Just when you thought you had reliable information, Sandy Alderson does the unthinkable and hires #### the next manager of the Padres. What can I say, my prediction that Baker would be in Padres uniform was wrong. I have at least one friend who is very upset, considering he thought he would be the bench catcher for the Padres because of his relationship with Baker.
As for Black, I wish him well. The Padres are in a division where you should finish first every year but at the same time the management make some very stupid moves which make it very hard to win the World Series. Case in point; the Padres traded Josh Barfield today to Cleveland for virtuely nothing in return and now they are considering sending one of the best middle relievers in the game to the Braves for Marcus Giles. Marcus is the younger brother of Brian Giles. Both played their high school ball right down the road from me at Granite Hills High School. While it may be a bit nostalgic bringing Marcus home, he is not a good replacement for Barfield who had a great year for a rookie.
With decisions like these Black better have a little Black Magic to maintain a winning team in San Diego. Bochy was lucky to leave when he did. I do not regret that Baker was not hired, but I do wish Joe Girardi had been given real consideration.
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.
Just when you thought you had reliable information, Sandy Alderson does the unthinkable and hires 
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.
