MONDAY MUSINGS

by Holly Horning

Throughout the week, there are so many smaller stories hitting the media.  They may be bite-size, but often they are just as important as the headline-grabbing news.  Sometimes, even more.

And that’s what brings me to today.  A way to bring them out in the open and invite conversation about some of these subjects.

It’s the plan for Mondays.  Keeping track of these mighty little bits that hit my radar throughout the week and sharing them with you today because I know one or more will also resonate with you. So, let’s kick off this week’s musings…

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In an interview last week, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed regret for how he handled the Astros cheating scandal.  He questioned his decision to give players immunity without starting an investigative process first to see how things played out.

What this really was about revolved around risk mitigation according to the interview.  He didn’t want to put MLB in a position where they failed or were taken to court by the MLBPA.

Not discussed but what I believe was a primary motivating factor was the huge blemish upon the game this scandal would have created should an investigation have played out.  MLB is certainly risk-adverse and I’m sure they were thinking about how the Black Sox scandal gave the game a black eye and threatened to kill the sport.  Two baseball scandals – a century apart – involving cheating.

As Commissioner, Manfred’s job is to enhance the bottom line of owners.  Allowing the Astros scandal to play out would have hurt the entire industry.

And gotten him fired.

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In a similar vein, Evan Drellich, who reported on Manfred’s interview, also wrote the ground-breaking book on the Astros cheating scandal, Winning Fixes Everything.  In case you didn’t read it, there were numerous conclusions that provided evidence that A. J. Hinch, the Astros manager at the time, was not a participant nor leader in the cheating.

Drellich noted that MLB had sent out official reports about electronic sign stealing yearly.  Each year, the official rules were tweaked slightly.

In the notes, MLB sent the regulations to the GM of each team and required them to share it with their manager.  In the Astros case, GM Jeff Luhnow never shared the new rules with Hinch. Every othe team did with their managers.  You have to ask why.

Drellich also wrote about the timeline that addressed the Astros being notified that they were under investigation.  Everyone associated with the team was told to preserve their phone’s emails and texts.  Luhnow then contacted a number of Houston’s executives, asking them to review their phones and hinted that certain communications should be erased.  Luhnow was caught deleting his cell phone data.

The one person not on Luhnow’s list to contact about incriminating evidence?  A. J. Hinch.

Evidence points to Hinch not being a part of planning the electronic sign stealing.  This explains why he couldn’t stop it other than to smash multiple tv cameras.  The order to cheat came from his boss and at least 1 other person in the Front Office. Both of whom who were more senior than A. J. and higher in the chain of command.

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Tiger fans are hard to please sometimes.  Last week, Scott Harris sat down with the media to answer their questions.  And fans got upset when he didn’t spill his guts.

They were also upset with Al Avila and his verbal diarrhea.  Saying anything and everything that came to his mind, no matter how damaging it may have been.  Remember when he said the Tigers were trying to trade Nick Castellanos but there were no takers?

And then the former GM’s habit of saying “um” in every sentence.

Now we’ve got the opposite kind of GM.  Harris is more like Dave Dombrowski, playing things close to the vest.

In my professional life, I work as a communications coach and often consult with clients on how to come across well with the media.  And I’ve got to say that Harris does a very solid job.

He was relaxed in his demeanor and posture.  No fidgeting here!  His body posture was open and welcoming.  

The voice was moderated and fluid with no filler words being used as he thought what to say.  The eye contact, which conveys confidence, honesty and authenticity, was excellent.

He answered many questions head on and was always diplomatic.  He’s never going to publicly criticize anyone, let alone throw them under the bus as his predecessor did.

But some felt frustrated listening to his comments, wanting more details about what he was going to do.  And Scott isn’t going to divulge much.

First of all, the more info you offer, the weaker your position becomes.  Fans want to know the details but a GM/ PoBO who announces that they are looking to add a particular player, has just driven up the price he’ll need to pay.

And for those who want to know what Harris will be doing and what moves he’ll make next, there’s a reason he’s not saying.  For all of that named above plus the biggest reason of all.

Harris is still “checking under the hood”.  He certainly has ideas and a plan but that may change.  This team is fluid right now with so many moving parts that may or may not work out.  He’s keeping his options open because what he finds may just change what the Tigers do.

Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?

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