McLaren done in by his player’s coach approach

John McLaren’s firing today is a classic case of ousting the manager because you can’t fire the players. Although, it’s looking like the M’s are taking a hard look at that as well, with rumors that first baseman Richie Sexson’s days are numbered.

McLaren was always characterized as a player’s coach and it’s that managerial approach that probably did him in. It’s still amazing to me that a grown man making millions of dollars a year in professional baseball needs to be motivated, but it appears there are dozens on this roster that need to be pushed. Unfortunately, there are too many for one man to handle.

"John worked extremely hard, but our team continued to underperform compared to our expectations of them," said interim General Manager Lee Pelekoudas in a press release. "With 90 games left on our schedule, we owe it to ourselves and our fans to do everything we can to win as many games as possible. At the same time, as we move towards the trade deadline and decisions have to be made on the futures of the players on our ballclub, I wanted to see if a different voice could make a difference in their performance."

Say what you want about his on-field strategies, and I’m sure everyone will, McLaren never dodged responsibility for his failing team. From all reports, he was available to the media throughout his tenure to answer for a terrible team.

His on-field ejections were as awkward as his off-field tirades and I think he tried pretty much everything he could to get through to the Seattle knucklehead nine.

Farewell and good luck, Mac.