The elephant in the room is Fontenot

He should have 3 or 4 saves. He was misused the first weekend then used in back to back games the second weekend looking bad in the second outing. I think yesterday, it was pitching calling. He was throwing lots of fastballs trying to overpower the wrong hitter. I’m not concerned yet.

I didn’t want him pitching in the AF game once he had already pitched the day before. That thinking makes sense. The issue which has been discussed is that Paul wants to use a pitcher once they’ve warmed up. This creates two problems. 1) it causes him to wait too long to get someone warm and 2) what we saw that weekend... using a top pitcher in a non-need situation and possibly burning him for the next day or weekend.

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Paul wants to use a pitcher once they’ve warmed up. This creates two problems. 1) it causes him to wait too long to get someone warm and 2) what we saw that weekend... using a top pitcher in a non-need situation and possibly burning him for the next day or weekend.

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I've never seen him a prisoner to this strategy when the games matter. It makes perfect sense as a strategy when you are building the team in the first half of the season.

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I've never seen him a prisoner to this strategy when the games matter.

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I’m not saying strategy and approach doesn’t change in more important games. But PM himself has made these claims, not me. It was a few years ago during a press conference that he spoke about how he doesn’t like getting guys warm unless he knows he’s going to use them. It was in the middle of 2019 I believe when arm soreness was a hot topic.

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It was still in the 94-96 range.

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It was the movement I was wondering about. We can't overpower college hitters with just velocity.

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You’ve never seen Paul wait too long to get a relief pitcher up in the pen?

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I've seen every coach do it. Generally, late in the season, you'll hear as much whining that CPM took a pitcher out too soon as left him in too long.

In the really important games CPM is more apt to get a reliever warming.

Not worried. Feels like this happens with plenty of closers over the years

Fontenot will figure it out. He’s a bulldog and will only get better as the season goes on.

If he doesn’t at least this year it seems we have a lot of depth in the bullpen unlike in years past.

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I've never seen him a prisoner to this strategy when the games matter. It makes perfect sense as a strategy when you are building the team in the first half of the season.

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Hammer meet nail.
You are getting kids ready, things are orchestrated, why pretend it’s SEC play and instead stick to a plan early?

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Hammer meet nail.
You are getting kids ready, things are orchestrated, why pretend it’s SEC play and instead stick to a plan early?

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This is a lie. We didn’t lose to Air Force on Sunday because Paul was simply “trying guys out”. We lost because Paul mismanaged the 9th inning on Saturday.