A Manager for Us

 

I had to miss that mighty Yankees effort last night because...truth is, there were actually interesting things on TV.  Oh, well.

But I did get to watch a little of the Braves taking apart the Metsies over the weekend. They are the best team in baseball right now, and I will be very surprised if they don't take it all. 

Atlanta plays baseball like it oughta be, to steal an old Queens slogan. They steal bases, bunt, hit to the opposite field...and in general PAY ATTENTION. The poor Mets were starting some much-traveled journeyman out in left field, his first game in the majors this season. Nonetheless, the Braves knew that he had a weak arm, and ran on him mercilessly.  

What I liked about the broadcast, too, was the Mets' television crew, who are light years ahead of our bland and humorless bunch. The Mets' guys—Cohen, Darling, and Hernandez—are funny, frank, and very smart about the game.  

Darling, for instance, had talked with Braves third-base coach Ron Washington before the game, and related what Washington had told him about handling rookies. That is, that when a guy first comes up and is very good at something, that is what the team should emphasize. That is what they should let him do, and praise him to the skies until he builds some confidence.

Only after he has confidence and is established—if at all—should they try to do something like "improve his launch angle."

Darling completely approved of that approach, which is pretty smart for a Yalie. And I want Washington for our manager.

Yeah, the guy's 71. So what? He's still full of enthusiasm for the game, and he's obviously enjoying himself out there. In his one, 8-year managerial stint, with the Texas Rangers, he won 2 division titles, finished second 4 times, won 2 pennants, and came within 1 pitch of winning a World Series.  

After which...he never got another opportunity, which is all too common for Black guys in baseball (sympathizing with you, Willie Randolph).  I would give it to him, on the basis of that little nugget of wisdom alone.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming, which is the Yankees getting their heads bashed in by a competent (or incompetent) organization.