Comments on the Diamondbacks

Some interesting, and troubling, developments with my beloved Diamondbacks over the past couple days. While the firing of manager Bob Melvin was sadly not unexpected, the heavy-handed way it was handled is reminiscent of the disgusting way the current management regime got rid of a classy man like former owner Jerry Colangelo. (I'm beginning to seriously dislike these people.)

Columnist Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic had some interesting things to say in his column in this morning's paper. He suggested that GM Josh Byrnes was hinting around during his press conference yesterday that Bob Melvin "created a bad vibe, a negative energy in the room." Huh? Bob Melvin has to be one of the nicest guys not just in baseball, but in all of sports. I cannot envision him creating a "bad vibe" or "negative energy." If anything, perhaps "Bo-Mel" is TOO nice, not capable of kicking some butts the way a manager sometimes needs to do. If anything, he doesn't have a high enough intensity level to put the fear of God into some of his underperforming players. If that's "creating a bad vibe and negative energy," I just don't see it.

And the pretty much unrefuted allegation that Josh Byrnes is controlling the line-up, basically doing the managing instead of the manager. Ok, Mr. Byrnes, if you're the one who is dictating what the line-up should be, then YOU stink as a manager, because the line-up you're forcing the manager to put out there everyday is LOSING every day. Maybe you should fire YOURSELF and let your on-field manager do his thing without any interference from YOU? Or appoint yourself the on-field manager so you can put whatever lineup you please out there every day and see how YOU do.

And they told Bob Melvin a couple days ago that they planned to make a managerial change? See, this is where Bob is too nice. Had they told ME that they were planning to make a managerial change, and my job was now lame-duck status, I'd have said, "I'm sorry, you can't fire me, I quit," and I'd have resigned immediately. And I'd have been perfectly frank with the media and said, "Yes, I quit because they were planning to fire me anyway, and they told me so. Why should I stay for even a couple more games under those circumstances? If they have egg on their faces now, I didn't put it there."

I think everyone feels (outside of the D-backs front office) that the best choice to replace Melvin would have been bench coach Kirk Gibson. He could bring a fire and an intensity to the players that very few others could. Instead, he's still the bench coach.

And A.J. Hinch's comments in the post-game press conference (following another loss) were pathetic if not downright laughable. "I was proud of the guys for battling back and kind of answering the bell..." KIND OF answering the bell?????? You either answer the bell or you don't! There is no "kind of!" (Yoda from "Star Wars" would say, "There is no 'try,' there is only 'do.'") KIND OF? You're the new manager, sir; they are supposed to ANSWER the bell for you, not just "kind of "answer the bell!

"We came up a run short, which was unfortunate." Um, no. It wasn't "unfortunate." It was UNACCEPTABLE. You are hired to WIN. If your reaction to yet another loss, and the first under your guidance, is that it was "unfortunate," I wonder if you have the fire in the belly necessary to be a manager.

It will be interesting to see what transpires over the next few months. I'm not overly optimistic. Sigh.