When did it all change?
When did players become softer, more sensitive to what was said by their manager or general manager? When did managers have to stop criticizing players so as not to hurt their feelings in public? When did all of this happen and why?
Comments
"But the conclusion is, should Shoppach have played more?" Where is there a conclusion in that sentence? Embarrassing, Cafardo.
Nick, you're going to compare the the results of Valentine, Farrell, and Sveum with no mention of the strengths of the teams that they have? Really? The rebuilding cubbies are a good comp for the red sox?
Just lazy, lazy writing. If you are going to blame the player manager dynamic on money, at least have the bare minimum of statistics to back up your argument. The $20m player you cite is a rare phenomenon even today. How about even a casual comparison between mean or median manager and player salaries for the past five decades? I know it would require some actual work rather than getting a quick sound bite from a couple of managers (and really, you think letting managers get their shots in without giving a player or two an opportunity to say something is fair?) but then you would actually have a column worth reading.
Let's face the facts. It's not going to get any better until the rat(s) who threw Bob Hohler all that scum against Tito are outed and made to pay the full price. Even if it goes all the way to Henry, they must be accountable. Until then, the drama will take center stage.
Clearly after seeing how the lowly Padres are worth 1000% more than 20 years ago the owners are going broke pandering to the players