Fire Everyone! - An Overture
I don't think any Indians season has ever lasted as long as this one has, at least not in my memory. That year when a couple of guys died in spring training, I'm sure that was worse, but we weren't as intimate with the team back then — certainly, those who were out of town weren't — when you were lucky to catch one Indians game on TV all year. With the access and immediacy and depth of coverage provided by the internet, we can totally immerse ourselves in our favorite ballclub. As a result, we have been totally immersed in misery for more than 100 days.
Accountability is long dead, we know, and it's not the first time I've said it. Accountability is so dead that people get confused when you even bring it up. Sabathia isn't accountable for what he did, or for what he said after he did it. Steroid suspensions are quickly followed by multimillion-dollar contracts. Manny is never held responsible for anything, ever, on the field or off, since he's just being Manny, just as Justin's 8th-inning mid-May celebrations were just Justin being Justin. On this trainwreck of an Indians club, it's no different: Dolan says Shapiro's doin' a heck of a job, Antonetti says the training staff can only be judged based on "controllables," and Shapiro says it's not fair to blame the manager when the team loses — and never mind that his only job is to win.
Here at LGT — in the grand tradition of Trade Everyone! — we've decided to bring accountability back. As we slog through the final four weeks of this deathless season, your four humble authors (and a few friends) have decided to ask ... isn't it time somebody got fired for this crap? And, you know, maybe somebody more significant than Luis frickin' Isaac? We know who the bad players are — it's all right there on baseball-reference.com — but it's time we focused our prosecutorial glare on the people responsible for this mess. This club has been a disaster for two years running now, and by gum, it has got to be somebody's fault.
And even if it isn't, it's probably time to fire somebody anyway. You know, if you don't fire someone once in a while, people start to suspect that you don't even know how. This will be a 12-part series, and the first installment will be up later today.
- Part 1 — club owner Larry Dolan, by Andrew Humphries
- Part 2 — hitting coach Derek Shelton, by Ryan Richards
- Part 3 — pitching coach Carl Willis, by Jay Levin
- Part 4 — The Trainers, by Tyler Chirdon
- Part 5 — scouting director John Mirabelli, by Jay Schroeder
- Part 6 — The Mission, by Jay Levin
- Part 7 — Everyone And Everything!, by Andrew Humphries
- Part 8 — The Farm System, by Adam Van Arsdale
- Part 9 — The Fans, by Vince Grzegorek
- Part 10 — The Whole Damned System, by Ryan Richards
- Part 11 — manager Eric Wedge (check), by Adam Van Arsdale
- Part 12 — general manager Mark Shapiro, by Jay Levin
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25 comments
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Comments
I said it in another thread but .. our best players wear teflon suits.
by Toxicadam on Sep 7, 2009 3:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Twelve part series? You’re going to rival the Air Bud movies with that.
by JRontherim on Sep 7, 2009 6:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
12, that’s gotta be getting closer to the “Land Before Time” series.
However, I’ll be looking forward to reading it.
by MooneysRebellion on Sep 7, 2009 8:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
FIRE BRICK!
Am I doing it right?
The once and future
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Sep 7, 2009 9:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Is this going to be a serious series, or like the time we blamed Slider and John Adams for killing the 2009 Cleveland Indians?
by supermarioelia on Sep 7, 2009 9:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m hoping the former. READ THIS JAY AND DONT MAKE ME WAIT FOR THE WEDGE INSTALLMENT
This is Victor's home. Victor Jose, you too.
by westbrook on Sep 7, 2009 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wish there were a logistically-possible way that we, as fans, could hold Bud Selig, et al, accountable for the mess of financial inequity that is MLB.
by kennesawmountainwahoo on Sep 7, 2009 10:15 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
the only way is doing it with you money. if you could somehow get everyone to not go to games, you could succeed. put three or four teams into bankruptcy, and it might get the point across…otherwise, I think we’re stuck. Which sucks as a small market fan.
by MooneysRebellion on Sep 7, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Boycotts strike me as counterproductive… unless you’re talking about boycotting Yankees games.
The once and future
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Sep 7, 2009 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You’ll notice I prefaced the comment with “logistically-possible”. I don’t know how anyone could get enough support for something like a long-term boycott. And to Mooney’s point, I wonder if 3 or 4 teams would be enough. I don’t think so.
by kennesawmountainwahoo on Sep 7, 2009 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
the in-person boycotting of Yankees games wouldn’t help either. Everyone would watch YES.
This is Victor's home. Victor Jose, you too.
by westbrook on Sep 7, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Call your congressman. The only hope is to nationalize the game, and provide teams with players from their region. This will be a boon for southern California, but it will hurt the northeast. It would also mean a resurgence of baseball in much of the country as states encourage their best athletes to play baseball. Also, the new federal commissioner of baseball could be Curt Schilling. No more cheapskates! No more Steinbrenners!
by odradek on Sep 7, 2009 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well, at least the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox would suck.
by kennesawmountainwahoo on Sep 7, 2009 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Get rid of the anti-trust exemption? Let leagues like the Atlantic League really go for ML status, as they clearly want to?
by Voltaire on Sep 7, 2009 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They could also enforce antitrust laws for MLB violations that fall outside the exemption.
Specifically, MLB prevents clubs from selling game broadcasts outside their “home territories,” but that is flatly illegal. The antitrust exemption does not cover broadcasts.
by Jay on Sep 7, 2009 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How many pitchers have credited Scott Radinsky for turning things around for them in the minors? It is time for he and Lovullo to get their breakthrough to the Indians next year
by johnf34 on Sep 7, 2009 11:09 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m not ready to get behind Lovullo. I know the AAA roster gets jerked around, but that is true of most AAA teams. Here is his record the last four years:
2009: 57-84 (13th of 14 teams)
2008: 66-77 (10th of 14 teams)
2007: 75-67 (6th of 14 teams)
2006: 73-68 (7th of 14 teams)
I know he has helped a lot of good players get to Cleveland, but he hasn’t exactly bowled over the International League. Isn’t that more a reason to keep him in Columbus than move him to Cleveland?
I’m also not prepared to give up on Carl Willis and his back-back Cy Youngs.
by APV on Sep 7, 2009 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How many pitchers have credited Scott Radinsky for turning things around for them in the minors?
I honestly don’t know, how many? Is it the same as the number of pitchers that credit something to Carl Willis?
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Sep 8, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Even assuming that Radinsky is a turn-around wizard, which I’m not sure that he is, with this crop of starters there is some merit in keeping him in Columbus, ready to work his magic when Fausto falters or Perez peters out.
by FredOx on Sep 8, 2009 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not to mention when Carlos crashes and Huff has the heaves.
The once and future
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Sep 8, 2009 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sure sure, let’s do this. But keep in mind that this all may just be the famous regression to the mean. Not talking about the team or the organization, but LGT. Please don’t join the horde of blogs that saying that losing automatically equals managerial incompetence. Doesn’t anybody play poker?
Also! Fire Wedge.
by dgcambridge on Sep 7, 2009 12:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The short stacks rarely win. I have no problem with going all in and losing with AQ, but when they go all in with 10 5 suited, it’s mismanagement. Has Indians management done as well as it should have with the opportunities it was given? It’s a useful debate.
by elsandito on Sep 7, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s about time.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
by mauichuck on Sep 7, 2009 3:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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