The Marmot’s Hole

Former Brewers manager Jerry Royster, a journeyman hired by a struggling team, has gotten the Lotte Giants off to a good start with a new style of aggressive baseball:

Only a week ago he was known merely as Korean baseball’s first foreign manager, a journeyman hired by a lackluster team that ended next to last in 2007.

In just the second week of the season, Jerry Royster is now hailed for sparking a baseball revolution.

His long-suffering Lotte Giants have shot to first place after six wins in eight games, including handing out an 11-1 thrashing on the opening day and a 7-0 triumph on Sunday.

The brilliant start has boosted attendances and led fans to maintain Royster’s aggressive style of play is just what is needed in a league known for its cautious approach.

Newspaper headlines celebrate him as “Hurricane Royster” with “a magic touch” on the diamond.

It’s a long season. Let’s see if he can keep it up.

Anyway, read the rest of the piece on your own — it interesting.

Royster’s inspiration comes from ex-Mets and current Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine, under whom the long-suffering Marines won the Japan Series in 2005. Personally, I ascribe to the David Wells school of thought on Bobby Valentine:

You ever watch a Mets game? Who do they show, always? … He knows where the cameras are. One day, I was pitching against the Mets, and he get thrown out and tries to come back in disguise. What a loser. Just go to the office and go have a beer and watch it on TV.