Miami Marlins: What do the Following Names Have in Common?
Apr 12, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco (47) throws the ball in the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
1) Norv Turner
2) Marty Schottenheimer
3) Steve Spurrier
4) Joe Gibbs
5) Jim Zorn
6) Jeff Torborg
7) Jack McKeon
8) Joe Girardi
10) Edwin Rodriguez
11) Brandon Hyde
12) Ozzie Guillen
And now we can add Mike Redmond to that list .
It is a list of those head coaches/managers that have labored under an owner with the unfortunate idea that player decisions fall under the imperial fiat of the owner’s suite. The first five worked for Redskins owner Dan Snyder. Marlins fans will recognize the occupants of slots 6-13.
Conspicuously absent from that list is current Redskins coach Mike Shanahan. There must have been a serious come-to-Jesus meeting in Herndon, VA prior to Shanny’s first season, because from game one of his tenure, it has been crystal clear that all player decisions come from the GM and the Head Coach, not the owner’s suite.
Lots of Redskins fans attribute the sea change to three things: Snyder maturing as an owner and taking cues from other owners; Snyder waking up and realizing the devastating effect his meddling has had on team morale and performance; and Mike Shanahan being the first head coach with enough juice to deliver an effective ultimatum to Snyder.
Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has had none of those three things enter his sphere of influence. Last Wednesday’s rotation change between Ricky Nolasco and Jose Fernandez is now rumored to have originated from the owner’s box.
Utter folly.
By reaching down from the ivory tower, Loria risks alienating Nolasco, his agent, and any other players left over from last year. As a witness to the first years of Snyder’s involvement with the ‘Skins, I can say unequivocally that the damage wrought through the systematic destruction of the chain of command can take years to undo.
By continuing to behave in his childish, myopic pattern, Jeffrey Loria demonstrates that he still hasn’t had the moment of clarity in which he realizes that if he wants to be the owner of a winning ball club, he will need to stop acting like a spoiled six-year-old who wants to hog the ball and tell everyone what to do.
Be patient, Fish fans. Usually, it doesn’t take long for whiny six-year-olds to get distracted and move on to another game.