Reality

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Saw your post below.  So why do you think managers seem to make more closer mistakes in the playoffs?  This is the challenge managers always face.  You have Joe Nathan who had a supurb season, 1.62 ERA 44 saves with only 3 blown, and he has pitched out of jams over and over, and was dominating all season.  DO you stick with him or go to JC Romero.  I like Romero, but he is prone to wildness, and after going almost 3 months without an earned run, has an ERA of 10.80 in his last 10 appearances.

The Astros pitching Brad Lidge early was a different approach.  Don't understand what Garner was thinking.  HE IS A CLOSER, don't change his role now.

As far as the Braves in the 90's Cox had to go with what he had, and until they got Smoltz to close, they had crappy closers, which explains why the won only 1 WS.  I mean Stve Bedrosian, Alejandro Pena, Kent Mercker, Mike Stanton, Greg McMicheal, John Rocker, and Juan Berenguer YUCK :puke: .
 

[Reality]

You go with Romero after Cairo walks.  Nathan was obviously tiring.  Not to mention you have Romero warming up before the inning even starts.  They also had a rookie who was 2-0 with low ERA, altho word is he was very green.  Which begets a question, how does MN let itself enter the playoffs with such a shortage of RH relievers?

It's water under the bridge but I'd still like to see a proper camera angle on the JNathan 6-6 run that went over the LFs glove.

I'm with Curt Shill, "Aoura" and "Mystique" are a couple of dancers.  Yet there is no denying the managerial meltdowns that occur in Skunkie Stadium.  Do not concur with you on Bubbas closers.  Rockhead, pre-media blitz (for saying what 99.99 of all New Yorkers say,) was the ultimate reliever that World Series year.  I think he had closed like 37 straight.  Old geezers Greg Maddox and Tom Glavine both give Cox superb efforts in game 1 and 2, leading like 4-1 after 6 or 7 innings.  Instead Cox leaves them out to dry by trying to milk another inning or two out of them.  Booooo!!!  Skunkie finally gets to a tiring Maddox and Glavine.  Horrible.  Rockhead could go two innings in those days.  Also i thought Stanton was fine for mid relief.

Balls in MNs court for sure now.      

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You go with Romero after Cairo walks.  Nathan was obviously tiring.  Not to mention you have Romero warming up before the inning even starts.  They also had a rookie who was 2-0 with low ERA, altho word is he was very green.  Which begets a question, how does MN let itself enter the playoffs with such a shortage of RH relievers?

It's water under the bridge but I'd still like to see a proper camera angle on the JNathan 6-6 run that went over the LFs glove.

I'm with Curt Shill, "Aoura" and "Mystique" are a couple of dancers.  Yet there is no denying the managerial meltdowns that occur in Skunkie Stadium.  Do not concur with you on Bubbas closers.  Rockhead, pre-media blitz (for saying what 99.99 of all New Yorkers say,) was the ultimate reliever that World Series year.  I think he had closed like 37 straight.  Old geezers Greg Maddox and Tom Glavine both give Cox superb efforts in game 1 and 2, leading like 4-1 after 6 or 7 innings.  Instead Cox leaves them out to dry by trying to milk another inning or two out of them.  Booooo!!!  Skunkie finally gets to a tiring Maddox and Glavine.  Horrible.  Rockhead could go two innings in those days.  Also i thought Stanton was fine for mid relief.

Balls in MNs court for sure now.

I think Minnesota has as deep a bullpen as anybody in the playoffs.  I mean jeez the Yankees had been forced to go with Tanyon Sturtze in the 12th, that is clearly not a sign of a deep bullpen.  They have 5 reasonable to excellent relivers.

As far as Rocker, his season in 1999 was the best season of any of the closers the Braves before Smoltz, but lets face it he was a disaster waiting to happen.  Forget all the off the field stuff.  He was prone to the gopher ball, and in his best season 1999, he still walked nearly 5 guys every 9 innings.  He was Mitch Williams on a hot streak.  In 2000 his rate of dingers allowed increased like 1/3, and his BB/9 increased to over 8.  Like I said he was Mitch Williams on a hot streak in 1999, and to depend upon him to close World Series games is a sure disaster (just like Mitch with the Phillys).

[Reality]

But a fresh John Rocker is 10X better then a wasted Greg Maddox and Tom Glavine.

Ditto a fresh JC Romero way better then a wasted Joe Nathan.