Great Manager, Great Game

Hey Willie Fanatics. You know, like "Philly Fanatics," only with my name instead. Never mind. Dennis the batboy told me to use that one. That's the last time I listen to him. About the blog, of course. I'll definitely continue to utilize him for in-game counsel. Believe me, the kid knows his stuff. You can tell he's been around the game for a really long time. For instance, he taught me this thing called the double switch. It blew me away. I haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet, but I'm getting there. Rick Peterson told me it should take me ten minutes to learn. I guess he was speaking figuratively, because he was way off on that one.

Anyway, it was a good win tonight. Sure, Pedro, Carlos, and Endy played pretty well. I must say though, it was my sensational managerial performance that put us over the top. First of all, I decided to rest Nady and play Chavez instead. Like I told reporters after the game, I just had a hunch that he was gonna come through for us. So how did Endy do? 4-5 with an outstanding catch in right field. See, who said you needed a wealth of baseball knowledge to manage a big league club? I generally like to go with my gut feelings, and where has it left me? 1st place, bitches. I have a feeling that Jose Valentin is gonna have a big game tomorrow, so you should expect to see him out on the field. Well, by now, you should have come to expect him to be out there every game, but look for even more of him tomorrow. I'm hoping to get a good four or five at-bats from him. With the middle of our lineup slumping, I'm glad I have him to pick up the slack.

Speaking of Valentin, I have to tip my hat to him on a job well done tonight. After the game, several people asked me why I took Pedro out after he was dominating the Pirates on only 78 pitches. I said it once, and I'll say it again: I wanted to score a run. In that situation, there was simply no other choice than to put in the Pinch-hit Wonder. After giving Valentin instructions, I sent him out there to put us ahead. Several pitches later, he had perfectly executed our plan. You see, it was cold and rainy at Shea, and I noticed that the weather was starting to get to Snell. I told Jose to whiff three times, sending a trifecta of poweful frigid blasts in his direction. After the at-bat, Snell was ice cold. So what does he do against Reyes? He tosses one right over the plate for Reyes to drive for a triple. Valentin never ceases to amaze me. Without him, Reyes doesn't hit that triple and the run doesn't score. Valentin does the little things that don't show up in the box score. That's why I love him. I think you all could agree that we wouldn't be the same without him.

When I think back on this game, it's no wonder I have a whopping 91% approval rating on espn.com. I don't know why Beltran said he felt bad for me when he heard about my popularity. He said that he knows how much of a struggle it is to be at 98% and that he couldn't imagine being 7 percent lower. I think he was talking about something completely different. Who knows? Anway, good night. Gotta get some rest befre we take on these Pirates again.