Famous Mortimer wrote:Is DeJong going to give the no.11 back to Jose?
That's a good question. I can't imagine that a coach will force a player to change his number. Just the idea that managers and coaches still wear jersey numbers is just dumb.
lukethedrifter wrote:I'm glad he's back but I have real doubts as to the impact.
I'm normally a skeptic about this stuff, but given how shabby the team has looked in the field the last two seasons and all the hand-wringing from the players in Spring Training 2016, perhaps there's something to it.
tlombard wrote:I don't think Matheny will be on a short leash knowing this ownership group but I don't doubt that having Oquendo back in the dugout as a backup plan is in the back of management's mind.
Now that I think about it, has this ownership group ever fired a manager? I think Torre was fired before the current ownership group bought the team and since TLR retired after winning the 2011 WS... they've literally never fired a big league manager even though they've owned the team since 1996. Crazy.
I have a hard time believing that. This afternoon the afternoon guys 101 espn, in particular Randy Karraker, was saying Oquendo was old school and not a computer guy. They figured it didn't matter for 3rd base coach, and helping with infield play.
That hardly sounds like the direction Mo is trying to go.
I don't think they're bringing Jose back to be an emergency manager if they decide to fire Matheny if he can't get the team back on track. They just want him to work with the team on the infield defense which has been sorely lacking lately. Shildt is much more likely being groomed to be a manager.
tlombard wrote:I don't think Matheny will be on a short leash knowing this ownership group but I don't doubt that having Oquendo back in the dugout as a backup plan is in the back of management's mind.
If they actually made some big moves this offseason and raised expectations, then I could see them firing Matheny if the team failed to meet those expectations. If they only make a couple small moves this offseason then it means expectations aren't as high and he's probably safe.