My latest poll on Mike Rizzo drew about half the responses most of my polls have been getting. Not sure if that means anything. I do know the results were overwhelming. Twenty-five respondents said remove the acting tag and three said don't. I'd like to hear from those three about why they voted that way.
Rizzo hasn't really done anything to make me say "Wow" in either direction. I know I don't like "acting" situations, though one commenter noted on an earlier post that everybody in those positions (manager, GM, etc.) is pretty much interim anyway. What it says to me is "we're not sure yet."
I don't know if Uncle Stan is waiting to see how Rizzo handles the Strasburg negotiations or waiting until the end of the season to see if someone else is available.
I am curious to see what happens to this position, and maybe some others, over the All-Star break.
5 comments:
I was a vote against Rizzo. I find him uncreative and cliched. I worry we'll end up with a team of David Ecksteins and Juan Pierres.
His misleading (at best, dishonest is probably a better word) comments about the team's approach to the draft were insulting.
I think the Manny situation has been handled very badly, in a way that has left Manny unfairly hanging out there. He should have been replaced or given a clear statement of support much earlier in the whirlwind than happened.
Am having trouble with the idea that a team has Rick Eckstein (Mr. video, Mr. Preparation, Mr. Technique) as hitting coach and Steve McCatty (Mr. Just Throw Strikes) as pitching coach. It's just jarring. I like what Eckstein brings to the table, and McCatty seems like a pitching coach version of Lenny Harris. Rizzo's comments at the time of the switch were disquieting to me.
The handling of this year's bullpen has been too reactive for me. I get the pen's been awful and there's not a lot you can do -- but after demoting Hanrahan, the way they re-promoted him and then un-demoted so quickly seemed needlessly destructive. Why re-promote the guy unless you are going to trust your judgment and give him a real string to play out.
Not in love with selling so low on Thrilledge. I get having reached the judgment that he wasn't going to be your guy, but I'd have taken a longer chance on rebuilding him a little and trying to trade higher down the road.
Sam, thanks. Valid points, though I suspect the draft stuff was just him spouting the party line created from above.
I'm pretty sure there's an MLB-mandated process that surrounds the hiring of a permanent GM. Sham interviews of minority candidates, etc. Going through that process in the midst of the Strasburg negotiations would undermine Rizzo's credibility even if he is the guy slated to get the permanent job. Thus it's highly likely that they'll wait til the offseason to remove the interim tag. I predict a quick two-step right after the season. Rizzo gets the permanent job, and Manny Acta's 2010 option is picked up.
Really? You think Manny stays? I just don't see that happening if this team loses 100 again.
I think they are going to do everything they can to keep Manny around. If they were going to fire him just for losing games, they'd have done it already. Hell, they'd have done it last year when they fired the rest of his coaching staff. It will take something totally egregious that can be pinned directly on Manny's managing to get him fired. Otherwise, no matter how many games they lose they will be able to say it wasn't his fault and retain him. Kasten likes Manny. Rizzo likes Manny. The Lerners aren't talking, but I bet they like Manny too.
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