QUIT YOUR BITCHING & GET TO PITCHING!

What is with the new trend of closers turning into these Prima donna's and adding their two cents where it really isn't needed? Maybe I just have less patience for it these days. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but I don't care to hear about it if it is the off season or you are not effectively doing your job. These guys get paid a lot of money to play a game....not manage it.

In the last three months now we have heard two of the best relievers in all of baseball complain about how their managers used them. I get it, there is always room for improvement but it makes no sense to air your grievances out for the rest of the world to hear them. We don't care about your clubhouse views. We just want to watch you play the game and be effective. I guess Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller need a little reminder.

(Oct. 25, 2016 - Source: Jason Miller/Getty Images North America)

Months later, I still feel like Andrew Miller took a cheap shot at Joe Girardi. He says his beef with Girardi was because he did not make it perfectly clear if he was going in first, or if Dellin Betances was. Then, it would make the bullpen "a mess" because they were both warming up together at the same time. So apparently, Miller the Princess needed his own space to get ready to do his job and Girardi cramped his style.

Gimme a break! As a reliever, you need to be ready to go in whenever your team needs you. It was pretty exciting to see two All-Star relievers warming up together knowing that we had the best righty and lefty ready to go whenever needed. What a great weapon to have! Girardi liked his formula but there won't always be a formula for success. However, it was completely different and acceptable when Terry Francona pulled Miller out to pitch the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings during the playoffs. Nope, not hypocritical whatsoever.

(Nov. 1, 2016 - Source: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America)

Now we have Aroldis Chapman complaining about his own mismanagement with one difference....he knows what he didn't do and should have done. I have to give Chapman some credit here. He admits that he did not approach Joe Maddon and tell him his opinion on his usage. He didn't go to him and say he felt tired and needed the rest. He also said that it was his job to be a "warrior" and go out there and do what was needed. Miller never owned up to that, especially not in such a public setting like Chapman did.

Game 6 of the World Series will always be analyzed. With the Cubs up 7-2 and a likely game 7 about to happen it would have been a good game to let him sit out. Give him a chance to recharge and be ready for the final game. I'm sure a lot of managers would have considered that, but not Maddon. He let Chapman throw 20 pitches and give up is first run in the series. It will lead the rest of us and maybe even Chapman to wonder.....if he hadn't pitched game 6 maybe he wouldn't have blown the lead in game 7. Maybe he wouldn't have given up three runs after throwing 35 pitches. Maybe.....

But we will never know. Now Chapman talks about how he thinks his appearance in game 6 was not needed and he was overused. No matter the opinion, it still happened and as Chapman said he will learn from it and take the experience and his World Series ring after all of his efforts whether agreed upon or not.

If I could give these guys a nickels worth of free advice it would be to communicate and quit the bitching and just go in and pitch. If and when you become a manager then you may have some additional perspective that will come in handy for situations like these.

Just some food for thought.

 --Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ



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