeks of the season, the Sox have put up a big giant goose egg in the most important game of each series.
Look, Ozzie is an above average manager, no question. But that's not saying much - there are a ton of bad managers out there. What is clear to me is that Ozzie is not one of the great managers. Gardenhire (MIN), Mike Scioscia (LAA), Torre (LAD), LaRussa (STL), and Cox (ATL) are all clearly in a class above Ozzie.
Does that mean the Sox should fire Ozzie? I can't say I'd support that - as I said, there just are too few good managers out there. But I do think Kenny needs to make clear that Ozzie's performance isn't cutting it. I think they need to upgrade the rest of the coaching staff - bringing in a bench coach who can provide Ozzie with a bit of strategy (something he never shows an ability to do himself) and a third base coach who has a clue (man I hate Cox - never have I seen a third base coach who is both too conservative and too aggressive... he is SO clueless!).
But most of all, I think Ozzie needs to be made to understand that he's not getting it done. He needs to feel more personal responsibility for the failures in base-running, defense, bunting, and other fundamentals. That stuff is about attitude and commitment, not talent, and those come from the manager.
If the Sox don't have the pitching or hitting to win, so is life. But the Sox have had those things in pretty much every year Ozzie has been here, yet only once have they ever done anything with it. It's time Ozzie realizes his job is to be more than a mouthpiece for the club. It's time he approaches his job like NFL coaches approach theirs - working 20 hour days, taking in every bit of film possible, spending hours in strategy meetings, working with his entire staff at all times. It's time he realizes that he alone will determine if they execute, if they play good fundamental baseball, if they take pride in their defense and base-running.
Because the Sox have the talent - they've had it for years - but they don't have the execution. And that execution in all those facets is on Ozzie, and Ozzie alone.
It's probably too late this year, but I want the Sox to get something out of this wasted year and that something is Ozzie realizing he needs to completely rededicate himself to his job, with the help of a couple of highly committed, highly intelligent baseball guys as his bench and third base coaches.
Combine that with the impressive collection of talent this club has next year and 2010 can be something special, another 2005 for us all. But if Ozzie doesn't get it together with some help from a new staff, then I foresee another frustrating year of shoulda-woulda-couldas on the Southside.
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