Think Frank Wren’s maladroit? Check out Omar Minaya
We know Frank Wren can be tin-eared in matters of public relations. But it’s like Dr. Bradley always says: Better tin-eared than ham-handed. And here the doc offers a case study:
Omar Minaya, general manager of the Mets.
He received much favorable publicity in his early years on the job. Barely two years ago Sports Illustrated splashed him on its cover and gave him the gushing Gary Smith treatment inside, hailing Minaya as “Mix Master.” But the Master’s team, since coming within a Game 7 against St. Louis of the 2006 World Series, has blown two NL East titles in succession and today finds itself 10 1/2 games out of first place.
Yes, injuries have left an imprint. The Mets have lost Jose Reyes and the Carloses — Beltran and Delgado — for extended periods. But this is a roster on which Minaya has spent roughly $140 million, the second-most of any baseball team, and it wouldn’t have suffered as much from the big names’ absences if there were minor-leaguers capable of role-playing. Which there aren’t.
The Mets’ Class AAA and AA affiliates are in last place of their respective leagues. This is pertinent because the Mix Master was moved Monday to fire Tony Bernazard, the vice president for player development. Bernazard’s sacking was prompted by a series, written by Adam Rubin in the New York Daily News, of incidents regarding the VP’s bizarre behavior. To recap:
• Bernazard ripped off his shirt and challenged members of the Class AA Binghamton Mets to fight him. (Hey, doesn’t Ed Orgeron hold the patent on this?)
• Bernazard had a heated exchange with closer Francisco Rodriguez on the team bus after the Mets lost 11-0 to the Braves on Greg Maddux Night here.
• Back in 2006, Bernazard lit into the visiting clubhouse man in Lakewood, N.J., who asked the visiting VP, who wasn’t displaying proper credentials, if he was the bus driver.
And now the really weird part: In firing Bernazard, Minaya accused Rubin of “lobbying people for a position in player development.” Which Rubin claims is absolutely untrue. All he did, he writes, was wonder about expanding his TV profile. And even if Rubin had dropped 50 copies of his resume on Minaya’s desk, it didn’t make the Bernazard stories, yet to be refuted, untrue.
And now the focus in New York has shifted to the bewildering GM — remember, the same Omar Minaya let Willie Randolph fly to the West Coast with the Mets last summer before firing him after one game on the trip (a victory) — who might not be long for his job.
And if that happens, you know what that would make Frank Wren? Second-longest tenured general manager in the NL East. And the senior man — Michael Hill of Florida — has been in his position exactly 12 days longer than Wren has been in his.
Better tin-eared than ham-handed. Quote me on that.
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73 comments Add your comment
Mike
July 28th, 2009
5:06 pm
Here’s all you need to know about Frank Wren’s judgement: Smoltz is making a fortune in Boston with a 7.04 ERA and 4 losses in 6 starts. We have more quality starters than we can make room for. Tom Glavine was offered NOTHING by any of the other 30+ MLB teams.
Nuff said in my book.
Glenn
July 28th, 2009
5:07 pm
I would like to see Frank Wren have success with the Expo franchise when Montreal was coming undone a couple years back . Yeah , Omar Minaya made a fool of himself but Frank Wren has only been GM for a few months . Which team would I rather have ? The one with a 90 million dollar payroll or the one that is pushing 140 ? Thats not a fair question at all . I would rather have the team if I was a GM that was owned by a faceless corporation instead of the Wilpons . I would like to see Frank Wren show his genius working with those clowns . All things being equal I would take Omar Minaya any day . Lets see what Frank Wren can get out of a 40 million dollar payroll . Omar Minaya had back to back winning seasons in Monteal . Which team would you rather have ? The team with a 40 million dollar payroll or the one that costs 60 million dollars more ?
Mark Bradley
July 28th, 2009
5:08 pm
Steve Phillips might be the best-ever Mets GM.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 28th, 2009
5:09 pm
Hmmm….I think its a bit premature to be making fun of other teams that have been in playoffs more recently than the Braves have.
That said, it is always a good day when the Mets lose or are in turmoil (or both) and you have to take advantage of your chances to pile on when you can and it is definitely true that Omar (and Willie Randolph) have definitely had an awful stretch since Adam Wainwright struck out Lee and Beltran back in 2006 with the winning runs on base in Game 7 in New Yawk. Hard to believe how far they and the organization have fallen.
Meanwhile, we have to keep winning series and taking care of our business to win the wild card.
LET’S GO BRAVES!
Mark Bradley
July 28th, 2009
5:11 pm
By the way, leaving comments via iPhone is cool. I’m doing it now.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 28th, 2009
5:17 pm
“Steve Phillips might be the best-ever Mets GM?” — You’re nuts Bradley.
