Sunshine came to Seattle this week with the (long overdue) firing of Bill Bavasi. It was funny to hear Bavasi blame the team's demise on "white line fever." Yes, the team is on pace for 100-plus losses because Jose Vidro, so freaked by the bright lights, gets the shakes in the batter's box. Bavasi also admitted, some players "just don't know how to play." Bingo! Especially the ones you signed to lucrative long-term contracts.
In any event, there are plenty of candidates out there, but I'd like to see current Dodgers assistant GM Logan White get at least a long look. White is responsible for nearly everything that is right with the Dodgers. His draft acumen is becoming legendary. Joe Sheehan wrote a great article about the White/DePodesta/Colletti Dodgers in Baseball Prospectus earlier this year. It's a real good look at White's impact (and, just for the record, while Joe credits Colletti with the Ethier trade, it was White who sold Colletti on Ethier.) White comes from the scouting side of baseball, which probably doesn't endear him to those who want a sabermetrically-inclined hire. But White isn't your stereotypical "old-school" scout, he doesn't take a skeptical eye toward different ways of doing things, and he certainly knows how to evaluate talent. Whether his eye for amateur talent translates to finding gems already in the majors is a question, I guess. Just do me this favor, don't hire a re-tread type like Jim Duquette, Kevin Towers or Wayne Krivsky. Get someone who will pump some new blood into the organization.
|
