Fire Fredi? No, but the Braves did some major mismanaging
Esteemed colleague Mike Luckovich offers this extremely flattering bit of imagery.
Midnight had come and gone, and Frank Wren stood in Bill Acree’s office just off the main clubhouse. (Acree is the Braves’ director of travel, and earlier he’d been triangulating the hoped-for trip to St. Louis and then to Milwaukee or Phoenix. Moot point now.) The general manager was staring at a TV above the door. Boston had just lost. Tampa Bay had just won.
“Coming into September,” Wren said, disbelief in his voice, “we [meaning the Red Sox and the Braves] had two of the four best records in baseball.”
Neither will be part of the sport’s eight-team tournament, and today the Braves’ one source of consolation is that the Sox choked even harder than they did. (Unbelievable that two of the three biggest September flops in the game’s century-long annals were concluded within moments of each other. The third happened in 1964 to the Pholdin’ Phils.) There were similarities in these contemporary collapses — starting pitchers got hurt and everything unraveled — but we’ll let long-suffering New Englanders suffer long with theirs.
As for the local nine: Wren did his job. He built a good-looking team. He landed Michael Bourn in July and fleshed out his roster with Matt Diaz and Jack Wilson in August. (And what did the glove man Wilson do? Became the new Brooks Conrad by erring on a double-play grounder that became Philadelphia’s second run Wednesday night.) This should have been a playoff team, and for 5 1/2 months it was playoff-bound. Then it derailed itself.
Blame should attach itself to Fredi Gonzalez, but not the sort that has been tossed around. Jose Constanza would not have saved the season. (He’s a journeyman. Come on.) Starting Derek Lowe in Game No. 161 was a justifiable choice. (You’d start the rookie Julio Teheran instead? Come on.) This wasn’t so much about managing situations — every manager, even the learned La Russa, whiffs on a nightly basis — as in managing people.
I’m not a big fan of team meetings, but sometimes they’re necessary. Gonzalez had one after the Braves lost seven of nine early in the month, which might have been a day too late, and another after they lost Game No. 161 to fall into a tie with St. Louis. What Fredi said Tuesday night was appropriate — “I wouldn’t pick any other guys over you to go out and win a game” — but by then the panic was full-blown. Panic is why this season ended after 162 games.
Ninth inning, Game No. 162: The kid closer Craig Kimbrel is on to do as he has done 46 times in 53 tries — slam the door. He yields a leadoff single to Placido Polanco, strikes out Carlos Ruiz, walks the part-timer Ben Francisco. It’s clear the kid closer, who’s 23, is trying to hurl the ball through the backstop. (”I was overthrowing,” Kimbrel admitted.) Brian McCann walks to the mound.
Roger McDowell sits in the dugout.
Only after Kimbrel walks Jimmy Rollins to load the bases does the pitching coach emerge to speak to his kid pitcher. (Something similar happened in Monday’s game, when McDowell watched as the Phillies mustered four base runners and one run in the fourth inning before going to the mound to counsel the rookie Randall Delgado.) It’s entirely possible that a coaching visitation would have had no effect on Kimbrel, but why not try? Why didn’t Gonzalez say, “Roger, get out there,” one batter sooner?
I asked. This was Fredi’s response: “That’s here or there.”
But it isn’t. There are certain things managers can do to manage a game, and dispatching a pitching coach is one. The Braves’ dugout seemed to be a beat slow in this final series, this whole final month. Again, it might have made no difference. Again, why not try?
And then the hitting, or the lack thereof. Once the Phillies tied it, nearly every Brave wanted to be Kirk Gibson. Guys were overswinging as badly as Kimbrel had overthrown. The Phils were deploying pitchers who won’t work a postseason inning, and the Braves’ flailing made Justin DeFratus and David Herndon look like Mariano Rivera.
“We’ve been swinging really, really hard for a while,” said Chipper Jones, who had the best late-game swing — the deep drive that Michael Martinez hauled down in the 10th — of any Brave. And that, sad to say, was this team’s signature: Swing really hard in case it hit something.
