With the off day and me still in sunny Kelowna, BC (really pretty place) I don't have time for the long post I'd like to write about Sportsnet One (but when I get time....) (you should see the email I got back from them, a story for another day). I thought we could let people talk about who they would like to see as manager next year.
For me, I'd love them to give the job to Brian Butterfield. He's been with the team since 2003, he's very well thought of in baseball, he has a ton of baseball knowledge and he's a really good guy. I'd hate the organization to lose him.
None of this is to say that Cito is a bad manager. I doubt there are many managers that would have this team at 6 games above .500. As much as he drives us crazy, he does seem to get the maximum number of wins out of this group.
Of course, winning wasn't the aim of this season, or at least the only aim. The plan was to develop some of the young guys. Cito's use of young players has never been his strong suit. He faked me out this time around, when he had the Jays call up Adam Lind, when he got the manager job, and then played Lind everyday. But other young players haven't received the same consideration.
What he really has done best, this year, is to understand the team he has and not try to make them do things they can't. He knew he had low average power hitters and he hasn't tried to turn them into other things. His approach hasn't been great for every player but for the team as a whole it has.
Anyway the point of this wasn't to talk on Cito, it was to ask you who you would like to see as manager next year? Please note, if you suggest Rance Mulliniks, I will rag on you mercilessly. Or if there is anything else you would like to discuss, and you don't want to put up a fanpost or fanshot about it, you can do it here.