The Fredi Gonzalez Debacle

I saw this about one minute after it was posted on Sunday, there are two reasons why I didn't blog about it.  One being: that is the last thing I wanted to post before the final game of a very exciting season for the Marlins.  The other being I was about to collapse from a lack of sleep.  Be that has it may, here is the original.

At a time when Bobby Valentine has begun the process of talking with teams about a possible return as a manager in Major League Baseball, sources said he is in communication with the Florida Marlins about a possible position with that team -- less than eight months after Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez received a two-year extension.

Then David Samson pathetically didn't squash the reports.

"After every season we always evaluate everything," said President David Samson, adding he is not aware of any discussions with Valentine. "We’re all disappointed. Certainly winning 87 or 88 games is positive for the organization, but our goal every year is to make the playoffs..."

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Samson confirmed owner Jeffrey Loria feels like this team should have made the playoffs.

 

"We try to evaluate the team each year, once during the offseason, again during spring training and you continue the evaluation through the course of the year," Samson said. "As we looked at the performance at things that happened, games that went one way, games that went another way, there is no question we felt we should have been a playoff team."

Now the rant starts.

Fredi, as the manager of the Marlins, has recorded the third and fourth best records in franchise history in just three years.  In his first year, he inherited a pitching staff that spent more time in Alabama playing for Dr. Andrews' team, then they ever spent in Florida.

I don't care what you think about Fredi as a manager, personally I like him, sure he is not perfect but arm chair managing is quite easy, try doing the real deal.

But my rant isn't so much about the injustice of this to Fredi, which trust me there has been an injustice to him, it is about the sheer embarrassment of the situation. 

Before the Marlins even finished the season after an improvement over last season the higher ups in the front office were considering a change at the managerial position and let it be publicly known.  This is beyond belief.  The Marlins finished second in the division for only the third time.  Which as you know, second is as high as the Marlins have ever finished in the division.  And the front office complains about this, incredible.  The Marlins ownership has always been considered sleazy in the past and for good reason.  But Loria hasn't shown that in Florida until now.

But it gets even better.

"We have not done furloughs, we haven't done mass firings in the front office that other teams have done," Samson said. ``But we're evaluating the possibility of that, too."

 

 There you go, fire Fredi, Beinfest, Hill, Fleming and all of the scouts and that will improve the situation.  Oh, and I promise you not one of them will be unemployed for more than a day.

Of course the quotes are coming David Samson whom I consider to be one of the slimiest persons on the face of the planet.  In the past I have cut Loria some slack, I didn't like the fire sale of 2005 but I could understand the reason.  However, this is thing with Fredi is beyond ridiculous, it is beyond embarrassing, it is disgusting.  Even if Fredi is to remain at the helm he will be looking over shoulder the whole time knowing that his job is far from secure.  While no manager's job is secure, expecting the team with lowest payroll to make the playoffs year after year is absurd.  Sure the young Marlins are talented, that is why they win as many games as they do.  But with youth comes injury problems, and stupid mistakes, that is part of the deal.  If Loria can't wrap his mind around that, it makes me wonder how he ever got rich dealing art.  You would think that abstract thinking would be up his alley.  Apparently it is not.

It was a fun season, lots of team and MLB records set and the Marlins hung in there until the last week of the season.  Was it perfect?  No.  But it was a very good ride.  And then this crap was released on the last day of the season.  

The higher ups in the front office really make it hard to be a Marlins fan.