*FAN SUBMISSION by Leslie Monteiro of Fort Lee, NJ. Follow on Twitter @BayAreaFreePres.*
Courtesy: Zimbio
Fans judge athletes, general managers and owners based on success and failures. That will never change.
Former Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo will always be beloved for putting on a winning product on the field. His 2001 World Series championship speaks for itself.
Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick is perceived as a guy who has no idea what he is doing. He is also perceived as a guy who is always about fiscal responsibility. That’s what happens when the team has done nothing but lose under his leadership.
Kendrick is not beloved after running Colangelo off as the Diamondbacks CEO in the midst of a 111-loss season in 2004. He will continue to deal with that stigma as long as he owns the Diamondbacks whether it’s fair or not.
Whether folks like Colangelo’s successor or not, they should realize his heart is in the right place. He wants to win as much as his predecessor. The losing has frustrated him as much as anyone. It’s why he was proactive in hiring Tony La Russa to oversee the Diamondbacks baseball operations on May 17.
Kendrick is trying all he could to make the Diamondbacks an elite team. He spent money on players. He has hired Kevin Towers to turn the baseball fortunes around.
It has to be tough to why everything has gone wrong for him. He tried hiring an analytical guy to find talent in Josh Byrnes, but that never worked out. Towers hasn’t panned out as general manager with him trading all of the team’s farm players just to see them be successful.
Courtesy: Yahoo Sports
If La Russa can’t get it done, the beleaguered Diamondbacks owner has to wonder what else he can do.
Byrnes, Towers and La Russa are well-respected in the baseball industry. They know the game well. They have a good eye on talent. This is based on their body of work in other organizations.
Still, the other thing that matters is how they do with the Diamondbacks. Byrnes did build a good farm system, but his teams always underachieved.
Towers has been proactive in improving the ballclub, but his moves have not panned out. He has had a hard time finding the right relievers for the Diamondbacks, which Is surprising since he always had a knack of getting relievers right when he was the Padres general manager.
Now, we will see what La Russa can do, even though he never had experience of working in the front office. He never scouted much. He is in for a learning curve.
Kendrick could have been patient and let it play it out. He could have sat still. For him to be proactive and do something about it, it speaks about his sense of urgency. He does not have much time as owner. He is in his 70s. He would not only want to win a championship as the Diamondbacks owner, but he would want to build a baseball team that will have a long-lasting success for the next 10 or 15 years like the Cardinals are in baseball while he is still active.
Kendrick is a prideful man. He wants to make his mark as a Diamondbacks owner. He wants to create a successful legacy. He wants his baseball team to attract other players to sign with the organization. He would love to see Chase Field be loud and proud every game like last night. He would love to have as much as success as Colangelo.
Yes, Kendrick had the Diamondbacks out of debt. It took years of good planning and strong management skills to do that.
Still, no one rewards owners a title for that. It’s something Colangelo pointed out. It’s about winning a championship.
There’s no question Kendrick is trying, but nothing matters until the wins show for it. No one in sports is rewarded for trying. He knows this as much as anyone.
Kendrick was in great spirits when he walked with La Russa to the press conference room. Who can blame him after pulling off a coup?
The hard work now begins. It’s not about winning the presser. It’s about building a successful organization.
Kendrick will give it another old college try.
This time he hopes this is the last time he finds another savior to turn his team’s fortunes.
