What a week it’s been for Major League Baseball fans. Three managers bit the dust within moments of each other in some kind of crazy “tag, you’re it” manager firing orgy. Does that last sentence make any sense? No matter. The point is baseball fans haven’t seen this much blood since Nolan Ryan pounded a head locked Robin Ventura into submission years ago. (You’ll note – Mr. Ventura never again charged Nolan after that)
Let’s take a look at how much credit or blame the three teams deserve for the whacking of their head men:
New York Mets – Split Grade – A (for the move) / F (for the way it was handled) / C (for the aftermath)
Give them credit for being the first ones to the dance. The Mets shocked their fan base by firing Willie Randolph while most of us slept back on the East Coast. In fairness, most weren’t surprised by Willie being let go so much as how it was done. Without wasting space here, let’s just say The Mets officially proved they can no longer be considered the classier of the two New York baseball teams in terms of how they handle manager dismissals. Somewhere in baseball heaven, this is, of course, no relief to Billy Martin.
Randolph needed to go. After last season’s choke job and being under .500 as a club for over a year while having one of baseball’s largest payrolls, that much was clear. The Mets went to Jerry Manuel as a replacement and a solid one at that. Manuel was once upon a time the manager of the year for the Chicago White Sox. Since, his promotion, Manuel has won a couple of games and threatened to “cut” Jose Reyes, which got him a lot of negative publicity. Given the Mets’ play over the last year, maybe it’s past time to let the players know they could be whacked too…
Seattle Mariners - Split Grade – A (for the move) / C (for McLaren’s replacement)
Second up on this week’s hit parade was Seattle’s John McLaren. Seattle, with a relatively high payroll considering their market, was expected to do big things this year. About the only big thing they’ve managed to do is lose and lose big. By the time he was fired, Seattle was 25-47 and seriously threatening to become the first team with a plus $100 million payroll to ever lose 100 games in a season. Now, McLaren won’t have the chance to guide his team into that record book.
For what it’s worth to McLaren, perhaps he can take comfort in the fact that Seattle let his boss GM Bill Bavasi go as well. It was obvious something had to be done about this season and it’s obvious this mess wasn’t all McLaren’s fault. A long time assistant, McLaren took over last year when Mike Hargrove quit on the team. Although Seattle won 88 games last year, you couldn’t help noticing that their play down the stretch was even worse than that of Willie Randolph’s Mets. Seattle lost 15 of 17 and didn’t make the playoffs. Ouch!
And for help the Mariners turn to? Jim Riggleman. Yes, Jim Riggleman a two time former manager who hasn’t been the top guy for a MLB team since 1999 (the last Millennium). Give Seattle credit for finding a veteran hand to guide them through the rest of the season. Plus, his career sub .500 winning percentage as a manager suits the team perfectly…
Toronto Blue Jays – Split Grade – (B- for the move) / (D+ for Gibbons’ Replacement)
As much as the Mets firing was greeted incorrectly as a surprise in many parts, the Jays’ firing of manager John Gibbons was a true surprise. Gibbons was sure he was safe for this season. Turned out, he was very wrong. The bigger shock was the direction the team decided to move in post-Gibbons. The past!
It’s clear Toronto has underachieved over the last few years. They never have come close to seriously threatening the BoSox and Bronx Bombers’ domination of the AL East. Maybe that brought on a pang of nostalgia. How else do you explain the Blue Jays hiring Cito Gaston for a second act in Toronto?
Gaston’s first act was a success to be sure. Two World Series titles looks fantastic on a resume absolutely. That said, second acts rarely work in sports or in life. It’s tough to reclaim past glory.
Doubt that fact? How do you explain these second term failures? Joe Gibbs in DC. Red Holtzman in New York. And the second Sonny and Cher show (the one after they were divorced and bet you thought I was going to go for the obvious Bush joke!).
Cito Gaston, despite winning two titles, never was thought of as a top tier major league manager back in the day. Incorrectly or not, that’s the lingering perception. Since he ended his first run in Toronto over a decade ago, he’s never managed again. This second act will determine Gaston’s legacy. If he can right the ship and return the Jays to glory, then he’ll be thought of as a great manager. If not, he’ll be thought of as, well, Cito Gaston, a guy who won two championships a long time ago. Yawn…
PS – While Gibbons is gone for those looking for more blood, it might be good to keep an eye on Jays’ GM J.P. Ricciardi. The GM has been on the scene in Toronto for some time and has failed to turn things around while recently embarrassing the organization for his comments on Reds’ player Adam Dunn. Ricciardi apologized, but ultimately will he be “Dunn” in to?