Under Minaya, the Mets have one of the better records in baseball in the four and half seasons he has been the team’s general manager. Furthermore, he turned a bad team into a good one in his first year on the job, nearly made it to the World Series in 2006 with two of his three best pitchers unavailable and would have made it right back to the postseason in 2007 if his players hadn’t engineered one of the great collapses of all time (which wasn’t Omar’s fault. It’s the manager’s job to protect a seven-game lead with 17 games to go, which is where the Mets were when 2007 fell apart.)
So please, while Omar has made his share of dubious moves and poor decisions, let’s not get carried away and say that Steve “Who Sexually Harassed an Employee And Kept His Job” Phillips was the best ever Mets GM, especially considering the mess he left Omar.
Ed Glennon
July 28th, 2009
5:27 pm
Reading about poor Omar is more fun than listening to Joe Biden.
Morris
July 28th, 2009
5:40 pm
I’ve had Frank Wren’s back on each move he’s made. His good work is now beginning to take fruit. We’ve got some young studs in the minors that’s going to make the Braves competive for at least the near future. Maybe he could have handled the public relations part of it a little better with Smoltz and Glavine, but he’s done one hell of a job with the budget restrictions he has to contend with.
Good job Frank! Go Braves!
HAL
July 28th, 2009
5:45 pm
i have a co worker who took her shirt off and iu could have been fired for what i was thinkin lol
HAL
July 28th, 2009
5:47 pm
couldent agree more on wren cudos!!! he as opposed to his predessor seems to know a player from a pickle lol give him two more off seasons and we will all forget JS thank GOD lol
Joshhh...
July 28th, 2009
6:19 pm
Great article MB!
Mekons
July 28th, 2009
6:26 pm
Minaya spent an awful lot of the Wilpons’ money on a handful of players without having a plan B. They were good players, but even good players break down and they were left with nothing to back them up. If Wright got hurt, do they even have anyone who can play third? They spent so much money on four or five players, they had nothing left to get quality backups. The lineup they’re throwing out there isn’t much better than the “can’t anybody here play the game” Mets of 1962.
The injured guys will come back, but they’re all getting old and there’s no one available within the system to replace them. Once these monster contracts end, they’ll have cash to go after other free agents, but the lesson they haven’t learned is to cultivate young, talented players. Wright and Reyes were home-grown, but virtually everyone else on the team came in by trade or FA.
Wren has built a solid system with players who can be blended in with the veterans to create a sense of cohesion, something the Mets have very little of.
Mark
July 28th, 2009
6:31 pm
Wren put the priority on re-working the starting pitching and he did a great job. The outfield has been a work in progress and Johnson struggeled mightily at 2nd, but Wren continued to work those areas and those have come around. This is a fun, competitive club. It also appears that the players are starting to gel.
All of that said, the real gems were avoiding the bottlenecks in the roster that would have been caused by keeping people too long, and avoiding raiding the farm and mortgaging the future.
Wren and his staff will continue to be judged by those items within their control and those outside it. Injuries are part of the game, and losers use them as an excuse. By keeping the farm intact the Braves have been able to bring up some young, productive help to cover injuries and keep progressing.
The Mets will always have to contend with their press’s and fan’s microscopes. I think it puts too much pressure on every minor decision, and it has lead to some inappropriate moves. However, when you judge an exexutive, look at their staff. Minaya’s is not to his credit.
sidslid
July 28th, 2009
7:08 pm
Seen John Smoltz’s ERA lately? Seen Tom Glavine at the kiddie pool this summer?
brueck
July 28th, 2009
7:24 pm
I think Benjamin Franklin once wrote: “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes, and the seasonal implosion of the New York Mets.”
Love it.
Go easy on Wren. I’ll take poor political moves over inept personnel moves any day.
Bank Walker
July 28th, 2009
8:12 pm
i took my shirt off and MB quit blogging
richbrave
July 28th, 2009
8:25 pm
WREN gets love from BRADLEY. Surprise, surprise, surprise GOMER.
mike
July 28th, 2009
9:23 pm
What the hell do you want from the man? In football, everyone expects a 2-3 year plan. Wrenn is doing his thing. He fixed the pitching. Now, he’ll fix the offense.
Sonny Clusters
July 28th, 2009
9:50 pm
Frank Wren is maladroit? Dresses up like a woman? When we was playing ball Coach was maladroit.
boozerman
July 28th, 2009
10:27 pm
just last week (after the Wed. night victory over San Fran) I told my buddies that there’s nothing better than seeing the Mets implode every year. Like watching “mediocrity ripen into abject failure” or some such BS…
Hillbilly Deluxe
July 28th, 2009
10:38 pm
Mark, what’s an I-Phone?
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