Jeez - this just gets worse and worse. I'm not sure if this discouraging string of quotes is due to what Jim Tracy actually thinks or whether he's being prompted by Paul Meyer, for whom any mention of old-school strategy is cause for celebration. But either way, they're discouraging. If Tracy or Jim Lett honestly think they can win an extra game every week by bunting (more) and hitting-and-running (more), they are insane.
By the way, I feel compelled to call out this egregious abuse of statistics:
In his five seasons as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, his teams were 140-106 in one-run games. In two seasons, the Dodgers had the best one-run record in the National League -- 2002 (33-15) and 2004 (32-16).
The Pirates, by contrast, had the worst record in the National League in one-run games in 2005 -- 15-28. Reverse that record and the Pirates finish with 80 wins in 2005.
Now why would Meyer compare Tracy's one-run record in 2002 and 2004 to the Pirates' in a different year? Because the Dodgers had a 20-23 record in one-run games in 2005. So much for the little things.