This is a baseball blog, but successful franchises in any sport can always look to Jerry Buss and his ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers as a model for ownership. One can say that he had great coaches like Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, one can say that he had great talent evealuators like Jerry West and Mitch Kupchak. One can also say that he had great players- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, to name the top dogs. That would all be true.
But someone had to see the talent in those guys, especially West. Someone had to know when to involve themselves in the nitty-gritty and whe to stay out of the way. Buss was a master at that. Someone also had to feel the pulse of the team and know when the times were changing for instance when they traded Shaq. Was it too early? too late?. You don't take anything away from the front office, but Jerry would've had to sign off on that. Someone also had to know not to lose their cool during sudden hard times, for instance when Magic revealed he was HIV positive.
On top of the teams, there was the brand. He created Showtime. He made it so Staples Center and the Forum were and continue to be the place to be. There were great teams, but Buss pushed it up a notch and made it into Hollywood-worthy entertainment, which it continues to be. He probably had lots of help their too.
Sometimes being a great leader is not only leading thecharge, but it's also picking the right people to surround you and letting them do their jobs. The success of the Lakers over the last three decades is testamnt to this.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The Great Leap Forward?
I will admit it, and I'm sure most Dodger fans will agree with me that we are absolutely ecstatic that Frank McCourt got booted and the new Stan Kasten-Magic Johnson- Guggenheim group came in. And while some would be horrified at the Dodgers becoming a salary dumping ground for the various overpaid and unhappy former members of the Marlins and Red Sox, it is still miles ahead of the mediocrity that McCourt signed off on.
You also have to shake your head at the potential this team has. Joining the core of Clayton Kershaw, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp is old nemesis Adrian Gonzales, and while the Marlins may have an opinion about it, them letting a still-young Hanley Ramirez go was pure madness. Jeffery Loria pulled a fast one on the Marlins fans, just as he sold out Montreal before, and in the dog-eat-dog world of professional sports, the Dodgers got the better of it. Top that off with adding Josh Beckett and Zack Greinke to the rotation and Carl Crawford to the outfield, you gotta be happy or at least hopeful about the upcoming Dodger season.
Keep in mind, though, like our beloved Lakers, what looks great on paper does not always translate to the boxscore and the W/L column. Remember that Gonzales allegedly was one of the leaders of the clubhouse revolt against Bobby Valentine, remember Beckett was one of the guys who allegedly yucked it up with chicken and beer in the clubhouse while the 2011 season went down in flames for the Red Sox. Ramirez was also a noted malcontent long before the Loria bloodbath. Crawford is coming off of a serious injury, and all of those guys are coming off disappointing seasons. None of them were able to help the Dodgers make up ground against the Giants, either.
Now it is time for these guys to show us what they have. Will Gonzales's power numbers and OBP continue to decline? Can Ramirez, not even 30 yet return to form? How will Crawford look coming off of a huge injury and declining stats? You have to think Beckett and Greinke will benefit from pitching in the NL West and Dodger stadium, but the offense is a real concern. Furthermore, if these guys fail on the Dodgers, the team will be stuck with some huge contracts on some aging underperformers they will have a hard time getting rid off.
So we fans are optimistic. There is lots of power in that lineup, and while there is not much speed (provided they don't find a place for Dee Gordon in the lineup), and they now have one of the best 1-2-3 rotations in the game, with still some capable guys in the back end. The bullpen seems to be solid, so the ownership has done what they can- now it is up to the players.
You also have to shake your head at the potential this team has. Joining the core of Clayton Kershaw, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp is old nemesis Adrian Gonzales, and while the Marlins may have an opinion about it, them letting a still-young Hanley Ramirez go was pure madness. Jeffery Loria pulled a fast one on the Marlins fans, just as he sold out Montreal before, and in the dog-eat-dog world of professional sports, the Dodgers got the better of it. Top that off with adding Josh Beckett and Zack Greinke to the rotation and Carl Crawford to the outfield, you gotta be happy or at least hopeful about the upcoming Dodger season.
Keep in mind, though, like our beloved Lakers, what looks great on paper does not always translate to the boxscore and the W/L column. Remember that Gonzales allegedly was one of the leaders of the clubhouse revolt against Bobby Valentine, remember Beckett was one of the guys who allegedly yucked it up with chicken and beer in the clubhouse while the 2011 season went down in flames for the Red Sox. Ramirez was also a noted malcontent long before the Loria bloodbath. Crawford is coming off of a serious injury, and all of those guys are coming off disappointing seasons. None of them were able to help the Dodgers make up ground against the Giants, either.
Now it is time for these guys to show us what they have. Will Gonzales's power numbers and OBP continue to decline? Can Ramirez, not even 30 yet return to form? How will Crawford look coming off of a huge injury and declining stats? You have to think Beckett and Greinke will benefit from pitching in the NL West and Dodger stadium, but the offense is a real concern. Furthermore, if these guys fail on the Dodgers, the team will be stuck with some huge contracts on some aging underperformers they will have a hard time getting rid off.
So we fans are optimistic. There is lots of power in that lineup, and while there is not much speed (provided they don't find a place for Dee Gordon in the lineup), and they now have one of the best 1-2-3 rotations in the game, with still some capable guys in the back end. The bullpen seems to be solid, so the ownership has done what they can- now it is up to the players.
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