LITTLE FIRED
NYT applies the headline “Red Sox Manager Is Fired” to a story which says,
Red Sox manager Grady Little will not be back next year, paying the price for his decision to stick with Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the American League championship series.
The Red Sox let Little go on Monday, a high-ranking team official told The Associated Press, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Little’s contract expires Friday, so he was not fired. The team merely chose not to pick up his option for next year.
Hmm.
While I thought it rather obvious that Martinez was gassed and a reliever should have been brought in, no one would be second-guessing the decision if it had worked out. And, surely, getting the team to the ALCS should count for something?
Brian Besaw makes a similar point re the Yankees over at SportsBlog.
He didn’t do himself any favors by not taking some of the blame in the days after the event, however. Rather he seemed to blame the team and made some bizarre comments about managing a bunch of guys with Bill Buckner on the brain…