Idiots Write About Sports

Look for Bob Brenly to start popping up on Fox baseball telecasts just as soon as he finishes cleaning out his desk in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks fired him Friday. No word as of this writing on a replacement, but the smart money has bench coach Robin Yount taking over, what with him on the payroll already. Or the Snakes could go full-circle and replace Brenly, who became skipper by way of the broadcast booth, with the team’s current TV analyst, Mark Grace. (Update: Nope, it’s the Great Al Pedrique.)

In the reaction columns that will be coming to a browser near you in the next 12 to 24 hours, you will surely see a columnist or two talk about the unfairness of it all — how Brenly had a .536 winning percentage, how he won a World Series just three years ago! Well, not to kick a man when he’s down, but I always thought Arizona won the 2001 World Series in spite of Brenly’s managerial prowess, not because of it. Remember, this is the guy who kept going to Byung-Hyun Kim long after it was clear that the Bronx was not to the relief pitcher’s liking. And in Game Six, Brenly left Randy Johnson in for seven innings to protect a 15-2 lead, when a little extra rest might have helped the Big Unit for his Game Seven relief appearance. Ultimately, no harm, no foul — the Diamondbacks won. But odd strategic decisions and mishandled pitching moves seemed to be the hallmarks of Brenly’s managerial career — I’d cite some more recent instances, but I already feel guilty enough taking time out of my work schedule to post even this inconsequential analysis.

I don’t think getting rid of Brenly makes the Diamondbacks contenders, even in the watered-down National League West. But the team had to make some move, if only to let its fickle fanbase know that management wasn’t asleep at the switch. I flipped over to the Padre-Diamondback game last night after the Red Sox-Yankees thriller last night, and after the postseason-like atmosphere at Yankee Stadium, it felt like I was watching two teams play each other in a mausoleum. Eleven-game losing streaks don’t really do that much to inspire the faithful, especially when you’ve been telling them for years that rebuilding is for suckers.

[Special thanks to Jason who updated this post to reflect that the Diamondbacks have placed their future — at least on an interim basis — with Al Pedrique. I should mention that, to this day, I still can’t tell the difference between Al Pedrique and Fred Manrique.]