Elktonnick

It wasn't one move that makes a GM competent or incompetent but the totality of ones work. Taking a championship team and running into two last place finishes, saddling it with some terrible contracts for players who are clubhouse cancers, having no nbr 1 or nbr 2 quality starter, a lousy bullpen, a 41 year old closer coming off a wrist injury and no real plan on how to dig the team out of the hole he dug does however qualify as incompetentency.

Stop putting words in my mouth I never said Ben was responsible for high ticket prices. In case you haven't noticed it takes money to field a winning baseball team. If Ben operated with your point of view it is little wonder that Henry fired him and no one will hire him for a nbr 1 position.

It may be my opinion but I noticed he is not in baseball because no one offered him a nbr 1 job His declining to be interviewed is just a cover because he knew no one would offer him a nbr 1 position. So the evidence supports my point of view not yours.

Hanley Ramirez is one example. He signs a ballplayer to a multi year contract with no place to really play him. He hoards prospects refusing to trade them who are blocked from moving up in the organization is another.

That isn't true for every organization. Epstein is in charge of the whole shooting match in Chicago he reports to the Chairman(owner) and Board of Directors. Of course he has a budget but he does control the payroll within the limits set by the board.. I am sure he has spending limits which if he wants to exceed require Board approval but that's the way every corporation or large business operates. Before I retired I served on about a half dozen corporate boards. That's the way every non governmental organization I was associated with operated. The board set the budget and broad guidlines but all based on management's recommendations. That's what is meant by the term "General" manager. At one time in baseball there was no question that the GM controlled everything including hiring all the concessionaires. Now clubs mav have different models but if you think that baseball operations operates in a vacuum you are kidding yourself. That's why Cherrington isn't suited for the number one job. He never saw the big picture.

To fill out their dance card. Ben knew he would not get a nbr 1 job after failing in Boston. He is not suited by neither personality, temperament nor accomplishment for a nbr 1 slot. He is an okay "setup guy" and rather then face rejection he bows out.

Never said that Dipoto quit LA because of the Seattle job. Dipoto quit because of Scoscia. Seattle preferred Jerry over Ben from the getgo because of the reasons I stated. The major difference was Ben was a failed GM who wasted millions of dollars on bad contracts and got fired for it. That's the difference.

Again that is both hogwash and totally unrealistic. The General Manager is managing a business and one of the most highly competitive businesses there is. Any GM who isn't keeping his eye on the market place, ticket prices and the number of fannies that are filling the seats and what his competition is doing will end up exactly like Ben Cherrington, on the outside looking in.

BC was never going to go to Seattle. Dipoto was the nbr 2 candidate the last time out plus he was in their division. He didn't get fired from LA but quit because ownership wouldn't let him rein in Scoscia nor let him use analytics as much as wanted. That's it in a nutshell. Dipoto was who Seattle wanted in the beginning. Believe it or not. No one is going to change your mind about Ben.

You have the cart before the horse. The Seattle papers were saying that Dipoto was always the major contender and BC wasn't interested in the job because he wasn't the major contender. And Ben probably knew it.

If you read most of the reporting on Seattle it was a major shakeup and Dipoto was the number 1 candidate. He of course got the job. There is every indication that Ben probably knew he wasn't a real contender for that job. Moreover Seattle had already committed to their manager. Ben could have had the Ass't GM's job reportedly in LA and there was of course Cashman's comments.

In fairness to the Duke, ownership was very dysfunctional in those days.

Folk are using the term GM to describe the Chief of Baseball Operations which what a GM's job used to be. Dombrowski is President of Baseball Operations and has the person with the GM title Mike Hazen working for him.

Amen!

You can never prove it of course but I believe those "other opportunities" were already known.

Yea bring back Cherrington so we all can be happy to have something to complain about!!!!

I noticed that no one besides Kimmi and I are having a discussion about anything.

yes it was further down the totem pole

Ben after being the nbr 1 guy in Boston didn't interview for jobs where he would be the GM working under a VP for Baseball Operations. I understand those were the positions for which he was invited to interview That was the situation he could have had in Boston. Like I said before we will know what baseball owners really think about Ben if and when he returns to baseball.

if you can get some one to answer the phone,

I went on the Red Sox website 20 minutes after it opened and the Yankees Mets and Cardinals seats were all gone. You couldn't get two seats together. Generally you may get into a game if you go that morning to see what tickets are returned. But it is a crap shoot.

All the more reason to have him in the HOF. Neveretheless not all Hall of Famers should have a team retire their numbers. That honor should be reserved for a very very select few who are identified excludively with that particular team. For example I have no objection to retiring Johnny Pesky's number. No one was more identified with the Red Sox as was Pesky.

My objection to having the Red Sox "retire" Boggs's number has nothing to do with his personal life but rather his time spent with other teams. I believe that teams should only retire the numbers of very very few players. It should be exclusive to those few who have especially excelled during their time with a club and are players who in the public mind are linked exclusively to that one club, otherwise it "cheapens' the honor in my view. So I don't think Boston should have retired Fisk's number either.

But unlike some else we know he got rehired pretty quickly now didn't he.

I am going to Fort Myers for the entire month of March so I'll have a chance to see for myself just how much in shape Sandoval really is. I just don't have any confidence in either him or Ramirez. The Sox would be better off without both of them.