the a’s may not recover for another 5 to 10 years. they are that bed.

wes

Jun 09 12:12p by David Fucillo

Read More: bob geren fired, bob geren, billy beane, Rob Bowen (C – OAK), Oakland Athletics

As would be expected, the Oakland Athletics decision to fire Bob Geren has brought the critics to the forefront. That’s not to say these are just piling on now, but rather this decision is providing some folks a chance to go public with previous criticisms.

Rob Bowen was quick to hit Twitter today to air his displeasure with Bob Geren as a major league manager:

Finally the A’s have realized Geren has destroyed a dozen pitcher’s careers and doesn’t have a clue how to manage a big league clubless than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet ReplyRob Bowen
TheRobBowen

Well then. I’m not the smartest man in the world, but it’s safe to say Bowen was not trying to be subtle with his comment. He actually followed that tweet up with several others critical of Billy Beane and his general philosophies. Mindi Back of CSN asked him what manager could find success under Beane, and Bowen responded by saying that it would at least require Beane leaving the manager alone and letting manage however he manages.

Ever since Moneyball, criticisms have been extensive against the A’s general manager. One of the prominent ones surrounds his expressed belief that managers were not all that important. One has to wonder if his decision to fire a manager mid-season (a first for him) could mean a change in that philosophy is at hand. A’s fans will be watching the decisions of Bob Melvin quite closely.

wes…the east coast fan

Mike Sweeney Sounds Off

Tensions between now-former A’s manager Bob Geren and his players have existed for years, sources told ESPN.com, and there was a culture of fear that if a player made even one mistake, a second chance could be fleeting. Former player Mike Sweeney was released in 2008 the day after he made an impassioned speech on the team bus, grabbing the microphone and telling his teammates, among other things, that baseball was meant to be fun and that they were “being held captive, and the inmates need to run the prison!”

Sweeney told ESPN.com he had approached Geren on a team flight from Baltimore to Detroit and asked if he could have a players-only bus back to the hotel. Geren declined, and although he wasn’t on the bus, at least two other coaches rode with the players back to the hotel. Sweeney said he felt he needed to let each player on a young team know that “we are one of 750 guys who have the privilege of playing this game. Work hard, have fun, respect the game.”

It was a culmination of frustrations, mostly a failure of communication with Geren, but also, according to sources, a suspicion by those in the game that the A’s front office was controlling much of what happened on the field. Sweeney, generally thought as one of the nicest players in the game, wanted to rally his teammates and remind them to have fun and relax.

“A lot of joy had been ripped out of that locker room,” Sweeney said.

The next day, Sweeney said he was told the A’s didn’t have enough room for him on the team and he either could go on the 60-day disabled list or be released. Sweeney told the A’s to release him. He said he couldn’t in good faith collect money while he didn’t feel he was hurt. When asked if he felt his release was a direct result of his rallying speech on the team bus the night before, Sweeney said, “In my heart, there was a direct line between the two, but I have no proof.”

Sweeney, who retired this spring after 16 major league seasons, said he respects Geren as a man, and he doesn’t hold any grudges. Sweeney also repeatedly stressed that he appreciated being given a chance to play in Oakland, and the next time he saw Geren and general manager Billy Beane after his release he warmly greeted them and felt there were no hard feelings.

“I want to make this clear,” Sweeney said. “I don’t want to bash Bob Geren. Bob Geren is a great man, a Christian man, a great father and husband. But I also want the story to be accurate.”

– ESPN.com’s Amy K. Nelson

Hopefully, he get the team back to 500 ball by the end of the season. Now they have to get him some major league hitters.

wes from the east coast.