At the end of every professional sports season the same thing happens. General Managers and owners fire coaches and then go through the list of recycled coaches and replace them on franchises that continue to struggle with the hopes that any change will rescuscitate a dying team. Newsflash! It doesn’t work.
Dusty Baker is not the answer for the San Diego Padres. Bruce Bochy is not the answer for the San Francisco Giants. Buck Showalter is not the savior for any other franchise. These baseball managers could not bring a pennant to the cities they managed in before and they won’t bring one home in their new digs. The fact is that winning at this level is codependent on a General Manager who is willing to spend the money on players and make wise player personnel moves. (I have a sneaking su####ion that Dusty is going to end up as the Padres new manager, but I personally think he is ready to go to the broadcasting booth. He may win in his first year, but then he tends to settle in and just coast. I hope the Padres have better sense, but realistically they will just do the West Coast Shuffle)
Case in point: The Padres have Kevin Towers as the General Manager and what did he do to improve the team at the trade deadline? He brought in Todd Walker from the Cubs. Walker had already lost his starting job at 2nd base with the Cubs, so they bring him in to play third base for the Padres. That makes as much sense as wearing a rain coat to keep you dry when you go scuba diving. It was not a good fit.
The Pirates gave away all of their talent this year and they raised the white flag long before the All-Star Break. Jim Tracy is not the reason they will not win at Three River’s stadium next year, but if he loses for another season you can bet that he will join the ranks of Dusty Baker, Felipe Alou, Buck Showalter, and Joe Girardi looking for a new gig. (If I were the GM for the Padres, I would snag Joe Girardi before anyone else does. He is good for the game and an exciting new face.)
Teams like the White Sox took a chance on new blood a few years ago and they won a title. Sure they could have settled for the same old retreads that are shuffled around the league, but they didn’t and it made all the difference. The NY Mets went to someone new and at least they made it into the NLCS finals.
Baseball is just one example. The NBA is by far the worst league to shuffle coaches around every season, but it is the new guys making an impact. Avery Johnson and Mike D’Antoni are just two of the bright spots on the NBA horizon. Guys like Mike Fratello, Lenny Wilkens, and Don Nelson always seem to land a job, but it is the new blood that excites me. If all you want is someone to collect a paycheck, bring back Doug Moe. Better yet, hire me to baby sit these superstar athletes. I will do it for a lot less money and I will guarantee the same results.
Socal ....... I for the life of me can't understand Towers and Alderson in wanting to get rid of Bochy. The problems on the field weren't of his making.
The players just weren't good enough and it was down to Towers if anything to meet the needs of the team and verify from Bochy what was needed to take the team to the next level. Sadly, the blame as always it's placed on the shoulders of the manager for the team's shortcomings. Hopefully some sound judgement will prevail and like you said Girardi will be hired.
Last edited by tophatal on October 29th at 9:30 PM.
Tophatal, they did not fire Bochy, but they sure made it easy for him to walk. I for one am not all that sad to see Bochy leave, but the losses were not all his fault. He did the best with the team given him year in and year out. My point is why hire Dusty? What will he be able to do that he Bochy did not already accomplish. The upside to hiring Girardi is huge. The downside, lose in playoffs maybe. He can be signed for less money then Dusty, and he is a lot less controversial.
Socal ..... It would appear tht the GM's are of the belief that they should follow in the footsteps of the GM's of the NBA and go with retreads. I more than anything would like to see Girardi get the job as I wasn't entirely happy with the way the Marlins' management treated him and this is coming from a devoted Marlins' fan. For me Baker has never been an inspiring coach ! He may well be a legend in his own mind and little much beyond that.
Last edited by tophatal on October 27th at 10:37 PM.
agreed PF and Tophat. The marlins treated Joe horribly, and yet he did not bad mouth them when he left. He is a class act, but also strong enough to stand up to an owner. One day he will have his shot managing the Yankees.
Any MLB team would be lucky to have Ron Washington. He is the sole reason Oakland plays kick #### defense and one of the big reasons Billy Beane's prospects always develop into solid big leaguers.
Socal ........ If Girardi does get a management position it won't be with the Yankees. Because I can see that after Torre's tenureship there, more likely than not the position will go to Mattingly. However I could see Girardi returning there in some sort of a capacity as a third base coach or another named position.
He was well liked within the organisation and the Yankees tend to treat their own like family all the way.
Last edited by tophatal on October 28th at 10:12 PM.
Norcal, I don't know Ron Washington that well, but you may be right.
Tophat, Girardi will not be the next Yankee manager, but I can see him being a Yankee manager in his future. Maybe after Mattingly. I am not so sure Mattingly is even next. He hasn't managed any major league team yet, so Girardi is a leg up on him right now.
Socal ..... I don't see that as much of a problem as Mattingly is well respected by the players. And he no doubt has the faith and ear of Cashman and Steinbrenner. And Jeter I believe has a solid relationship with him which I believe to be reciprocal. That if anything would signify his position as the manager of the team. They can't do much worse than Mattingly.
What are your thoughts on Orel Hershiser possibly taking over as manager of the A's ? Personally I think it's a very sound decision and merited by Billy Beane. Hershiser has the player's instincts but the affable manner of a manager.
I think Orel will get back into the game as a manager one day. Whether it's with the A's or back with the Dodgers is the question. I would love to see him back in LA, but he does a great job in the booth too. He will always have a job.
Socalsportsfan ..... I'm with you on that one as Hershiser will do good wherever he goes. I'm of the belief that he'll accept the A's job as they're a team capable of winning and they've also got a great farm system that's filled with talent.
Dusty Baker is not the answer for the San Diego Padres. Bruce Bochy is not the answer for the San Francisco Giants. Buck Showalter is not the savior for any other franchise. These baseball managers could not bring a pennant to the cities they managed in before and they won’t bring one home in their new digs. The fact is that winning at this level is codependent on a General Manager who is willing to spend the money on players and make wise player personnel moves. (I have a sneaking su
The Pirates gave away all of their talent this year and they raised the white flag long before the All-Star Break. Jim Tracy is not the reason they will not win at Three River’s stadium next year, but if he loses for another season you can bet that he will join the ranks of Dusty Baker, Felipe Alou, Buck Showalter, and Joe Girardi looking for a new gig. (If I were the GM for the Padres, I would snag Joe Girardi before anyone else does. He is good for the game and an exciting new face.)
Baseball is just one example. The NBA is by far the worst league to shuffle coaches around every season, but it is the new guys making an impact. Avery Johnson and Mike D’Antoni are just two of the bright spots on the NBA horizon. Guys like Mike Fratello, Lenny Wilkens, and Don Nelson always seem to land a job, but it is the new blood that excites me. If all you want is someone to collect a paycheck, bring back Doug Moe. Better yet, hire me to baby sit these superstar athletes. I will do it for a lot less money and I will guarantee the same results.
