However, Scioscia is playing the lesser player, George. The quotes from Scioscia are his opinions based on his observations. They are, in no way, facts. For you to claim that they are is disingenuous or worse, ignorant.

This team, for five years now, had neede more offense. The fans have clammored for it and the pitchers have asked for it too. Yet, when the team produces a home grown mashing catcher people still want to bitch about someone not framing a pitch properly. It’s lunacy, George.

That is my point in this thread; Napoli is one of the best catchers in the game and still Scioscia and others try to find a way to play the lesser player based on stuff that can’t be proven.

Glad I could provide a laugh, too. Always try to help.

made statements which basically threw Napoli under the bus, last August. Mathis has never been more than marginally – a percentage point or two in a couple of categories – the same, in others – better than Napoli, defensively.

This was the first time I can remember Scioscia publically reprimanding one player, while OVERLY gushing about his counterpart/replacement. All of this materialized just as Vlad was coming back, because of a groundswell of fan inquiries about whether Vlad should be replacing Napoli in the lineup, when the team was obviously going gangbusters.

To refresh your memories, dated 8/3, the day before Vlad came back:

Most of us recognize Scioscia’s “blow smoke up reporter’s ( and fan’s.) asses” and could easily see that this was just MS being at his egotistical, stubborn best. We would NEVER would have foreseen that Napoli – from that moment on – would actually be relegated to playing every other day, and batting in the 8 or 9 hole for the last two months of the season, but that he was. ( He usually batted 5th or 6th, as the DH, – a couple of times even 4th, BTW.) Link:

I for one am hoping that Napoli teaches Scioscia a good lesson next year, and becomes another Adam Dunn, while DH’ing 75% of the time. ( .280 BA, 40 HRs, .400 OBP, .550 SLG. in 600 ABs.)

and is defense is MILES above Napoli’s

Rec’d

I had decent power, but it was HK-style. My line drives that cleared the outfield were accidental. I did once clear the bathrooms at Shaffer aprk, a good 340 straight away. That required awesoem power for a young teenager but., again, it was a perfect accident.

I could bunt like a fiend as well. Up until Colt ball, I would try and stretch bunts into doubles. I made it about half a dozen times. It all depended on how the catcher, pitcher and third baseman were huddled around the ball as it rolled up the baseline. If the catcher was in the field of play with his back to me, I kept right on going. He and his gear were always an obstruction. I would be zooming to 2B and cackling inside, listening to 2B and LF freak out. Pwnage!!!

The coach who taught me all this was my first year Pony coach. Gene Tarabilda. He played minor league ball. After that, I had nothing but bored Pop Warner football coaches who knew nothing about running a baseball team, and thought I was batshit crazy. The day I quit baseball was because of this.

The game was tied going into the bottom of the 9th against the team that we were battling for the league lead. With 2 outs, I drew a walk. I stole 2B. I stole 3B. Not because I was fast, but because I picked my spots well and nobody believed anybody would try anything in that situation. I tried my “draw a throw from the catcher” trick several times to no avail. I was about just go ahead and try a straight steal of home, thinking that the catcher was bored of my bluffs. But I had run out of pitches with the batter following me. He struck out. Keep in mind, I was doing this all on my own. My own coach was a clueless observer.

So, trotting back to the dugout to grab my cap and glove, I was the last guy there when I heard our coach call over to the opposing coach and talk him into calling the game as a tie. It was very late in the day, and he must have had something to get to that was more important. I can clearly hear him say “None of these kids on either team want to win, so let’s call it a tie and get out of here.” After what I had just done right in front of his gaddamnable eyeballs, I was furious. I decided that if I had to be hamstrung by ignoramuses as my managerial authority, I did not need to waste any more time at this. I never played another season of organized ball.