Thursday, November 15, 2012

NINETY-THREE LOSSES ISN'T NINETY-THREE LOSSES OR WHY JEFFREY LORIA IS A DISINGENUOUS ANAL WART


"We can't finish in last place. We finished in last place. That's unacceptable. We have to take a new course."  -Jeffrey Loria


You're going to hear a lot about this team finishing in last place, losing 93 games games last season, and that being the justification for the total dismantling of a franchise in desperate need of a different direction. David Samson essentially parroted those sentiments in an interview with Dan Le Batard yesterday afternoon:

“The fact of the matter is we think we are in a better position to win more games. I hear you: It’s the names. But at the end of the day the names added up to 93 losses. So, shame on us if we go at it the same way.’’

Ninety-three losses isn't ninety-three losses, though. Ninety-three losses is a carefully-chosen statistic that Jeffrey Loria and David Samson are using to pretend that what they're doing isn't simply being a couple of slimy assholes.

Ninety-three losses is only ninety-three losses when you guess wrong on your starting center fielder. Ninety-three losses is ninety-three losses when his replacement, the fastest player on the team, is out all year. It's ninety-three losses when your high-priced closer blows two years worth of saves in one season, when your catcher bats .192, when your starting left fielder slumps, then misses the entire second half of the season. It's ninety-three losses when your All-Star (LOL) first baseman is so bad that he's not worthy of a spot on a Major League roster, when your All-Star third baseman has turned into just a guy who happens to play third base, when you trade your third best pitcher at the deadline. It's ninety-three losses when you're starting this lineup in a late season game.

Ninety-three losses isn't ninety-three losses because of Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson or Mark Buehrle. Those guys were fine.

It could be argued that last season was an unprecedented season of anomalies. Some of it was the team having bad information, but some of it was simply luck not being on anyone in a Miami uniform's side. The idea that this team needed a complete overhaul, though, is ridiculous. Take the Hanley money and build around Reyes and Stanton. Use it to shore up the bullpen. Give this team at least a chance at a representative sample size. Do something other than tell me that "the names added up to 93 losses." Because that's disingenuous, selective horseshit that only fools fools.

Ninety-three losses is only ninety-three losses when you're a snivelling weasel, when you have something to hide.

Ninety-three losses is only ninety-three losses when you're Jeffrey Loria.

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