In DC, Adam Kilgore writes Nationals GM & President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo is the "man to blame for the failure of Matt Williams" as the team's manager. Rizzo "built a World Series-caliber team and handed it to a novice on nothing more than faith in his own judgment." When Rizzo "bet on Williams," he "bet on himself" as well. Two years later, it "stands as a defining blunder." Williams is a "good man who was thrown into the wrong job" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/6). MLB Network’s John Smoltz said, “There is an underlying problem that exists in the organization that I do not know if there is the right person to come in and fix unless they all get on the same page. ... You have to figure that out first, and then you have to be able to give that manager the freedom to be able to do certain things that gets backed up all the way top" ("MLB Now," MLB Network, 10/5).
BIG & SMALL: Orioles Exec VP/Baseball Operations Dan Duquette yesterday in his season-ending press conference noted the team ranks either 13th or 14th "in terms of overall payroll," while the "size of our metro market and the size of our TV market are well below that in terms of the amount of people that are available to watch the Orioles. Duquette: "We already field a very competitive payroll to the extent that our resources go into the market, we put that back into the baseball operation, we put that into scouting, we put that into the payroll. So to the extent that there is additional revenues there, the payroll will go up" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 10/6).
THE OTHER GUYS: In Chicago, Mike Imrem writes the Cubs with their playoff run this season "have been doing a good enough job of burying" the White Sox "without the Sox announcing last week that they're retaining Robin Ventura as manager." The Cubs "have a foundation that promises sustained success, and the Sox have a tired product promising futility and frustration." Additionally, the Cubs "have a collection of attractive young players magnetizing baseball fans," while the White Sox' "best players are hardly noticed" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 10/6).
MOVING PHASTER: Incoming Phillies President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail is expected to "accelerate his search" for the team's next GM. MacPhail has stated his goal of having a GM in place by the annual organizational meetings, which begin Oct. 26, but he "has operated under a cloak of secrecy" thus far in the process (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/6).
