Comments on: Please, god…not Timlin http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2007/05/18/please-godnot-timlin/ Media, Baseball, Boston, the Red Sox, Music, Literature, and Mnookins Sat, 17 May 2008 05:55:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: The Feeding the Monster Blog — In which the author discusses Boston, the Red Sox, the media, and very occasionally popular music. » Darkman and Gagne and Paps, oh my http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2007/05/18/please-godnot-timlin/#comment-127052 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:19:30 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2007/05/18/please-godnot-timlin/#comment-127052 [...] Despite the blatherings of some folks on sundry Yankee boards, Eric Gagne did not, as the entire world now knows, end up in the Bronx; instead, he now makes up a third of the best back-end bullpen in baseball. Lord knows we all love Papelbon, but there’ll definitely be days when it’ll be better for everyone to have Hideki “Darkman” Okajima or Eric “I can once again break Hefty trash bags with my fastball” Gagne on the mound. (Despite his recent disappearance, even Mike Timlin has been pitching well — much to my surprise.) [...] […] Despite the blatherings of some folks on sundry Yankee boards, Eric Gagne did not, as the entire world now knows, end up in the Bronx; instead, he now makes up a third of the best back-end bullpen in baseball. Lord knows we all love Papelbon, but there’ll definitely be days when it’ll be better for everyone to have Hideki “Darkman” Okajima or Eric “I can once again break Hefty trash bags with my fastball” Gagne on the mound. (Despite his recent disappearance, even Mike Timlin has been pitching well — much to my surprise.) […]

]]> by: amos http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2007/05/18/please-godnot-timlin/#comment-42580 Fri, 18 May 2007 16:00:41 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2007/05/18/please-godnot-timlin/#comment-42580 Right on Seth. I've never understood the papers' fascination with Timlin. Yeah, he had some pretty good years, but he was never a shut down guy for the Sox. And it seems like they think every new injury is just an isolated incident and not the steady decline of a 41 year-old. Right on Seth. I’ve never understood the papers’ fascination with Timlin. Yeah, he had some pretty good years, but he was never a shut down guy for the Sox. And it seems like they think every new injury is just an isolated incident and not the steady decline of a 41 year-old.

]]> by: johnw http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2007/05/18/please-godnot-timlin/#comment-42575 Fri, 18 May 2007 15:50:05 +0000 http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2007/05/18/please-godnot-timlin/#comment-42575 I still think there's a case to be made for Timlin, assuming he can get healthy again for the first time since 2005. A lot of relievers are proving to be successful at relatively old ages, especially in well-defined roles where they are not overexposed. Exhibit A is Todd Jones, the closer on a championship-quality team. They (well, some of them) are able to counter their declining stuff with superior craft, pitching knowledge, and nervelessness. When healthy, Timlin falls into that category. That said, the Sox do rely too much on veteran relievers. Every year they bring in a new crop of pitchers with a little gray around the temples, and most of them disappear quickly. Papelbon aside, they've had no success at integrating young pitchers into their bullpen, and they need to figure that out. I still think there’s a case to be made for Timlin, assuming he can get healthy again for the first time since 2005. A lot of relievers are proving to be successful at relatively old ages, especially in well-defined roles where they are not overexposed. Exhibit A is Todd Jones, the closer on a championship-quality team. They (well, some of them) are able to counter their declining stuff with superior craft, pitching knowledge, and nervelessness. When healthy, Timlin falls into that category.

That said, the Sox do rely too much on veteran relievers. Every year they bring in a new crop of pitchers with a little gray around the temples, and most of them disappear quickly. Papelbon aside, they’ve had no success at integrating young pitchers into their bullpen, and they need to figure that out.

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