Under hitting coach Terry Pendleton, the 2010 Braves led the National League in on-base percentage. Under Larry Parrish, the 2011 Braves were 14th of 16 teams. Parrish was hired as hitting coach despite never having been a big-league hitting coach. Maybe the Braves would have hit .193 in September with runners in scoring position with Ty Cobb as their tutor. Then again, maybe they wouldn’t.
Yes, players ultimately must bear the blame for plays unmade, but this fine team was, in the end, both too laid-back in its oversight and too tightly wrapped in its playing. I don’t think Fredi Gonzalez needs to be fired — he did, after all, lose his two best starting pitchers — but I do think he needs to be more assertive. He absolutely needs a new hitting coach, but …
No such luck. Fredi announced Thursday the coaching staff would return intact. Which makes you wonder about Fredi.
By Mark Bradley
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585 comments Add your comment
jb
September 30th, 2011
11:33 am
was it Fox
Freddi Gonzalezz
September 30th, 2011
11:34 am
…has nothing to do with the fans coming or not…you have to field the best team. We didn’t have the best team. That would be…….yep..you guessed it. The Philthadelphia Pheel-me’s.
Fan Not Coming To Games
September 30th, 2011
11:36 am
How about we cut ties with Lowe and Jones and a few others… take that money saved and actually pay the fans to come to games?
P Rose
September 30th, 2011
11:36 am
What I was trying to say when I was apparently filtered, probably for mentioning a corporate name (the “_____ Track” box thing that shows the strike zone on TV), was that the “_____ Track” box thing showed the Phillies’ pitchers were consistently getting strikes called on pitches that were clearly low and outside. My point was that Bobby would have been bending the umpire’s ear all night for that, but Fredi said nothing. Similarly, on the bad call in which Bourn was called out at third, Bobby would have chewed that umpire’s face off, but Fredi’s brief argument died with a whimper. The players knew Bobby had their back, and that made a difference.
jb
September 30th, 2011
11:37 am
Why don’t our TV use the FOX pitch strike box all the time? Other station do.
GW Bush
September 30th, 2011
11:37 am
Wait a minute people…It’s my fault. Not Fredi’s.
P Rose
September 30th, 2011
11:38 am
You got away with it, jb. You must have some powerful connections over there at the ______.
Joe Torree
September 30th, 2011
11:39 am
Available….just say’n.
P Rose
September 30th, 2011
11:40 am
This got filtered, too. Guess I’ll try again. Must be random. Anyway, what I was trying to say was that the “_____ Track” box thing showed the Phillies’ pitchers were consistently getting strikes called on pitches that were clearly low and outside. My point was that Bobby would have been bending the umpire’s ear all night for that, but Fredi said nothing. Similarly, on the bad call in which Bourn was called out at third, Bobby would have chewed that umpire’s face off, but Fredi’s brief argument died with a whimper. The players knew Bobby had their back, and that made a difference.
P Rose
September 30th, 2011
11:41 am
I’ve tried three times to mention the strike zone thing on TV and each one was deleted. All I was trying to say was how the TV box thing showed the Phillies’ pitchers were consistently getting strikes called on pitches that were clearly low and outside. My point was that Bobby would have been bending the umpire’s ear all night for that, but Fredi said nothing. Similarly, on the bad call in which Bourn was called out at third, Bobby would have chewed that umpire’s face off, but Fredi’s brief argument died with a whimper. The players knew Bobby had their back, and that made a difference.
jb
September 30th, 2011
11:42 am
P Rose its the sorry filter that ajc now use..they got me last week .
Dave from Ohio
September 30th, 2011
11:42 am
Gonzalez not responsible?? Come on, get real. He should still be a base coach……he’s no manager; the Marlins found that out! Word this morning is that Francona’s available……..HE has a record, despite the Sox collapse. Bring him in to restore some order.
blazerdawg
September 30th, 2011
11:43 am
MB – enjoyed listening to you on NPR last night. Great job!
