Compass on Carmen Fusco - Dr's Prognosis
Q. Do you think that Lincoln and Armstrong are sincerely aghast about Leuke, or do you think they're just managing PC relationships?
A. I'm sure that they're sincerely revolted by the charges against Leuke.
And the fact is, that they've been doing corporate culture like this their whole lives.
Hey, a 4th-level didn't care about this org's mission. He's lucky he didn't get fired. That's their conditioning, in my opinion.
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The mistake they are making, in my opinion, is that they're forgetting that they're lawyers rather than baseball men.
When they have this kind of miscommunication with a real baseball man -- "Hey, that's over the line in the way you acquire talent" -- they ought to go back to Go, do not collect $200, and recall that they themselves are a bit lucky to be involved with these decisions in the first place.
For whatever reason, the ownership board in Seattle has seen fit to allow its two CEOs to cast themselves as baseball men. It's not like that in many other ML orgs. This fact should be kept in mind when the real baseball man dives into the ring and starts throwing knees and elbows in the talent free-for-all.
Poor form for spectators on the sidelines, themselves in safety and comfort, to hire a bouncer to clean out their bar and then take offense at the wristlocks that he puts on the guys with knives.
I mean, sure, it's Lincoln's job to manage the community mission. But you hire a bouncer to hit people.
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Q. Did the Mariners really want a bouncer?
A. I had been under the impression that the Mariners, sick and tired of the losing and the glide path from 3.2 attendance to 2.2 ----- > hired Bas Rutten to go win the talent fights.
So Bas gets in there and knocks the first three guys' teeth out, and right off the bat he's in trouble for doing his thing.
I think they wanted a bouncer, but didn't want any blood. You know what I mean? If you don't want Bas Rutten in your bar, don't call him. If you don't want Jack Zduriencik to turn you into the Milwaukee Brewers, then let Patty Murray run your team.
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Q. What, Lincoln doesn't have the right to show his fangs over an issue like this? Sodomy?
A. Sure, but if he'd asked my counsel, I'd have reminded him that he hired a bouncer, and that those guys are a different breed.
Go over the rules calmly. Z didn't do anything wrong here; it was an unfortunate situation but not a punishable one. Just re-clarify. That's what I'd have advised.
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Q. Maybe he did, and this was like a fourth offense.
A. Maybe. Like we said, we're reading between the lines - we weren't in the meetings. If the information is materially incorrect, so are my opinions.
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Q. Whither from here?
A. We imagine that Josh Leuke will be flushed long before he gets a chance to become a great reliever for the Mariners.
Zduriencik's position in Seattle remains to be seen. SSI is quite concerned about whether Capt Jack will be here for the long term, and if so, under what conditions.
The insider M's fan is given another thunderous kick to the man region, as to what this baseball team's priorities are. Carmen Fusco was a big part of this reeling effort to turn the Mariners' franchise into a real, Brewers-style franchise.
I notice that the Mariners are 55-90. They need to go 7-10 from here, in order to put another 100-loss season onto their resume. Are you, the hyper-educated Mariners fan, rooting for or against those 10 more losses?
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Q. Optimistic finish?
A. The Mariners had the same corporate culture when Gillick won 116 games.
It's not impossible to win with this "competitive ballclub and nice family night at the ballpark" culture. It's a handicap, not a death sentence.
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My $0.02,
Jeff
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