Adair Moves From Texas To Become Next M's Pitching Coach

by MacMariner2 on Dec 3, 2008 3:14 PM PST Comment 28 comments

A gushing overview of Adair's path to Texas.

It does seem to be a very positive day on the M's front.

The Detroit Tigers made Rick Adair their big league pitching coach with three weeks left in the 1996 season, after Jon Matlack resigned for personal reasons. Adair was a sensible choice, not only because he'd served as Detroit's AAA pitching coach in 1995 and roving minor league pitching instructor until the September promotion in 1996, but also because he had a couple seasons of experience not long before as Cleveland's big league pitching coach.

Detroit's 1996 ERA under Matlack was 6.38, baseball's worst by nearly a full run.

Under Adair's watch in 1997, the Tigers shaved nearly two runs off its team ERA, finishing sixth in the American League with a 4.56 mark.

In what was the first full season in the bigs for each, Justin Thompson (age 24) went 15-11, 3.02 and made the All-Star Team, and Brian Moehler (age 25) went 11-12, 4.67. Journeyman Willie Blair (age 31), pitching for his sixth major league in eight years and working as a full-time starter for the first time, went 16-8, 4.17.

The trio came into the 1997 season with a collective lifetime 4.72 ERA. In 1997, the three combined to post a 3.88 ERA under Adair's tutelage.

Solid.

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Interview with Adair

href=“http://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20040506123423999” >

“Leo’s probably one of the most underrated pitching coaches there is in the game,” Adair says of Mazzone. “He gets a lot of publicity, because he’s had a lot of success in Atlanta, pitching-wise, but Leo has a very sound philosophy, something he believes in, something that I try to teach. It is really based on use of your fastball and command of your fastball. Command the down-and-away strike, and using your changeup to complement it. Leo’s system is very good. Obviously he’s had a lot of talent to work with, but the Atlanta program is one of the outstanding ones, as good as there is in baseball”.

by MacMariner2 on Dec 3, 2008 3:19 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

And John Wetteland named Bullpen Coach.... huh.

by marc w on Dec 3, 2008 3:30 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

How much do you want to bet he doesn't show up to the ball park if Edgar does a public appearance on a given day?

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Dec 3, 2008 3:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm fully expecting a reenactment!

I fucking hate you Mariners

by kentroyals5 on Dec 3, 2008 3:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I dare the rest of the community to leave this pun alone long enough

so that it has a decent chance at a good life.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Dec 3, 2008 4:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

We've been good.

by acblue on Dec 3, 2008 4:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I know, but it still warranted a mention

because I actually found that one funny, unlike 99.999999999% of the puns I hear, and I don’t want it beaten to death.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Dec 3, 2008 5:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

LaHair was the only pun that was enjoyable and thats because it was the forbidden fruit.

by Robert on Dec 3, 2008 5:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I like Messenger puns.

Furcal

by JI on Dec 3, 2008 5:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes but fuck puns

by Robert on Dec 3, 2008 5:42 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Fuck

Which dare to take?

by Fogel on Dec 3, 2008 6:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

2000 comments on this website and all it takes to get a green comment is a got diddely damn pun

by Nick S on Dec 4, 2008 2:25 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Rec'd for JI-vian typo...

This signature space for rent.

by PositivePaul on Dec 4, 2008 2:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

My first green comment was for a pot joke.

by acblue on Dec 4, 2008 2:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Aside...

Considering that most of the beat writers were claiming that Jose Castro would get the show of confidence and stay on as hitting coach, why are they taking so long to announce it?

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Dec 3, 2008 4:21 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

So uh yeah forget about Chiti

I blame Baker.

by Jeff on Dec 3, 2008 9:40 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Courtesy of the four letter...

Wetteland is a former All-Star closer who was the bullpen coach for the Washington Nationals in 2006.

He lost his job in June that season after Nationals manager Frank Robinson said he asked Wetteland several times to get the team’s relievers to focus more and cut down on pranks, such as lighting firecrackers.

Under Wetteland in 2006, Nationals relievers had 12 saves in 21 chances, with a 7-12 record and 4.41 ERA.

“It wasn’t just their performance,” Robinson said at the time. “It was the idea of them not handling themselves during game time in a professional way.”

Heh, heh heh. Fire for not policing fire crackers.

by Frosty Raptor on Dec 3, 2008 9:49 PM PST reply actions 0 recs