Jeffrey Loria is outraged with Fredi Gonzalez’s published comments in which the former Marlins manager said that no manager ever seems to please the owner. Gonzalez, who manages the Atlanta Braves, was quoted in Sunday’s Miami Herald as saying: “There’s not a manager dead or alive that Jeffrey thinks is good enough. Not Connie Mack, not anyone.”
Loria said that if Gonzalez made those comments, “I’m a little surprised because it’s classless — and you can quote me — especially because he was with us for five years and he was a colossal failure. Not nice. Not nice.”
I’m not the biggest Fredi Gonzalez fan in the world, but it’s worth noting that Fredi has somehow been successful since leaving Miami. Even last year’s epic collapse constituted a better overall season than the Marlins have experienced in close to a decade.
And Gonzalez’s basic point -- that Loria can’t be happy with anyone -- will be borne out if he fires Ozzie Guillen after one season. Because say what you want about Guillen, but he’s not the biggest problem with that team and that organization. The White Sox showed that you can win that guy, just like the Braves have shown they can win with Gonzalez. And the Yankees with Joe Girardi. And on and on.
