Here we go again. Scioscia vs. Dipoto, round three… or is it four? Five maybe? I’m positive it is no more than six. That’s really the problem here, isn’t it? We are three and a half years into the Jerry Dipoto era in Anaheim and, based on recent reports, Jerry and his manager still aren’t, wait for it… on the same page.
Maybe that’s the problem though. Mike Scioscia isn’t “his manager.” Thanks to Scioscia’s storied place in Angels lore, Dipoto was never granted the usual courtesy extended to new GMs of being able to hire his own manager. Instead, he was asked to make it work with a manager who was respected, but also very far apart from him on the philosophical spectrum. To wit, they butted heads after Dipoto’s first season, nearly resulting in Jerry termination.
A year later, they butted heads even more. This culminated in Arte Moreno holding a summit after the season to get Dipoto and Scioscia to find a common ground, otherwise one or both would get fired. With that threat hanging over their heads, the two allegedly came to a compromise and spent the next season insisting they were on the same page. 98 wins makes that a very believable lie though.
That brings us to this year and the latest confrontation between the front office and the clubhouse where Jerry apparently believes that Scioscia has now gone off page. Via Fox Sports:
Emotions simmered in a series of meetings over the weekend when Dipoto expressed frustration with the coaches’ failure to convey scouting information to the players, sources said. At least one coach responded heatedly to Dipoto and first baseman Albert Pujols issued a pointed rebuttal to his GM, sources said.
That isn’t the same page at all. I’m not even sure that is the same book. It is also a serious breach of etiquette for any GM to stick their nose so far into the coaching staff’s business, especially when the front office then proposes to take on some of the coaching themselves:
In a separate meeting with the players, coaches and Scioscia on Sunday, Dipoto informed the players that they would now be given the information directly by the front office; they then could decide whether or not to use it.
That’s the act of a man either desperate to keep his job or at his wit’s end trying to “stay on the same page” with an uncooperative partner. Or, more likely, both.
It is also no way to endear himself to Scioscia. Lest we forget, the first incident that inspired the animosity between the two was Dipoto’s firing of hitting coach Mickey Hatcher. Now Jerry is going after Scioscia’s coaches again and that is something Mike simply won’t stand for. As you might notice from that article, there is no quote from Scioscia claiming that this is all overblown and that everything is hunky dory. No, instead he offered this:
There’s really nothing to say about anything that might or might not have happened. Jerry and I work together the same way we’ve worked the last couple of years, and that’s where we are.
Yes, where we are now is back in the middle of a never-ending pissing match between manager and GM will Arte Moreno stand for. His desire to try and create an accord between this mismatched duo is what has put the Angels in an untenable position. There is no more “staying together for the kids” for these two. Scioscia vs. Dipoto is the new Kramer vs. Kramer. That’s because Moreno’s indecision has left him with the perfect storm of contract problems for his top two shotcallers.
Scioscia holds a great deal of leverage thanks to an opt-out in his contract this offseason. If Moreno reveres Scioscia, as is so often reported, that gives Scioscia the ability to demand changes to the front office or he walks. That threat only gained more credence this week with the regime change in Philadelphia, Scioscia’s hometown, where he’d be able to go to get power to help rebuild the franchise in his own image.
On the flip side, Dipoto only has one year left on his contract. That year would be the 2016 team option Moreno exercised earlier in the year. That, more than anything, is an indictment on Dipoto as it means Moreno passed up the opportunity to extend his general manager and would now be able to let him go for relatively cheap after the season. Dipoto now can’t really make a power play of his own without the owner’s backing. So if it really does come down to Scioscia vs. Dipoto, Moreno is going to have to pick a side and back it up with a new contract and manager for Dipoto or a front office housecleaning to placate Scioscia.
There is no more sitting these guys down in a room to hash things out and make peace. Moreno tried that half measure before and hasn’t gotten much to show for it. It’s time to go all the way. No more half measures.
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