Toronto Star Q&A with Gregg Zaun

[G-Snarls]

http://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays/2013/09/21/gregg_zaun_on_blue_jays_im_not_paid_to_sugarcoat_reality.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[Olerud363]

http://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays/2013/09/21/gregg_zaun_on_blue_jays_im_not_paid_to_sugarcoat_reality.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

"I am, and will always be, brutally honest until the Rogers network instructs me not to be."

 

I am sure if Rogers (who actually does it?? The Beest) had to sit down Zaun for a nice little chat, as they did Wilner in 2010... the result would be different. Zaun would quit, get a job somewhere else and slam the Beest like the Beest has never been slammed before.

 

The Beest knows who he can mess with, and who he can't. Thus Zaun's opinions (unlike Wilner's or even AAs) are his, and his alone. Wrong or right, crazy or sane, smart or dumb, what Zaun says is Zaun's.

 

Stoeten, Wilner, AA... fat flabby men, saying what they think other fat flabby men want them to say, in order they get further success, or maintain what power/prestige/lifestyle they have.

[G-Snarls]

Star: Some have said the dispute between you and J.P. Arencibia has gotten personal. Has it?

 

Zaun: It was personal for him. I have never attacked him as a person. I was a supporter of his, but he hit below the belt. If he had a problem with the way I was doing my job, he could have called me or emailed me. We live in the modern world. If you can’t get in touch with someone, you really aren’t trying. I’m no longer interested in the success or the failure of J.P. Arencibia. I could have been, and should have been a resource for him. I guess he thought he had it all figured out.

[Olerud363]

Star: Some have said the dispute between you and J.P. Arencibia has gotten personal. Has it?

 

Zaun: It was personal for him. I have never attacked him as a person. I was a supporter of his, but he hit below the belt. If he had a problem with the way I was doing my job, he could have called me or emailed me. We live in the modern world. If you can’t get in touch with someone, you really aren’t trying. I’m no longer interested in the success or the failure of J.P. Arencibia. I could have been, and should have been a resource for him. I guess he thought he had it all figured out.

 

Someone else brought up the most telling stat, Zaun has more WAR in 2005 then JP does in his career.

[The_DH]

Check out Griffins article today. More evidence that the manager and most of the coaches need to be replaced.

[Dr. Dinger]

Luckily some very good managers could be available this offseason. I'd gladly take Girardi or Scioscia.

[TBJ12]

Luckily some very good managers could be available this offseason. I'd gladly take Girardi or Scioscia.

 

Scioscia please. Although I'd take Girardi as well.

 

I'm still not convinced Gibbons job is safe, the casual's are calling for his head and someone has to go.

[The_DH]

The article reminded me of the situation with Buck Martinez. I remember there were whispers of no work on fundamentals.

[G-Snarls]

Luckily some very good managers could be available this offseason. I'd gladly take Girardi or Scioscia.

 

And Ron Washington.

 

Oh wait, you said good managers.

[G-Snarls]

Check out Griffins article today. More evidence that the manager and most of the coaches need to be replaced.

 

I have to say, other than maybe Mottola, I don't see/hear anything good about the coaching staff. Butterfield is sorely missed. Pitching coaches? Meh. They also clearly needed a full time catching instructor. Seems like there are a LOT of issues with the "system" in Toronto, not just the actual roster.

[The_DH]

While I always liked Hentgen as a pitcher I don't understand how he gets credit for the bullpen. That was the only area of concentration this year. Motolla worked with Lawrie and did get something out of him. I get the feeling nobody on this staff amounts to much.

[G-Snarls]

Girardi would sure be interesting. Then the masses couldn't complain about having a manager with no "history of winning" anymore.

[Boxcar]

Luckily some very good managers could be available this offseason. I'd gladly take Girardi or Scioscia.

 

Uhhhhh, wut? Scoscia?

[bzapple]

I'm still not convinced Gibbons job is safe, the casual's are calling for his head and someone has to go.

 

It's true that it's hard to have a disastrous season such as this without anyone taking the fall, but I'm not sure it would be good optics to let Gibbons go. It would look like AA is giving up on the current model, but also he had the memorable quote (paraphrased) last year that hiring Gibbons was "the most sure he's been about any of his moves". It will probably just be a coach or two that get sacrificed. Hard to imagine Pete Walker sticking around.

[G-Snarls]

It's true that it's hard to have a disastrous season such as this without anyone taking the fall, but I'm not sure it would be good optics to let Gibbons go. It would look like AA is giving up on the current model, but also he had the memorable quote (paraphrased) last year that hiring Gibbons was "the most sure he's been about any of his moves". It will probably just be a coach or two that get sacrificed. Hard to imagine Pete Walker sticking around.

 

Yeah. Walker is by far the most likely to be shown the door. Dat starting rotation!

[The_DH]

We should do a poll on who gets tossed. My bets are Walker, Murphy and maybe Rivera. Sal Fasano, if he can do it, joins the major league staff.

[GD]

We should do a poll

 

okay there Arkadium

[ElNik2013]

It's true that it's hard to have a disastrous season such as this without anyone taking the fall, but I'm not sure it would be good optics to let Gibbons go. It would look like AA is giving up on the current model, but also he had the memorable quote (paraphrased) last year that hiring Gibbons was "the most sure he's been about any of his moves". It will probably just be a coach or two that get sacrificed. Hard to imagine Pete Walker sticking around.

 

 

It would be an admission that AA hired the wrong guy twice in 2 tries. Firing Gibbons would be the final nail in the coffin for me when it comes to AA and not because I think Gibbons is a great manager, I just hate it when people are scape-goated, if you know what I mean. Re-hiring Gibbons and going with an almost entirely rookie coaching staff was iffy from the beginning, it just put a big bullseye on their back if anything went wrong.

 

AA screwed up big time on so many levels. I think it would do him some good to resign and take an assistant GM job somewhere if he wants to have another chance. He's really in over his head.