Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
June 05, 2007
Immature Manager

A number of people e-mailed me about that AA manager who put on a show the other day after being tossed from a game (video at the link). Maybe I'm an old fart, but I don't see the humor in it. The guy acted like a five year old. I'm glad the Braves suspended him.

Combining bits of Earl Weaver, Billy Martin and Lou Piniella, the weekend tantrum by AA manager Phillip Wellman prompted his bosses at the Atlanta Braves to take action Monday.

The Mississippi Braves manager went wild Friday during his team's 7-6 loss at Chattanooga. His tirade took him on a tour of the diamond as he covered home plate with dirt, threw a base and crawled on his belly.

Wellman and the club declined comment, spokesman Nicholas Skinner said.

Sorry, this guy is nothing like the three managers mentioned above. The best thing about watching Earl and Billy argue were their mouths going 100 MPH. If they kicked dirt or threw a base, they did it because it was convenient to the argument. They didn't calmly walk around destroying the field. Wellman has a lot to learn.


Posted by David Pinto at 07:03 AM | Baseball Jerks | TrackBack (0)
Comments

I agree David. It's obvious that Wellman's outburst had little to do with actually arguing a call and more to do with getting on TV and "firing" up the club. It was complete premeditated. If I was a player I'd have a hard time playing for a manager that crawled to the mound and played army man. The Braves shouldn't suspend him. He should probably be canned.

That said it was really amusing.

Posted by: Jason at June 5, 2007 07:22 AM

C'mon. That was hilarious. It was like he realized the exact moment he had gone too far to come back, and then figured "What the hell, might as well play to the crowd."

You guys have no sense of humor.

Posted by: robustyoungsoul at June 5, 2007 08:10 AM

It's minor league baseball guys. Unless a pro is making rehab starts, they have a hard time selling tickets. I don't think this is any more ridiculous than watching fans in sumo suits wrestle between innings, or the spin-around-the-bat race, or El Guapo bobblehead night. Everyone knows it was premeditated, but I guarantee the kids that were at the game would love to come back and see another one. If you want to watch a low-key ballgame where the fans aren't really into it and everyone is being serious, you can go to a pro game anytime :-)

Posted by: Mike at June 5, 2007 08:10 AM

I thought he looked like an idiot.

Posted by: John at June 5, 2007 09:54 AM

If "That's" ML Baseball then I want none of it.

It looked more like bad dinner theater in Branson Mo. to me.

Posted by: Brian at June 5, 2007 10:20 AM

Notice the players on the field in the video as he passes them by, the two I saw were trying very hard not to bust out laughing.

Drawing the plate to the size he perceived the home plate umpire was calling strikes to was classic. The rosin bag grenade toss gets extra points for originality and creativity.

I'd be willing to bet most people that saw it thought it was hilarious. The club gave him less of suspension than MLB gave Piniella. I don't know if the league Wellman manages in will add to the Braves suspension.

He may not have Bobby Cox's quantity of ejections (same organization) but I'd watch this one for a lot longer than a montage of Bobby Cox's greatest ejections. Maybe not better than Lou Piniella's greatest hits though.

Posted by: Charles Slavik at June 5, 2007 10:47 AM

There are actually some rumors going around here in Chattanooga as to why it happened. Wellman used to coach the Lookouts for five years before accepting a managing job with the Braves. During the game, third base umpire was alleged to have said some personal and directed comments to the Braves dugout. After a iffy call, Wellman just snapped.

And like others, I think that he just went with it once he was thrown out. I almost looked like he was having fun at the end. My guess is he was looking to get even for the comments said and embarrass and challenge the authority of that third base umpire.

I don't think this is indicative to MLB as much as it is to MiLB. These over-the-top rants occur more often at the minor league level than the pros, just because there honestly isn't that much to lose. In a Cox interview, he told of a night in Syracuse when the opposing manager climbed up a light pole and yelled at the umpires.

No making any excuses, but this just happens at that level. And it was funny, the grenade was brilliant. I think that's the top use of field equipment during a rant in the history of the game.

Posted by: Brett at June 5, 2007 10:51 AM

He should have been fired. That was all Vince McMahon after the initial burst. Pathetic.

Posted by: abe at June 5, 2007 01:33 PM

I think this guy blew his wad in one ejection. It just took too long to execute. Redraw home plate --- OK, I can get behind that, but once you've done that, you've made your point. The rosin-bag grenade, OK, points for originality, but what's that got to do with the protest? Work it in to the protest, make it your one schtick for one particular protest, then I'll give you full credit. Otherwise, you're just wandering around the field acting goofy.

Posted by: Adam Villani at June 5, 2007 05:34 PM
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