Four for Four: Problems with authority
Yahoo! Sports' MLB analyst Ryne Sandberg gives answers to four pressing questions in the major leagues.
More Sandberg: Power Numbers
1. Are Lou Piniella's days numbered in Tampa after ripping the Devil Rays' new owners for having the majors' lowest payroll?
I think it is difficult for a team like the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to lure big free agents and also pay them. That's why when Piniella got hired I wondered why he would even go there in the first place and leave a winning situation in Seattle.
Piniella's tirades might be a way to fire up his ball players, but I've never heard of a manager going public to fire up the ownership. Ripping management in public is the wrong way to go about getting a contract extension.
A lot of responsibility for the team's last-place record in the AL East does go to the ownership, but the owners may go ahead without Piniella, even though he has helped increase the victory totals the last two seasons in Tampa Bay.
2. Is Jack McKeon's rough personality finally getting to the Marlins?
First of all, when players start to talk negatively about their manager – which is what some of the Florida Marlins did in a newspaper report last week – that often is the beginning of a team's downfall.
Players want a manager who is up front and honest, uses the entire team and continually puts his players in position to do well. Managers have to bring a positive attitude to the ballpark that will also be reflected down to the players. It's apparent that the Marlins are underachieving at this point, so something is wrong with the chemistry.
The easiest way to fix it is to make a managerial change, which is what the Marlins did when they named McKeon the skipper in 2003. His gruff ways fired up the Marlins and sparked them to a World Series championship. But when a team wins games, problems are hidden or pushed aside. If this team goes on a winning streak, all the talk about personality conflicts will probably disappear.
3. Where does Frank Robinson stand in the NL Manager of the Year race?
With what he's doing at this point with the Washington Nationals, he would be the leading candidate if the award was voted on today. Robinson seems to work well with the Nationals' young players, and he has taken on an ambassador type of role with the franchise's move to Washington.
The move created a lot of interest in the Nationals, and that excitement has obviously reached the players on the field after playing in an empty Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The team's popularity has taken off with this latest run to the top of the NL East.
4. Who is the player to watch in the 2005 MLB draft?
I'm going to keep my eye on a player drafted by the Texas Rangers out of Pepperdine in the 15th round. His name is Kea Kometani, a 6-foot-4 right-hander with a big upside.
Kometani, who went 10-5 for the Waves this year, has good movement on the ball and has all the makings of a top big-league pitching prospect. He also just happens to be a teammate of my son Justin.
