UCB roundtable: McGwire as coach?
[Yesterday's UCB rountable question came from Ryne Gery, who asked "Cardinal nation seems to be split on the topic of Mark McGwire's return. Some will boo him, others will cheer him. Where do you stand on the McGwire issue? Love him, hate hime? Do you think he will be a success as hitting coach or do you wonder if he really has the credentials to get the job done?"]
Our thoughts on Mark McGwire returning are well-documented already, so we won’t rehash that. As for whether he will be successful as a hitting coach, we get the feeling that local media and members of the organization doth protest too much (the sycophantic coverage from the Post-Dispatch and others borders on mawkish). More directly, with so much hype and emotional and reputational investment from “the boss,” it’s hard to imagine that any player who feels McGwire isn’t doing the job is going to a) feel empowered to speak up and b) have much hope that anyone would do anything about it, anyway. With most coaches, the benefit of the manager’s doubt usually rests with the players; if a coach isn’t cutting it, it’s the coach who is reprimanded or fired and not the player. In the Cardinals’ current situation, the balance of power seems to have swung the other way. Think about it: What surer way to land in Tony La Russa’s doghouse than to raise concerns about McGwire? At the first hint of dissatisfaction, the ensuing media coverage will be amplified well beyond what happens in a normal situation, potentially causing even minor indiscretions to end up in dysfunctionality. Little good can come of this tendentious hiring, but plenty of bad. The team will have enough to worry about trying to win a title without the added disruption of “office politics.” La Russa’s selfish gambit to reinstate his crony has already divided fans; it wouldn’t be surprising if it divides his clubhouse.