Hirings and Firings are never normal for Ned Yost

It might be early in the season, but if i were Ned Yost, I'd be worried.
And the reasons to be on edge for him can be seen in his very own history.

When he was in Milwaukee, he led the Brewers to their first two winning seasons in over a decade. And he had the team in line for a 2008 playoff spot, their first in 26 years, in September. The Brewers rewarded him by firing him with 12 games left in the season. Dale Sveum managed the rest of the year and in the Division Series.

In 2010, he took over the Royals just 35 games into the season. There were not high expectations for that Kansas City team, but evidently after a little more than a month into the year, it was time to make a change.

Well there WERE expectations for this season. There was minor league talent on this team that seemed ready to blossom. Alex Gordon looked poised to become a star.

And if the Tigers failed to meet expectations, the Royals were a cool pick to pull off an upset.

And here we sit, 17 games into the season. The Royals have 3 wins... and NONE in their 10 home games.

Is it Ned Yost's fault?
No.

But the fans are already indifferent in Kansas City and it isn't even May.

You can't dump the whole team and throwing the manager overboard could shake the team up.
Yeah it wouldn't be an orthodox move. But when has hiring or firing Ned Yost ever been by the book?

Hey Brewers...

How did that whole "Fire Ned Yost" thing work out for you?
That brilliant "let's give the team a jolt" idea that firing the manager with a dozen games left would be the move to put them over the top.

That or put them in full panic mode feeling the ship is rudderless.

Well the glorious Dale Sveum era has yielded 1 win in 5 games including a 9th inning collapse to the Cubs, 2 losses to the pathetic Reds and the only two losses CC Sabathia has ever had in a Brewers uniform.

Great job torpedoing the season AND making sure than Ben Sheets and Sabathia want no part of this organization.

Really, take a bow.

I thought it was stupid when they did it last Monday and I think it is even stupider now.

Don't Panic Brewers... whoops. Too late.

I was at work today and I happened to check CNNSI and I saw the headline "Brewers Fire Ned Yost."

I didn't understand what it meant. I felt like it was is a foreign language.
What do mean they fired him? At the end of the season maybe? They rehired him maybe.

But nope. I read the article... and the Brewers, tied for the Wild Card in mid September with 12 games to go, thought it was time for a change.

The only other time I can remember a contending team making a managerial move this late in the season was in the movie The Kid From Left Field when Gary Coleman took over as manager of the Padres... only to have child welfare take him away with the Padres up 3-0 in the World Series against the White Sox... and the interim manager lost the next three games... until Robert Guillaume was hired to manage game 7 which they won on a 3 run walk off shot by Gary Collins.

And any time your managerial moves remind me of a Gary Coleman movie, you know it is a n F'ed up move.

The Brewers are in full "Godzilla is approaching Tokyo" mode and they are still in position to at least play for a playoff spot.

What could that meeting between Yost and his friend GM Doug Melvin have been like?


YOST: Doug... I have a good feeling about this series with the Cubs. I know we had a crappy run. 3-11 stinks... but we are home, the crowd should be energized... and even with that run we are still tied for a playoff spot. We've got Sabathia on the mound, Sheets is pitching later... I think we got the losing behind us.

MELVIN: You're fired.

YOST: What? You mean you are not picking up my contract at the end of the year?

MELVIN: No. Right now. Clear out your desk.

YOST: What the f---? There's 12 games left!

MELVIN: We feel its time to go in a new direction.

YOST: In 12 days? You couldn't trust me for 12 days at home with our best pitcher on the mound? Who are you replacing me with? Did you clone John McGraw?

MEVLIN: Dale Sveum.

YOST: Let me get this straight... when I took this job, they had gone 10 straight losing years.

MEVLIN: Yup.

YOST: And I'm about to manage their second straight winning year.

MELVIN: That's right.

YOST: They could go to their first playoff since Paul Molitor, Cecil Cooper and Robin Yount were suiting up.

MELVIN: Uh huh.

YOST: And you are going to replace me with a guy who was such a bad third base coach that he was booed while getting his World Series ring in Boston?

MELVIN: He's our man.

YOST: Am I being Punked?

MELVIN: Security!


Seriously... there must be something we non Brewer fans just didn't know.

Sometimes it happens in other sports. I remember Larry Robinson taking over the New Jersey Devils in March of 2000 and leading them to the Stanley Cup title... but he was a Hall of Famer.

Dale Sveum?

Something is up here!

Fill us in Brewer land.

Two Fisted Slopper, what the f---?

No seriously Don Walker, what the f---?

Hey Scott at In Between Hops, I know expectations are high for this year but for a team that hasn't played October ball since Reagan's first term, isn't this a bit rash?

Let me ask you, Yost Infection. Was there grumblings about this that maybe those of us outside of Brewers land didn't hear about?

And Dale Sveum? Really? The guy that Sports Bubbler claimed can be replaced with an actual windmill!

Brew Crew Call, are you expecting a bump from the firing? Is 12 games enough of a bump?

I could understand if they brought in a Brewers hero like Robin Yount... but Dale Sveum? Was Billy Jo Robidoux not available? Is there another Brewer legend you'd rather see, Bernie's Crew?

Brewers Chatters, did Yost key Doug Melvin's car?

Or maybe this is like that Kevin Costner and Cal Ripken's wife urban legend. Did Melvin catch Yost with his wife? Hey Chuckie Hacks, let's spread that rumor.

How could that be any less insane than firing the manager with 12 games to go?