Circular BS

The Dodgers Bullpen has pitched 36.2 innings in the playoffs this year. The Braves bullpen has pitched 23.2 innings. The Dodgers bullpen is tired. Let me remind you that many of your mocked and ridiculed me when I suggested resting the pitchers the last two weeks of the season and concede the division to the Giants. I wanted to win the WAR, not the battle. Well, they did not do it my way and the Dodgers staff is gassed! I TOLD YOU SO!

Eric says that Doc doesn’t always pay attention to splits, and reverse splits. What do you wanna’ bet that Doc has access to about 100 times more info on splits than we will ever have? We are rank amateurs while the Dodger analytic staff makes him a professional.

About two weeks ago, Dodgers Nation wrote this:

Believe it or not, this is Julio Urias’s fifth postseason with the Dodgers. The 25-year-old was dominant during last year’s championship run as both a starter and a reliever. Urias could once again be used in a dual role in the 2021 playoffs.

No one – I mean NO ONE thought that was a bad idea at the time. In fact, Julio did not throw a bullpen session over the weekend so that he could be ready, in case he was needed. If Julio would have struck out the side, no one would have said a word, but the fact that it didn’t, enabled some people to feel that they were smarter because they could use their circular thinking to make them feel that they are actually more qualified than a major league manager, who happens to work for a guy who has what is probably the best analytics department in baseball with a thousand times more information at his fingertips than any fan.

By the way, if anyone wants to debate that, give me your point and I will give you my counter-point. I can do it all day long. There are reasons not to pitch Julio and they are reasons to pitch him… unless you are blinded by circular thinking!

If you hate your life or feel underappreciated, it is also a way to give yourself a false sense of being intelligent… more intelligent than the manager. Of course, it was circular thinking that led to that conclusion, but who cares? Well, I do. I did not like the move either, but if it had worked it was not an issue with me and if it didn’t I would be a miserable second-guesser… and yes, second-guessers are a miserable group. It was a decision that was made. That’s all it was!

The fact that any move works does not necessarily make it a smart move. Sometimes it’s just luck or chance. The same is true if a move doesn’t work. The fact that it doesn’t work does not necessarily make it a bad move. Again, chance and circumstance are involved. I may be a little different from many of you in the fact that I have to make many decisions every day. I try and get a consensus of my managers and employees, I gather all the data and analytics and try and make rational well-reasoned decisions, but on any given day, half the people think I am dumb! It comes with the territory.

Sometimes the result of that decision is not readily apparent. Sometimes it takes weeks or months for the results to be known. I make some right decisions and I make some mistakes. The same is true with Dave Roberts. Does the fact that you disagreed with his decision make it a dumb or wrong decision? It’s more likely that if you think it was dumb, that you are the dumb one. Why? Let’s deal with the instant “dumb move” – putting Julio Urias into the game in the 8th inning. I guarantee you that Dave Roberts talked to Andrew Friedman and the Front Office about it. Dave talked to Julio about it and Dave talked to his staff about it. THAT’S WHAT THEY DO. THat’s how they operate. There is no right or wrong to this move. It’s a move! Feel free to disagree, but it’s not always right or wrong. It’s subjective.

It was not a flip, off-the-wall move, but it was reasoned out by a group of people, not just Dave Roberts. The Dodgers do not do things like that. So, the fact that you think it was a dumb move is circular reasoning that has no basis in fact. It was dumb because you are mad the Dodgers lost and you think you know better because you are unhappy with your lot in life at work (home, wherever) and that causes you to want to excel at something. So you criticize the decision and your misery gains company because there are lots of miserable people like you. Maybe…

By the way, even though the Dodgers bullpen has been exposed by the number of innings pitched, their ERA is just 2.21. I know that many of you think they should have a 0.00 ERA if it wasn’t for that “stupid Roberts.” A 2.21 ERA is really, really good for that number of innings. You can’t be a dumbass and manage a bullpen to that ERA… and the bullpen WHIP is 0.79!

The real problem is the hitting… or total lack thereof. However, yesterday, most of you focused on blaming Doc. Doc does not hit… and of course, his players did not either. Among the four teams left in the playoffs, the Dodgers have the worst batting average (.215) of all the teams. They have scored the least amount of runs and are tied with Atlanta for the fewest HR’s. They have the second-best OB% of the four teams and lead all teams in Walks. They just can’t hit. You people are losing your minds about subjective pitching choices while the offense is the issue. Quit Fiddling while Rome is Burning!

Of course, some other morons will post articles or blogs saying the same thing that you are saying, and rest assured: The World is FULL of Circular-Thinking Fools! Thank you, but I have a brain and will think for myself. This lack of offense is troublesome and something will be done if the season ends prematurely. That said, these guys can still go off! Right about now, my idea of resting the pitching staff the last two weeks of the season looks pretty good. Actually, that was just my opinion. There is no right or wrong to it. People second guess and engage in circular thinking because they have been conditioned to think there are right and wrong answers to everything. Life is not like that, but the sports world and this nation is full of people who think they have the right answers and if you disagree, you are wrong. It’s black and white, up and down, left and right, red and blue, and evil and good. There is no middle ground.. and that is very foolish! I suggest we focus on reality and quit inventing strawmen.

That said, it is a free country and you can do what you want. I will silence those who are vulgar, nasty, and obnoxious, but if you want to use the circular thinking that “Everyone knows Dave Roberts is a bad manager and the fact that he put in Julio Urias proves it” Lunacy, then expect to be called out for that kind of circular BS.

People criticize others for many reasons, such as the following:

• Because of Jealousy – When someone feels jealous of someone else, he might feel like putting him down. People might criticize others just because they are jealous of them.
• To Feel Good About Themselves – Some people criticize others to feel good about themselves. The desire to feel better than others can motivate psychologically unbalanced people to criticize others.
• Because They were Criticized as Children – If a person grew up in a home where he was always criticized, he will do the same to people. The voices inside that person’s head will keep repeating themselves and as a result he will spit his thoughts out in the form of criticizm.
• Because They are Mean – Mean people criticize others with the goal of making them feel bad about themselves. Mean people know that criticism hurts and so they use it to hurt others.
• Because They want to Show Power – Sometimes a person will criticize another person just to demonstrate his or her power.
• Because They want to Demonstrate Their Knowledge – Some people criticize others to demonstrate their knowledge and to prove that they know more.
• Because They want to deny Their own Flaws – Some people accuse others of things they themselves do, in order to deny their own flaws. It’s very common for a hypocrite (racist, bigot) to say that other people are hypocrites, racists or bigots. By saying so he prevents himself from ever seeing his own personal flaws.
• Because They want to Release Hatred -When a person hates someone he might criticize him in order to release some of the hatred present towards that person.

There. I have said my piece and I guess I am guilty of criticizing the criticizers. I am sorry- it is not for the purpose of offending. It is to help you grow. I realize most of the criticizers will blow this off, but if it helps just one to see the folly, then my job is done.

Now – Let’s Roll!