The Player Calling Out a General Manager Debate – Know Your Role, and Shut Your Mouth

July 17, 2009

Read Sports Geek’s argument that a player has the right to call out a general manager, and Bleacher Fan’s argument that a player does not have the right.



This is a fascinating situation to me. And, quite frankly, I’m surprised this type of situation doesn’t happen more.

You know, for the sake of “Bleacher Fan has suffered enough” I am ruling in favor of him. Bleacher Fan wins! Finally! No more six debate losing streak!!

Pop quiz… which happened more recently? Bleacher Fan winning a court room debate or the Chicago Cubs winning a World Series? (Kidding of course!)

To the verdict explanation.

I’m on record as saying I am a fan of Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun. I’m a huge fan. If I’m starting a team, I want his bat in my lineup. But, his comments have soured me. He basically threw him teammates under the proverbial bus. Yes, the Brewers pitching rotation has struggled, sans
Yovani Gallardo, as Sports Geek pointed out. However, he could have taken up his concerns with them behind closed doors. That, Sports Geek, is what a real leader does. There is no need to air the dirty laundry out in the media, even though the media and the fans love it.

Second, he indirectly put his general manager, Doug Melvin, on the hot seat in public – and that’s a no-no. In any other profession, Braun would have been fired or suspended. He definitely would have gotten more than an “I’m ticked off” comment from the boss in the press, though I admit it is hard to compare baseball to everyday life. Let’s face it, not everyone makes millions of dollars.

It’s Braun’s job to perform out on the field. It’s Braun’s job to continue to put up the numbers he has been. If he wants upgrades, I’m sure Melvin will be glad to talk to him PRIVATELY in that comfy office he probably has. It is admittedly going to be hard for the Brewers to go out and get someone the stature of Toronto Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay. Heck, the only big bargaining chips the Brewers have are first baseman Prince Fielder and Braun. Nonetheless, be a TRUE leader and handle it behind closed doors.

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Posted by Loyal Homer

The Player Calling Out a General Manager Debate – Know Your Role!

July 16, 2009

Read the debate intro and Sports Geek’s argument that a player is justified in publicly calling out his general manager.



There is nothing wrong with some good ole fashioned folksy wisdom from time to time!

  • Don’t air someone else’s dirty laundry
  • People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
  • When you point at someone else, there are three fingers pointing back at you
  • Do not attempt to remove the speck from your brother’s eye until you have removed the plank from your own (even the Bible has something to say on this topic!)

Each of those sayings illuminates one simple point – nobody is perfect, so be careful what you do in public. Your actions can be criticized just as easily as you have provided criticism. Perhaps Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun could learn something from these lessons…

Last week Braun publicly voiced his concerns regarding the performance of his team and for the future of the Brewers organization.

In response, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin chided Braun, saying, “It was inappropriate for him to say what he said.” Melvin also stated that Braun’s comments were irresponsible, and he criticized Braun for “get[ting] on his teammates like that.”

I think Melvin is 100 percent correct in his comments. Braun was way out of line for publicly criticizing both his teammates and the organization.

Braun actually comes across as arrogant and overly critical. He attacked his own teammates, and the organization, all in the interest of trying to appear as if he actually cared about his team. The problem is that statements like those ALWAYS do more harm than good. Like the old saying goes – “You catch more flies with honey” (there’s that folksy wisdom again).

The only thing that Braun actually succeeded in doing with those statements was to embarrass himself, his team, and the Brewers organization.

Instead of garnering support to make the situation better, he alienated himself from everyone, and came across as if he believes he is the only one on the team doing anything right. He basically said, ‘the REST of my team stinks.’ That’s how his teammates likely interpreted it, anyway.

Does that mean that Braun should sit idly by and not voice concerns he may have about his organization? Absolutely not. But there is an appropriate time and place to have those conversations, and during a post-game press conference is not the time or the place!

For a team to be successful, the members at EVERY level of the organization must understand the role they play. Imagine if Melvin had walked up to Braun, while he was at bat in a game, and suggested that he take a swing or two for Braun, because Melvin thought that would, ‘make the ball club better.’ It would be a DISASTER! Melvin’s role does not involve running down fly balls in left field, just as Braun’s role does not involve providing input in personnel decisions. If Braun was concerned about something in the organization, he should have privately taken that conversation up with the appropriate people.

Let this example serve as a warning to any player out there who thinks they are more important than the team, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you” (folksy wisdom will never lead you astray)!

