The World of Baseball or Politics?

I am a baseball fan. My teams did not make it to the World Series this year. I wasn’t all that interested in watching and learning about the players and teams in the World Series. However, I still watch the games and I am now a fan of both teams.

Reflecting on this past season, I remember my favorite team and their problems.

At the beginning of the season, the fans had high hopes with new players and a new manager. The fans were excited about the season and they expected a winner.

The team seemed to be functioning however they were not playing up to expectations. In fact, the team was losing and the manager made questionable moves.

Surprisingly, the team decided to spend money on new uniforms and equipment. And, they started to give away baseball caps to the first 1,000 fans into the stadium for each game. Unfortunately, the team was still losing.

Just before the All Star break, the fans began to boo the players and manager. Interestingly, some of the players quit the game, retired or got traded. The manager was optimistic that the second half of the season would be better with some new players.

The team became dysfunctional. The newer teammates wanted to hustle and bring energy to how they played the game. The veterans of the team didn’t like how the new comers played the game. They especially did not like how they voiced their opinions on baseball strategy.

The team during this period had to raise the prices of tickets, all merchandise and at the concession stand. Still, the fans wanted the team to win. They called on the manager to play the game the way it is supposed to be played and win with the players on the team.

The manger did not adapt to the new team nor did the team adapt to the manager.

Surprisingly, half way through the second half of the season, the manager started to leave the dugout and go up into the stands to talk with the fans ---- during the game!

The manager told the fans that the team was dysfunctional and they will never win. But, as the manager, the fans need to believe in him because if given the right team with the right chemistry, his team will win.

The manager tried to explain why the fans had to pay more to attend a game. After all new uniforms and equipment cost a lot of money and someone had to pay for it.

Unfortunately, the team continued to lose but they dressed the part! The manager’s press conference after each loss highlighted the short comings of the players. The manager placed the blame on the shoulders of the players. He said that he knows best and certain players need to be traded so that he can properly implement his baseball strategies and become winners again.

The manager wanted again to buy new uniforms and change the image of the team. He also purchased new bats so that they could score more runs. He bought new baseball gloves so they could catch the ball more often. He even had the players chip in to subsidize the cost of the baseball hats so that every fan could have a hat.

The fans voiced their opinion. They wanted the manager to get out of the bleachers and get into the game.

Toward the end of the season, the team had the worst record in baseball. The fans continued to fill the ball park since they loved the game of baseball. The fans in the left and right field stands continued to boo while the fans in the middle remained positive and optimistic.

The manager traded their catcher. He is the best defensive catcher in baseball. Nobody would steal a base when he was behind the plate. The manager also traded his homerun hitter and the best pitcher on the team.

All of the other teams knew that these moves would make the team weaker since the team nucleus was gone. Other teams wanted to play our team. The other team could improve their hitting averages and steal bases at will.

At the end of the season, the manager would appear at the beginning of each game and set the line-up but again disappeared into the stands. The manager lost confidence in the players and the players lost confidence in the manager.

The fans only wanted a winner because they are loyal fans. We voiced our opinions but the manager and players didn’t listen.

Before the new season starts, we will watch two great teams play in the World Series. The Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals are putting on a great show for the game of baseball. The managers are engaged and each game has been fantastic to watch.

I am praying that it is not too late for our organization to succeed. Off-season moves will either make us again a winner or continue the trend of individual egos playing and managing a team sport. Fortunately, the contracts for the manager and players are up for renewal.

If you had a vote today, would you vote to retain the manager and the players or make changes?