Jays hitting coach Mickey Brantley took the fall for the failure of others.
The fact that Blue Jays hitting coach Mickey Brantley won’t have his contract renewed for the 2008 season shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. When a team’s offence goes from being third-ranked in the majors in 2006 to 24th-ranked in the span of 12 months, a variation on the old adage kicks in: "You can’t fire all the hitters, so it’s the coach who takes the fall."
Facts are facts folks, and the fact that injuries robbed several members of the offence significant playing time is undeniable. In a season that saw the Blue Jays spin their wheels yet again, finishing in their pre-ordained third place in the top-heavy American League East, Gregg Zaun (hand), Lyle Overbay (hand), Troy Glaus (foot), Reed Johnson (back) and Vernon Wells (shoulder) have missed a combined 220 man-games this season with four games remaining. Name me one other team that could endure so many injuries to 5/9 of their everyday line-up and maintain any offensive momentum. It’s not like the farm system had a bunch of hot-hitting prospects to step in and fill such a void. And yet Brantley is made to be the fall guy.
 |
|
| It's been a frustrating season at the plate for Vernon Wells & Co. (Getty) |
No, what the team didn’t respond to was a flawed offensive philosophy, one that came down from outside the clubhouse, where working the count is paramount. The only problem with that is more often than not, the best and most hittable pitch a batter usually sees in an at-bat is strike one, and normally it’s a fastball right down the pipe. I wish I had a dollar for every time a Blue Jays hitter let that juicy piece of cheese go by and then make a feeble out later in the at-bat after flailing at some off-speed cheddar. All in the name of working the count!
And just to let you know, the ignorant old statsman, who "never played the game," isn’t the only one to make this observation. Television booth mates Pat Tabler, Rance Mulliniks and Jesse Barfield, three very good hitters when they "played the game," have all echoed similar sentiments at various points this season.
Good for Brantley for not quietly riding off into the sunset and taking those who tied the can to him to task. By fulfilling the terms of his contract and finishing out the season instead of telling the team to stuff it, we now know all we need to about this man. He’s a stand up guy, and one of the rare people around the team who never viewed the majority media as the enemy. When asked a question, he answered it honestly and without skepticism.
And don’t expect Brantley to be the only change on the coaching staff. Bench coach Ernie Whitt is also rumoured to be on thin ice after a pair of lineup card errors this season. For Whitt, a Blue Jay lifer after being drafted by the club in the original expansion draft before the inaugural 1977 season, that might not necessarily be a bad thing. He never seemed totally comfortable under the current regime. Unfortunately, Whitt remembers when the ‘Blue Jay Way’ made the team one of the best franchises to be a part of.
Those days, sadly, are now a distant memory.
Going, going, gone?
It certainly seems, from where I sit, that this may well be the end of Barry Bonds as a major league baseball player. The San Francisco Giants did the right thing by informing the controversial slugger that his services would not be required in 2008. His quest to become the greatest home run hitter in history has held the Giants in stall mode for the last two seasons, and it’s time for them to go in a different direction. Where will Bonds end up? He still thinks he’s got at least one season left in his old bones, but who is going to spend millions of dollars on a player who is clearly breaking down physically and brings a stagecoach full of baggage wherever he goes? Normally, the Yankees would be the obvious choice, but they have nowhere to play him on their All-Star laden, everyday lineup. Let’s hope that Bonds does the admirable thing and retires.
The right thing
Kudos to Major League Baseball for suspending umpire Mike Winters for the balance of the season for goading Padres hot-head Milton Bradley. In an on-field confrontation, Winters "used a profanity aimed at Bradley." Much like NBA Commissioner David Stern and NFL Commissioner Roger Godell earlier this summer, the judgment was swift and decisive, which seems to be the norm in pro sports these days. Let’s hope that the NHL continues the trend in regards to the vicious hit to the head that Flyers rookie Steve Downie laid on Ottawa’s Dean McAmmond the other night in a pre-season game.