P Rose – agree 100% with you list, except for the ticket prices and the food. Food at the old Stadium before Scherholz was awwwfull.
gotta
September 30th, 2011
11:43 am
Too late now.
Nothings gonna get done with Braves until we have a real owner.
All the dudes from frank wren up are just money managers that are placid,bland people and thats the kind of person they want working for them.
At least Frank Wren is an arrogant azz though.
Thats something.
SAL
September 30th, 2011
11:44 am
The chokin’ collapse was a TOTAL team effoet!!!!
BRAVESNATION4EVER
September 30th, 2011
11:44 am
I’ve already seen this movie once before when that Nation known as the Sox used to lose for 85 years since 1918 and yet they still won 2 world series titles in 2004 and 2007–not to mention those Chicago WhiteSox who used to lose all the time since 1917 and yet they still won the world series in 2005,so that’s 3 World Series titles combined for both teams.The Braves are going through that same October heartbreak of either losing in October not even reaching the postseason since 1995, hey the Braves are going through all of this now, but hey they will end all of their heartbreaking defeats and start winning big ones in October year after year sometime in the near future.The RedSox and the WhiteSox have already done that,the Braves will start winning big ones in October every year soon.GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jay Dubu
September 30th, 2011
11:47 am
“”Bobby Cox always said if they needed to be coached they wouldn’t have been brought up to the “Bigs.” ”
That’s why Cox only won one title. He had superior talent, and lost to inferior teams.
Long Time Braves Fan
September 30th, 2011
11:49 am
IF anyone gives credit to the Marlins management for firing Fredi and knowing what they were doing…..for Gods sake….they just hired Ozzie Guillen…who replaced 102 year old “Trader Jack” McKeon. (He got that nickname because he actually use to trade pelts with the Indians).
gotta
September 30th, 2011
11:50 am
They are who we thought they were.
And we are stuck with them all.
gotta
September 30th, 2011
11:51 am
They fired him cause he didn’t win.
And then Hanley.
gotta
September 30th, 2011
11:52 am
Jeez, not one coaching change. Brian Snitker for life.
bo-bo
September 30th, 2011
11:53 am
11:44 @4 ever..Man u crazy/whay u smoking dud!
Pat McGroin
September 30th, 2011
11:54 am
I was born and raised rooting for the Braves but I am at my wit’s end. I am tired of what I hear from our team, which is the total opposite of what we now hear coming out of Boston (they won’t put up with failure). I know this town all too well, it’s pure malaise… just be nice… don’t hurt anyone’s feelins… be civil (except for when it comes to their political leanins – then the extreme red state shows its venom and intolerance). I think I am done with this organization. Time to find another team to invest my money and emotions in.
bo-bo
September 30th, 2011
11:55 am
long time braves fan..they also trade Uggla to Braves for Omar..lol
Long Time Braves Fan
September 30th, 2011
11:58 am
Marlins move into a nice new retractable roof stadium next season…..it’ll be empty by the AllStar break. Horrible attendance down there….but thats not why their not winning. They didn’t win with Fredi or without him. It’s all about the players. Coaches and managers get FAR too much credit…winning and losing.
Appalachia Brave
September 30th, 2011
12:02 pm
Sickening!!! FIRE FRANK and the whole Cox good ‘ol boy system…What have they ever done??? All those good teams and they won one Championship…to me…that is a failure! Cox is overrated and so is Fredi!
North over South
September 30th, 2011
12:02 pm
LMMFAO Fredi going to continue to do his impersonation of Bobby Cox? LOL
gotta
September 30th, 2011
12:03 pm
Uh they did win 2 World Series to our 1.
Pat McGroin
September 30th, 2011
12:04 pm
To Long Time Braves Fan: I agree that coaches get way to much praise and way too much blame. But we don’t trade for top notch players and instead we rely on our farm system. So what does it say about our scouts and system?
blazerdawg
September 30th, 2011
12:05 pm
I like Fredi Gonzalez and do not blame him for the collapse, but with this young team and upcoming prospects, Terry Francona would be a perfect manager for the Braves. TF is now available. Hire Francona now!
