Not that it will make a difference; Fredi Gonzalez fired as manager of the Atlanta Braves after the team falls to a Major’s worst 9-28.
So often times is the case, not just in baseball, but in all professional sports, when a team is playing poorly, the manager is thrown under the bus and fired. In some cases, it’s well deserved, like a coach showing unwavering loyalty to a veteran player and giving them premium playing time when a younger, more talented player rides the bench.
However, in more often than naught cases, the coach/manager is shit-canned for no other reason than being a sacrificial lamb; as if it’s their fault the place kicker missed a field goal, the team can’t shoot free throws, or the hitters can’t hit the ball. This is often times the case, because in the perplexing world of professional sports, accountability is demanded, and regardless of logic or truth, coaches and managers are representative of those who should be held do it, and are the first ones to go when things are going bad.
I’m not even going to pretend like I was a Fredi Gonzalez fan. At first, I supported his hiring, because I was one of many going through the post-Bobby Cox separation anxiety, and a guy like Fredi, who worked so long under Bobby Cox seemed like a good guy to transition the Braves organization into a new era. Opinions quickly changed, as Fredi managed the team like a robot, quick with clichéd statements that became memes within the Braves community, and decision-making that went against the ever-evolving game.
Ironically, if Fredi were shit-canned at any point between 2011 and 2014, I would’ve said that it was well deserved, because Fredi Gonzalez simply was not a talented nor competent manager for today’s game.
