I’ve heard it many times before, so it came as no surprise when Ozzie Guillen, the veteran White Sox shortstop, said: “It’s a lot easier to fire one guy than 20 players.”
If it was me, I’d have given the boot to the players. They’re the ones who haven’t performed. But in big-league baseball, the manager always is given too much credit when his team wins and all the blame when the team loses.
So it’s farewell and good fortune to Gene Lamont, the deposed White Sox skipper. We could see it coming, during and after the four-game disaster in Cleveland. Instead of gaining ground on the Indians, the Sox lost all four games and dropped 11 games off the pace.
It was the players who lost all four games, not Lamont. Except for a wonderful performance by Alex Fernandez, the pitching was terribly ineffective, as it has been since the beginning of what appears to be an ill-fated season. It isn’t only the pitching that has broken down. The Sox lead the league in errors, and the offense has been erratic.
The problem is that the expectations were much too high.
Even General Manager Ron Schueler, who swung the ax, seems to be convinced the current White Sox are as formidable as last year’s edition,
“I don’t think the club has changed that much,” Schueler said during Friday’s press conference.
Then he added, “Are we good enough to win? I think we are.”
Schueler, of course, knows better. It is not the same club as last year. Designated hitter Julio Franco, who had a career year, flew to Japan. So did right-fielder Darrin Jackson. And Jack McDowell was traded to the Yankees.
Schueler has done his best to plug the holes, but it doesn’t appear at this time that an adequate successor has been found for Franco. Chris Sabo was found wanting, released, and replaced by John Kruk, who has yet to put it together.
Lamont used essentially the same words following his dismissal.
“We just didn’t get it going and so they decided to make a change,” he said. “I don’t agree with it. I’m glad I had a chance to manage here. I enjoyed it. But I thought it would be longer than 30 games.”
So did I.
And especially because of the enthusiasm displayed by Schueler when he handpicked Lamont to succeed Jeff Torborg.
Said Schueler on Nov. 26, 1991, the day of Lamont’s unveiling: “I just have a gut feeling about Gene Lamont. He’s got everything needed to be a great manager.”
April 4, 1992: “In five or six seasons, people will be linking Gene Lamont with Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland. You can’t succeed if you don’t have the opportunity.”
Later, in response to the charge that Lamont didn’t present an exciting persona, Schueler said:
“You can’t ask a guy to change his personality. The players would see through that right away. There’s no set description for the way a manager is supposed to act.”
But there is no question that the manager who is part actor almost always has a longer career. The manager able to entertain the press, who sparkles during the dreary television interviews, has a much better chance for success. In baseball, as in life, a little bull goes a long way.
Lamont isn’t capable of such theatrics. He is totally without deception. Flim-flam is not his style. As John Tunis once said, in admiration of a longtime friend, “He’s as good a man as you’ll find in a long day’s march.”
Which reminds me of a story I did some years ago on one of the Chicago managers whom I described as a “nice guy.”
The next day I heard from Bill Rigney, a wise baseball owl who was a friend of the subject of my piece.
“Do me a favor,” Rigney asked. “Don’t call him a nice guy again.”
I asked why.
“Because it’s the kiss of death. The last thing a manager wants to be is a `nice guy.’ “
Obviously, Lamont can’t help himself.
And, of course, the overrated White Sox players didn’t help him, either. Face it, Mr. Schueler, you are saddled with an ordinary club.
Tea and sympathy for Terry Bevington.
