Bickley on the Diamondbacks

[Lefty]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/2009/06/27/20090627spt-bickleydbacks.html

Byrnes signed an eight-year extension in 2008. He may have too much job security. He likes to dabble in the daily lineup card. And he appointed his wing man as manager, brazenly signing Hinch through 2012. The move was fraught with risk, and guaranteed to alienate fans and players alike.

The reality was even worse. The Diamondbacks became the joke of Major League Baseball, and Byrnes' credibility was severely damaged.

 

[AZZenny]

'bout sums it all up. Except where's Kendricks in that scathing review? He gets a pass?

 

[O]

"We'll obviously take a hit with some (season-ticket) renewals," team president Derrick Hall said.

Do you think?

 

[SunsTzu]

Do you think?

Then he goes on to say:

"What's scary is the nature of our young fan base. We need to educate them. We need them to be loyal to the organization and not waver because of a tough season, a season where it really seems like we've been snake-bitten."

So it's the fanbase that is the problem not the team! Maybe they would attract a more educated fanbase if they didn't sign a career long scrub like Eric Byrnes to a ridiculous contract and then proceed to shove him down everyones throats as the face of the franchise.

 

[DWKB]

Then he goes on to say:


So it's the fanbase that is the problem not the team! Maybe they would attract a more educated fanbase if they didn't sign a career long scrub like Eric Byrnes to a ridiculous contract and then proceed to shove him down everyones throats as the face of the franchise.

It was the uneducated fan base that clamored so hard for EB to be signed. It was the fear of losing that base that Jeff Moorad made the horribly poor unilateral decision to offer up that contract even after Josh Byrnes publicly stated EB would not be coming back next year.

The uneducated Arizona fan base is definitely a major problem for this franchise.

However, Dan Bickley isn't the Moses for this problem. His understanding of this game is on par with a 6 year old from 1956. On top of being a Cubs fan his opinion on baseball fits somewhere between Lindsey Lohan and Kanye West on how much weight I give it.

 

[SunsTzu]

I'm not buying the fanbase it to blame for EB signing. If you want to attract fans in the valley you have to win. If management decided to forego future success do to a niche following Eric Byrnes had then it's on them.

 

[DWKB]

I'm not buying the fanbase it to blame for EB signing. If you want to attract fans in the valley you have to win. If management decided to forego future success do to a niche following Eric Byrnes had then it's on them.

Well it would be a lie to claim the fan base had no impact on the EB signing and insincere to claim it was a niche. You're correct that wining is the ultimate solution to bringing in fans, but this place isn't smart enough to know what it takes to win or not. They thought, at a high percentage, that signing EB would bring winning to the club and letting him go was being cheap and not caring about winning. They were wrong, of course.

 

[Avondale Red Rage]

Well it would be a lie to claim the fan base had no impact on the EB signing and insincere to claim it was a niche. You're correct that wining is the ultimate solution to bringing in fans, but this place isn't smart enough to know what it takes to win or not. They thought, at a high percentage, that signing EB would bring winning to the club and letting him go was being cheap and not caring about winning. They were wrong, of course.

Yea, we can't even spell it.. j/k.

I would take playing good 'ole fashioned country hard ball with some occasional passion and hustle and tolerate a loss or two. It's the dis-jointed ball dropping, unfocused play and daily team meetings that drives me wacky.