This summer’s new reality show: “When Managers Manage!”
“We’ve got to get better, and we’ve got to start stringing together wins,” McClendon said. “That’s the message I’m going to send to my club starting the second half. I’ve given my club a lot of string and allowed them to do a lot of things, but it’s not working and we’ve got to change things . . . You try to stay positive and encourage your club, but maybe it takes prodding of a different nature,” McClendon said. “And if that’s the case, then that’s what I have to do.”
I suppose tone matters, but none of the hands-on or hands-off stuff from McClendon will matter much if no one besides Nelson Cruz swings a decent bat and the bullpen can’t figure it out. As the linked article makes clear, there is not a great chance of the M’s adding any big parts -- the Mark Trumbo trade was probably it for them -- so the current roster just has to turn it around.
Will McClendon cracking the whip help? Hard to see how. But what else can he do?
