Boardregeln » step in the remaking of the Leafs in Shan

MILWAUKEE -- It was a tough night at the ballpark for Ryan Braun. First, the Brewers slugger accidentally knocked shortstop Jean Segura out of the game after hitting him in the head with his bat while warming up on the top steps of the dugout in the first. Braun departed himself after the eighth with a slight chest muscle strain. The injuries wiped some of the lustre off Marco Estradas strong outing in a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday that gave Milwaukee its seventh win in eight games. Manager Ron Roenicke said Segura didnt have a concussion or fractures, but needed stitches to close a gash on his face. Segura might miss a few days, while Braun labeled himself as day to day. Foremost in Brauns mind was that Segura seemed to be OK after the scary moment. "Obviously, its never something thats done intentionally," Braun said. "You know whenever youre involved in a situation like that, I think it puts life in perspective and you realize how insignificant baseball is. Thank God from everything weve heard hes OK." Estrada (2-1) threw 7 2-3 strong innings with nine strikeouts. Jeff Bianchi went 2 for 4, entering the game as a pinch hitter in the first for Segura. The Brewers had to take a few moments to regroup after seeing Segura on the floor of the dugout in pain. He had to be helped to the clubhouse. Braun was facing the field on the top steps of the dugout, where he normally stations himself for his warmup routine. Segura, who was batting second ahead of third-place hitter Braun, was coming up the steps behind him, and a TV replay showed the All-Star shortstop getting it on the right side of the head. "It bugged me all game but its one of those things you hope you can prevent. I know Braunny felt bad," Roenicke said. "Bianchi came in and did a great job for him." Bianchi drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in thunior team and later the youngest player agent to be certified by the NHLPA. Rising fast through the hockey ranks, he is known to be thoughtful, respectful and innovative in his thinking, a breath of fresh air to a game thats often remained engrained in old habits. Though not an all-out stats guru as portrayed in some corners, hes shown a willingness to consider the merits of analytics, employing them where suitable to help his team in the Sault. The Maple Leafs, previously led by noted analytics opponent Brian Burke, have been slow to adjust to the “Money-Puck revolution,” which has crept louder and louder into the game in recent years. And if not a voice for that community, Dubas should, at the very least, open up Nonis, Randy Carlyle and the entire group in Toronto to some different ideas. “Its really about learning as much as I can and getting as much information as I can,” Dubas said. “I havent run the team in Sault St. Marie based solely on statistics, its been a good size part of what weve integrated in, but the rest of it is just hockey. Its evaluating players, scouting reports, dealing with the personalities on the team, trying to hire the best scouts and people. And certainly the analytics, Ive found it to be a major help to me personally iin the way that I view the game and just create a better level of certainty to decisions.dddddddddddd” “Information is power,” Shanahan added. “Its about eliminating some of the noise and seeing what information works best for you, your team, and the direction you and your team want to go with. “Hes obviously got a great appreciation and understanding of analytics, but hes also married that to the complexities and instincts you have to have when youre putting a product on the ice. Hes not just talked about it, but hes done it.” Todd Reynolds, formerly a colleague in the agent business, says Dubas is not some analytics guru, but rather a well-rounded hockey mind on the rise. “I dont think its all about analytics like people have wanted to make it out to be today,” he told TSN.ca. “Hes not a computer nerd. Hes not sitting there crunching numbers and bringing sheets of paper into the GMs office with recommendations. Hes much more complete than that.” Reynolds firm, Uptown Sports Management, hired Dubas fresh out of the Brock University sports management program. They had known him to be “mature beyond his years” from past dealings with the Greyhounds organization. Dubas, they believed, was sensible, trustworthy and related well to people senior to him. “It really wasnt as much of a stretch or a leap of faith on our part as people thought it was at the time,” Reynolds said. “He held his own. [His age] was used against him at times – as you can imagine our business is competitive, the industry is – and people would say ‘Really, youre thinking about going with him? The kids 20-year-old. So it was used against him successfully at times, at other times he overcame it. “We encouraged him ‘just continue doing what youre doing and people wont talk about your age theyll talk about your track record.” And so they werent surprised at the Burlington headquarters of Uptown Sports to learn a few years down the road that Dubas had earned the GM job in hockey-mad Sault Ste. Marie – as one of the youngest GMs in OHL history – nor taken aback on this day when he rose to the NHL. “We all knew this was coming,” Reynolds said. Shanahan claims he never set out to hire an assistant general manager, but planned on assessing the various levels of the organization over the offseason and instilling change from there. He expected more hires to the management team, likely needing a replacement for Loiselle as it pertained to contract negotiations, the CBA, and the cap, and someone to assume Poulins duties, which included management of the Marlies. Tuesdays proceedings were ultimately another step in the remaking of the Leafs in Shanahans vision. That vision started to take shape with the early May firings of the coaching staff and the retaining of Carlyle. It continued with the selection of William Nylander at the draft, varied roster pursuits in and around July 1st – quiet for Toronto standards – and a pair of new hires (and voices) to surround Carlyle, including the youthful Steve Spott. In Dubas meanwhile, Shahanan will look for a different voice, a fresher perspective that may have been lacking. “Im just an assistant GM,” said Dubas. “Ill do what Im asked and go from there.” ' ' '