UPDATE: OK, maybe Wren was right. Gonzalez won the Sporting News’ Manager of the Year Award. Damn. I really wish he was deluded about that. It would have made for great blog fodder, basically, for every single game Gonzalez managed.
3:00 P.M.: Fredi Gonzalez was formally announced as the Braves new manager a few minutes ago. I think the press conference is actually still going on. It’s been fun. And while I’m not going to change my mind that Gonzalez is the best guy for the job, this gives me a bit of pause: Braves GM Frank Wren has twice referred to Fredi Gonzalez as having won the Manager of the Year Award with the Marlins a couple of years ago.
Except . . . that was Joe Girardi, not Gonzalez.
I guess Girardi hasn’t gotten a contract extension from the Yankees yet and could still be lured away if that’s who Wren really wanted, but really, that would be rather awkward now that they made Gonzalez’s jersey and everything.