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

The Player Calling Out a General Manager Debate – Good Players Push Those Around Them

July 16, 2009

Read the debate intro and Bleacher Fan’s argument that players should do the playing, and GMs should do the GMing.



What defines a good team leader in sports? That’s a complex answer, but a component of the answer is the ability and willingness to say what needs to be said WHEN it needs to be said. That is precisely what Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun did last week when he demanded his general manager, Doug Melvin, make a trade to improve the team’s pitching… especially when the current pitching netted their team a 2-5 record going into the All-Star break.

But, this case is bigger than just Braun and Melvin. It is about baseball as a whole and the communication from the clubhouse to the front office and vice versa.

There has always been a bizarre communication system in baseball, especially as it relates to the press. Managers often do not hear the comments of their players, and players often do not hear what their manager tells the press. For example, the manager of a team may tell the press before a game that an everyday player is not in the starting lineup that day, but the player learns the news when the clubhouse manager tapes the game’s starting lineup to the wall. Harsh? Maybe. But, that’s the reality of professional baseball communication. How many opportunities does a player have to communicate directly with the GM to relay their opinions? Not many. And when that communication does happen, I’m sure the GM does not ask the player’s opinions about how the club is doing.

Braun, like many players, feels compelled to stick up for his team and push the front office for improvement. He is fully within his right to do that. In fact he SHOULD do it. Many baseball “leaders” are too passive and unwilling to light a fire under their teammates or members of the organization. Braun, like most leaders, wants to win. A good leader pushes the right buttons because they are aggravated. They know better is possible, and they’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it.

And, most importantly for Braun in this particular case, he was right. The Brewers pitching stinks. Starter Yovani Gallardo is the only Brewers starter with an ERA below four. Fourth and fifth starters Dave Bush and Manny Parra have ERAs over 5.5 and 6.5 respectively. After watching the masterful CC Sabathia come to Milwaukee and post a sub-two ERA in his first four starts last June, Braun knows what good pitching looks like. It is fair, and completely within his right to publically acknowledge that and put some pressure on the general manager of the team to make improve the club. It is a right not exclusive to Braun, but open to all hard-working leaders in baseball.

Melvin, like many GMs, likely feels uncomfortable. General managers are always on the hot seat. In Melvin’s case more than others because he bet the farm – literally – to acquire Sabathia last season. While it did help the Brewers get to the playoffs, it did not help them once they got there. Now Melvin has fewer arrows in the quiver to trade, and has created a very difficult situation for himself and is defensive.

Good players, regardless of what sport they are in, have leverage. The team wants their best player to be happy and content. Some good players are also leaders that use their leverage to push those around them, regardless of rank or position, to get better. Melvin should be applauding his player for having the guts to stand up and fight for his team, to push to explore what he knows is possible. Braun is showing loyalty and Melvin is deserting a good player. A good GM always publically backs a player showing leadership, unless ego is more important than wins.

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Posted by Sports Geek

The Player Calling Out a General Manager Debate – Does the Player Have the Right?

July 16, 2009

Read Sports Geek’s argument that a player has the right to call out a general manager, and Bleacher Fan’s argument that a player does not have the right.



Now that the Major League Baseball All-Star festivities are over, it is time to concentrate on the second half of the season. Teams are jockeying for position as they chase that elusive division title or wild card berth. Before we look ahead, The Sports Debates will take a quick look back at something that happened last week. Something that may, or may not, affect the rest of the season.

Earlier this month, Milwaukee Brewers left field slugger, and one of Loyal Homer’s boys, Ryan Braun, started a mini-firestorm when he openly called out the Brewers starting rotation and publicly called on Brewers general manager Doug Melvin to “make the ball club better.” Melvin responded by saying he was “ticked off” about Braun’s comments.

Braun made his colorful comments after losing three out of four games to the division rival Chicago Cubs. The Brewers are currently right in the thick of things in the National League Central only 2.5 games back of the leading division leading St. Louis Cardinals. I do not want to focus specifically on the Braun-Melvin situation though. And, I really do not want to focus on the fact that Braun specifically called out his pitching staff. Often times, a player will say things like that in the media. It happens, folks.

The issue at hand is whether or not a player ever has the right to openly call on a general manager to make a trade to improve the club. That is where the debate lies!

Sports Geek will argue that a player does have a right to call out his general manager and ask them publicly to make a move that will improve the ball club. After all, he just wants to win, right?

Bleacher Fan will argue that the player has no right to call out his boss publicly in a situation like that.

This should be an interesting debate, so I am publicly asking you to present your case!

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Posted by Loyal Homer

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