North over South
September 30th, 2011
12:11 pm
One thing you always here when fall come in Brave loss Brave loss HA HA HA
Appalachia Brave
September 30th, 2011
12:13 pm
When you accept being average then that’s what you become….Average! Should change the name to the Atlanta Average Just so so Braves. When you get a coaching job with our organizion its for LIFE…No matter if we win or lose…Just glad to have ya.
Brandon M
September 30th, 2011
12:13 pm
Mark, I agree with your article. Freddi made mistakes, but I wouldn’t fire him. The sad truth is that the ATL peaked in 1996 and it’s been all downhill ever since. Prior to 1996, the city was rolling–the surprise WS appearance and Summer Olympics bid victory in 1991, Emory & GaTech’s rise in profile to elite universities, great business and building booms, and the 1995 WS victory. Then came 1996. Possibly due to the ATL’s polarized race relations, Downtown was marketed but little else, so foreigners and out-of-staters didn’t come to Va-Highlands, Decatur, and other cool ATL neighborhoods, concessionaires ran amok, and then the Centennial Olympic bombing assured an average (at best) Olympics. The fall of ‘96 saw THE most gut wrenching Braves collapse to date, up 2-0 and coming home to finish off back-to-back championships which would have made everything palpable regarding the Braves going forward. Then Ray Lewis & Freaknik destroyed Buckhead nightlife, jobs disintegrated post 2007, and here we are. Sad. This latest collapse was just 1 more nail in the coffin.
Jeff Rooks
September 30th, 2011
12:15 pm
What justifies Francona being fired and Gonzalez and ALL of his coaches staying? I am not advocating Gonzalez being fired, but I would feel a lot better about next season if Fredi had said that he would be closely evaluating his coaches’ 2011 performance to see if any changes need to be made. That would have at least let us know that Fredi IS NOT SATISFIED with what happened, and is going to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to prevent it from happening again in 2012. As for the players, if Derek Lowe is still on the roster in 2012 and Chipper Jones is our every day third baseman, the Braves have NO CHANCE in 2012.
Chris Snow
September 30th, 2011
12:15 pm
Until the Braves change their ways of “waiting for the 3 run HR, we’ll never make it that far. GOOD teams play ABC base ball and take advantage of scoring opportunities instead of waiting on a HR to score runs.
Chris Snow
September 30th, 2011
12:16 pm
Well at least Frank did make a comment that they would sit and down and do some evaluations. We could end up with a new hitting coach after all.
Long Time Braves Fan
September 30th, 2011
12:17 pm
It says our scouts and system is the envy of the league! I think the Braves, economically may have a tough time competing. 87 Million dollars is nothing to scoff at. Check out the link to see how other playoff bound teams are doing….the D-Backs have a payroll of 53 Million and the Rays are at 41 Million. Brewers have done great with an 85 Million dollar payroll but they probably will not be able to afford Prince after this season. Yanks, Phils and RedSox have spent an incredible about of money. That’s why TF is in trouble.
http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/baseball/mlb/salaries/team
Pat McGroin
September 30th, 2011
12:18 pm
To Jeff Rooks: Isn’t it amazing that teams fire managers who have won the World Series in the past? Here? The good ole boy club rewards managers who behave decently and keep it low key. I am so damn pis&ed at the Braves right now!
T Burns
September 30th, 2011
12:20 pm
Fredi mismanaged all year long – even in wins. We were fortunate to be where we were. His ineptitude was simply magnified late in the season because of “the collapse.” Most managers are worth no more that five wins or 5 losses – a ten game swing… & Fredi just finished managing a 100 win ball club talent-wise to 89 wins this season. Congrats – don’t change a thing and call it tradition!
