Even dismissing the real possibility of a Joe Torre and/or Brian Cashman departure if the Yankees do not reward George Steinbrenner's largesse with a berth in the postseason, a widescale upheaval of managers and general managers looks to be in the offing as baseball's firing season approaches.
The last-place Pirates fired the first shot last week when they dismissed manager Lloyd McClendon, who had lost 100, 89, 87, 89 and 81 games in four-plus seasons. But the Pirates, who are vying with the Rockies for the worst record in the NL, are just one of a dozen or so teams to have fallen short of ownership's expectations. Here's the hot seat scorecard:
Yankees: While it seems inconceivable that Torre, with $13 million still due to him, and four world championships plus two other trips to the World Series to his credit, could be gone if the Yankees don't get to the postseason, relations with Steinbrenner will be unbearable. His whole coaching staff could be gone, as could Cashman, his buffer with the Boss, who might just leave on his own accord.
Orioles: It's been an absolutely horrible season in Baltimore with the Rafael Palmeiro steroids scandal, Sammy Sosa's predictable flameout, Sidney Ponson's multiple indiscretions and the collapse of the team after such a promising start under fired Lee Mazzilli. Just when you thought owner Peter Angelos couldn't mess up this once-proud franchise any more. Look for the co-GMship to be dismantled, with Jim Beattie leaving and Mike Flanagan moving upstairs. Assistant Red Sox GM Josh Byrnes' name has come up as one prospective replacement. Sam Perlozzo's inability to rally the O's to a respectable finish probably means he'll be replaced too.
Tigers: Popular as Alan Trammell is in Detroit, there's no getting around the fact that he lost this team. Owner Mike Ilitch spent boldly ($75 million on Magglio Ordonez, $12 million for Troy Percival) on admittedly damaged goods last winter, but still expected a contending team. It never happened and now Jim Leyland, who grew up in the Tigers' minor league system and won a world championship for Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski in Florida, is odds-on to return to managing for his old boss.
Diamondbacks/Cubs: Although Arizona managing general partner Ken Kendrick gave manager Bob Melvin a vote of confidence a couple weeks ago, you have to believe the $109 million he spent on Troy Glaus, Shawn Green and Russ Ortiz combined with the D-Backs' flop in a winnable division will prompt a re-evaluation. Do not be surprised if D-Backs managing partner Jeffrey Moorad makes a pitch to the Cubs for his former client, Dusty Baker, who has one year at nearly $4 million left on his contract. If Baker should go, GM Jim Hendry has Grady Little waiting in the wings.
Marlins: Jack McKeon will be 75 next year and while he says he'll be back with the Marlins in some capacity, it is not likely to be as manager if they don't make the playoffs. In that case, Joe Girardi is owner Jeffrey Loria's first choice to replace him.
Pirates: Despite the early speculation about Leyland returning to Pittsburgh, GM Dave Littlefield is more likely to hire a manager he can control - such as Art Howe or Ken Macha if Billy Beane deems him expendable in Oakland.
Phillies: The notoriously vicious Philly fandom and talk show yakkers have been screaming for GM Ed Wade's head all season and now, with the Phillies fading and attendance in decline, CEO Dave Montgomery may have no choice but to adhere to their wishes. Still, Montgomery is notoriously conservative and patient in approach, and Wade's his guy.
Devil Rays: It's now the worst-kept secret in baseball that Lou Piniella won't be back as Tampa Bay's manager: a settlement of the final year of his contract is being worked out with in-the-wings managing partner Stuart Sternberg. GM Chuck LaMar, who has defied baseball reason by lasting 10 incompetent, all-losing years on the job, is also out. The new GM will presumably name the manager, but you have to wonder if an experienced and respected exec such as Gerry Hunsicker (whose name has been frequently mentioned) would want a job that entails tutoring Sternberg's two baseball neophytes, VP of administration Matt Silverman and director of baseball development Andrew Friedman.
Rangers: It's happening all over again for Buck Showalter. Ranger players are said to be in revolt over his obsessive, micromanaging ways, and GM John Hart's inability to acquire or develop quality pitching has also drawn fire. They're probably both too expensive to be replaced now, but the Rangers' regression this season has severely shortened owner Tom Hicks' leash on his management team.
Mariners: GM Bill Bavasi is going to have to answer to ownership for a last-place season that was supposed to be just the opposite after his $64.8 and $50 million expenditures for Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, respectively. As Bavasi goes, so goes manager Mike Hargrove. Conceivably, they'll both survive, but like Hart and Showalter in Texas, they can ill afford a stumble out of the blocks next year.
Reds: Even before the sale of the team is completed, GM Dan O'Brien is probably out after tight-fisted owner Carl Lindner gave him the go-ahead to raise payroll last winter and he invested $25.5 million on Eric Milton, a home run-yielding pitcher for a homerun-happy ballpark. Milton (7-14, 6.85, 39 homers) has been the symbol of the Reds' disastrous season. Presumably, manager Jerry Narron's fate is tied to O'Brien's.
Royals: GM Allard Baird is safe, if only because the malaise in KC lies solely with owner David Glass. Baird's force-feeding youth movement was by necessity, not design. He did all he could with the payroll constraints he was given from Glass. He has to hope, however, his kids start to come of age next year.
Dodgers: It sure sounds as if owner Frank McCourt has started to second-guess himself for entrusting boy wonder Paul DePodesta as his GM. Just about every deal and signing DePodesta made undermined the Dodgers' success last season and the team is subsequently a mess of dysfuntional personalities with Jeff Kent, Milton Bradley, J.D. Drew, Odalis Perez, Derek Lowe and Jason Phillips. How to undo all of this? Jim Tracy, one of the best and brightest managers in the game, deserved far better.
It's A Madd, Madd World…
Who'd have ever thought you'd hear the words "move over Stan Musial" in St. Louis? But that's the kind of platitude Albert Pujols evokes. The Cardinals' first baseman is a lock for his first MVP this season and is already walking with the immortals. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, in his first five seasons, Pujols has broken Joe Medwick's record for most extra base hits (433) and has joined Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Al Simmons as the only players in history with 100 or more RBI in each of their first five seasons. He's also the first player to hit 30 or more homers in his first five seasons.
Meanwhile, Pujols' Cardinal teammate Chris Carpenter has taken a stronghold on the Cy Young Award. Carpenter, according to Elias, is the first pitcher since 1920 to go undefeated in 16 straight starts while throwing at least seven innings and yielding no more than three runs. His streak of 22 consecutive quality starts is the longest since Bob Gibson in 1968.
Indian insiders insist it's not really a fair assessment, but there's no getting around the fact the Indians have hit .283 as a team and improved from 14th in the AL in both runs and batting to fifth and eighth respectively since June 4 when Eddie Murray was fired as batting coach. Nevertheless, it was an extremely painful firing for Tribe GM Mark Shapiro, whose father, Ron, was Murray's longtime agent. Murray has reportedly since severed ties with him.
Say It Ain't So
"It's about winning. If you don't understand that, take a hike out of the clubhouse, because we're trying to win whether you've got somebody's back or not. Whatever that means."
- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire in response to Kyle Lohse's tirade in which the pitcher dented the manager's door, broke a doorknob and said the coaching staff "didn't stand behind me" after he'd been lifted after just two innings in his last start.
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/
