re: Have the players quit on CPM?

I'm not sure that really happens at this level. It's not like he's pulling a Paterno or Coach Kilmer here.

But I do believe that the coach can drive the emotions of a team or player. There are times when you need to yell at a player. Times when you need to get animated in the dugout. Times when you need to raise a little hell on the field. We've all heard the lines Skip would give his pitchers. We all remember seeing his head bobbing about during a team huddle. And I'm positive that Skip got kicked out of a game on purpose just to motivate his players.

I think CPM just lacks that particular quality, and it is most sorely missed during the postseason when it is most important. I would've come out of the dugout looking like George Brett after that bullshite hidden ball call during the UCI game, but that's not Coach Paul "Small Ball" Maineri's style. Maybe that lackluster approach has infected the players, and that just doesn't work in today's game.