Chris Snow
September 30th, 2011
12:22 pm
I give Fredi one more year to make it right. If this it happens again, I bet we’ll have a new manager for 2013.
tdmorgan
September 30th, 2011
12:23 pm
Is it possible that Fredi could be overturned on his decision later on in the offseason and Wren overstep him and make a change at hitting coach? Our team was not that vastly different from 2010’s team. I know we had a lot of injuries and never had an offense that was fully healthy, but seriously. The approach was completely different this year. The only differences in our lineup were that Freeman took over for our rotating 1B position last year, Uggla came in to play 2B (downgrade in OBP, but turned in a decent enough season after his prolonged slump), Prado moved to the OF to take over our combination of LFs from last year and Bourn was acquired mid-year to take over for our CF combination. All of our additions essentially were an upgrade to the offense, yet the offense was absolutely pathetic.
Brandon M
September 30th, 2011
12:25 pm
I agree with the article. Freddi didn’t manage particularly well, but he shouldn’t be fired. The sad truth is the ATL peaked in 1996. It’s been all downhill ever since. The Centennial Olympic Park bombing and an average (at best) Olympics that didn’t put the city in a great light, the fall ‘96 Braves collapse to the Yankees up 2-0 and coming home to nab back-to-back championships, Buckhead’s nightlife obliterated by Ray Lewis and “cruising”, disintegration of jobs post-bubble, etc.
Sons of Rick Matula
September 30th, 2011
12:26 pm
Fredi should be out but he won’t. If – however – the Braves retain their entire coaching staff, that will be an insult to their fanbase. Parrish needs to find another line of work or a job somewhere else. Freddi & McDowell need to work out a better routine. How many games did we use O.F, Venters & Kimbrel just because we could? Losing Moylan was a blow — the Sherill-Linebrink-Proctors were disastrous (but affordable!) But we ran Venters and Kimbrel out there almost 80 times — incredible. F Gonzalez showed me nothing. Short leash in 2012 … he’d better be .500 or better after 40 games or he gone.
Apathetic Fan
September 30th, 2011
12:27 pm
The Sox cleaned house today and we pat our staff on the back.
Nice.
Pat McGroin
September 30th, 2011
12:28 pm
86 Mill… in this day and age it’s not much for a big market team.
Sons of Rick Matula
September 30th, 2011
12:30 pm
Let’s seriously discuss trading Brian McCann – for his own good. Catching over 130 games in the Atlanta heat has taken its toll. Every year he makes the All Star game off a great start and then drags himself to the finish. In the AL, he could catch & DH; the Red Sox would pick up his contract and send us back Saltalamacchia & players to be named later. Salty then could platoon with Ross. Catchers cannot be your lead offensive stars – not since Johnny Bench. Mauer has broken down. Spend the money for an outfielder with power.
Preston Hannatized
September 30th, 2011
12:34 pm
The Red Sox have won 2 WS in the past 8 years – and they cut loose their manager and their whole staff after one disastrous collapse. The Braves couldn’t wait to announce that Fredi WholeStaff would be coming back. What a joke!
The Braves collapse was worse than the Red Sox – by the way – the Braves led by 3 with 5 to play and lost ALL FIVE.
Pat McGroin
September 30th, 2011
12:35 pm
I really wouldn’t want to see McCann go, but you are correct that catchers shouldn’t be depended on as offensive all stars… it’s not practical. If we didnt have such a gifted 1st baseman, I would say move McCann there.
TiredofTheBraves
September 30th, 2011
12:36 pm
Fire this bum NOW. Clean house we need all the children of Cox GONE!!! Its over. As long as Freddy is here I will not waist my time going to a Braves game. The culture must change from getting to the playoffs to winning a world series. 20 years 16 playoff appearances 1 title. We should be close to the Yankees 26 by now.
Preston Hannatized
September 30th, 2011
12:37 pm
OK, it was 2 up with 5 to play (the magic number was 3) but they lost all 5 and scored a pathetic 7 runs in those five games. The Red Sox – at least – battled and scored some runs. The Braves, meanwhile, rolled over and tipped their caps.