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Posted By	Discussion Topic: Felipe Alou Fired
Froy King Shit *board owner*	posted on 05-31-2001 @ 11:40 PM
O&A Board Veteran Registered: Feb. 01	The Expos don't deserve Felipe Alou. And they're lucky that Tony Perez agreed to manage the Marlins the rest of the season Thursday, or else Alou might have resurfaced immediately with their division rival. "Anybody that would hire Felipe Alou would be very fortunate," Marlins general manager Dave Dombrowski told The Sporting News. "But we had come to the conclusion a few days ago that Tony was the right guy for us." Alou, 66, will manage again if he chooses. He could land with the Red Sox if Jimy Williams departs at the end of the season. He also has expressed a desire to manage his son, Moises, who is eligible for free agency. But for now, he likely would benefit from time off. Scouts said Alou managed oddly in his final days with the Expos, but who could blame him? He has known since last season that his days under owner Jeffrey Loria were numbered. The change to Jeff Torborg isn't going to transform the Expos into a wild-card contender. Torborg, the third broadcaster hired as a manager in the past seven months, is just the preferred choice of Loria, that's all. Even if Torborg is competent -- and he had his moments with the White Sox from 1989 to '91 -- he won't relate to the Expos' Latin stars (Vladimir Guerrero, Jose Vidro and Javier Vazquez) as well as Alou. Shame on Loria for letting it come to this. Alou is the loyal soldier who stayed in Montreal while the Expos kept trading players like Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker and Moises Alou. He's the one who gave the franchise consistency and credibility, serving with dignity for 27 years as a player, coach and manager. Remember after the '98 season, when Alou nearly left for the Dodgers' job that went to Davey Johnson? He stayed only after a last-minute, three-year, $6 million offer from the Expos' previous ownership, pleas from Canadian officials and promises to increase payroll. He stayed, in part, to help with the effort for a new ballpark. The park still hasn't been built. Chance are, it never will be. And as big a mess as the Dodgers became, Alou might have been better off if he had taken a job now held by his former bench coach, Jim Tracy. The Expos can make a case for firing Alou, just as virtually every team can make a case against its manager. The players quit on Alou last season. They're stumbling along in last place this season. One National League general manager said last fall that Alou's "heart might no longer be in it." If that was the case, Loria should have dumped Alou over the winter and been done with it. But he brought back Alou for the final year of his three-year, $6 million contract, probably for public-relations reasons. And now, he's creating an even bigger PR nightmare. The Expos, headed toward their fourth straight 90-loss season, aren't anyone's idea of a well-oiled baseball machine. Their young players (Milton Bradley, Michael Barrett and Peter Bergeron) have mostly flopped. GM Jim Beattie probably will be the next to go after trading Rondell White for a pitcher who recently underwent Tommy John surgery (Scott Downs) and sending Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline to St. Louis for the struggling Fernando Tatis and Britt Reames. The rise of teams like the Phillies, Twins and Padres might be good for the sport, but it's creating even more pressure for managers and general managers of other low-payroll clubs. The Devil Rays and Marlins fired their managers, and Loria said the Expos have been "underperforming for some time." Perhaps he is correct, but his team is 13 games out of first place, and most of its problems can't be attributed to Alou. Lest anyone forget, the Expos already have drawn six crowds under 5,000. Is that an atmosphere conducive to winning baseball? Of course not, and everyone in the game knows it. If anything, Alou might be lucky to escape -- commissioner Bud Selig's threat of contraction could turn serious, making the Expos' situation even more bleak. But Alou deserved better than this humiliating departure. Really, can a firing be any sloppier? Alou was supposed to be announced as a coach for the National League All-Star team Wednesday, the New York Times reported, but Major League Baseball delayed the announcement for one day because the Expos told baseball officials of the imminent dismissal. The Times, quoting a major-league baseball official, also reported that Loria dangled Alou's job last winter to Marty Scott, the Rangers' former farm director who had spent six seasons managing the St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League. After Scott declined Loria's offer to become the Expos' bench coach, Loria went a step further, telling Scott he would take over for Alou if the Expos made a change during the season or get the first interview after Alou's contract expired. Loria denied that such an offer was made. It all adds up: Loria owned the Oklahoma City 89ers, the Rangers' Class AAA affiliate, when Scott was the Rangers' farm director. Expos assistant GM Mike Berger, the likely successor to Beattie, befriended Loria as a player for the 89ers. Owners love nothing more than to leave their own mark, but the recycled Torborg hardly qualifies as a new beginning. By firing Alou, Loria erased the Expos' most respected, recognizable face. How that will benefit this sadsack franchise, only the owner knows. Is my train in vain, has my soul gone to waste Am I just a victim of, a victim of my lost faith
Francine Banger	posted on 06-01-2001 @ 4:17 AM
O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00	Ha Ha!! Jeff Torborg. They really think they are going to be better with Jeff Torborg. Thats the thanks that Felipe Alou gets for sticking with that lousy organization for 10 years. Jeff Torborg sucked with the Mets. And his son sucked in WCW too as the Demon. Nothing with the Torborg name is any good.
jmaddog44	posted on 06-04-2001 @ 12:42 AM
Hanger-On Registered: Jan. 01	Froy your def. right the Expos dont deserve his talants. Jeff Torborg?...who are they kidding...Jeff Torborg isn't the answer and Alou wasn't either. The answer is money. That owner needs to spend some dollars and keep some of the big time talant his cheap ass has forced that franchise to deal away. But I bet that the owner also wants a new stadium (taxpayer money of course).

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