Nice piece, Emma, but I think Leyland deserves a good deal of criticism for using Mo in the wrong inning, and denying him the save.
Regardless of his intentions, it defied baseball logic, and, I think it made Mo's final AllStar appearance a little less special.
Not a crime, for sure, but a dopey move, and one that I've come to expect from the AllStar game.
You mentioned Leyland's sense of show business, but if he has any, he wasted the show-stopping finale in the middle of the third act. Bad timing.
4) As an AL reliever in an NL park he could have/should have thrown the last pitch of the game regardless of the score.
I appreciate Leyland's intent, but he didn't properly deploy our guy.
Not a felony, just a weak way to end Rivera's All-Star experience.
[6] I would have wanted to see him pitch as many innings as he wanted to. More Mo, and all.
But the point is that Leyland should have followed George Constanza's parking philosophy, go for the dream spot and then do concentric circles outward. Aim for the best possible outcome (Rivera pitching the 9th) and then manage your way to less good options until you reach the last acceptable solution (Rivera getting into the game vs the go-ahead run in the 8th as a last resort).
Nice synopsis, Emma. One Mo' time!
Praise be to Mo.
Nice piece, Emma, but I think Leyland deserves a good deal of criticism for using Mo in the wrong inning, and denying him the save.
Regardless of his intentions, it defied baseball logic, and, I think it made Mo's final AllStar appearance a little less special.
Not a crime, for sure, but a dopey move, and one that I've come to expect from the AllStar game.
You mentioned Leyland's sense of show business, but if he has any, he wasted the show-stopping finale in the middle of the third act. Bad timing.
3) What if the NL took the lead in the 8th and Mo didn't have a chance to pitch at all?
[4] Do they not allow mid-inning pitching changes in the All-Star Game?
[5] Jon, you wanted to see Mo pitch more than one inning?
4) As an AL reliever in an NL park he could have/should have thrown the last pitch of the game regardless of the score.
I appreciate Leyland's intent, but he didn't properly deploy our guy.
Not a felony, just a weak way to end Rivera's All-Star experience.
[6] I would have wanted to see him pitch as many innings as he wanted to. More Mo, and all.
But the point is that Leyland should have followed George Constanza's parking philosophy, go for the dream spot and then do concentric circles outward. Aim for the best possible outcome (Rivera pitching the 9th) and then manage your way to less good options until you reach the last acceptable solution (Rivera getting into the game vs the go-ahead run in the 8th as a last resort).