Teams, Accountability, Trust and the Toronto Blue Jays

All teams need accountability, trust, and clear delegation of decision- making power to the correct levels of the organization. Sports often provide great examples to illustrate this.

On Wednesday October 4^th, 2023 the Toronto Blue Jays were eliminated from the Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs after losing to the Minnesota Twins 2-0, thereby losing their only playoff series this year. The Jays scored one run in the two-game series. Some fans and media are enraged about some of the decisions made during the game by team management.

I’m not a Jays fan, or a Major League Baseball (MLB) fan. Sometimes I will see part of a game when I’m sitting in a restaurant, but I don’t make it a point to watch baseball. I don’t find the product, the games, to be interesting or entertaining these days. However, the drama surrounding the teams and players can be very interesting and entertaining. 

Toronto Blue Jays 2023

In that vein, I’ve enjoyed what’s been written since the quick end to the Jays 2023 playoffs opportunity. Teams need accountability, trust, and clear delegation of decision-making power to the appropriate level of the team. Thus far, only the field manager John Schneider appears to be taking responsibility for less than expected performance.  

Here’s a link to a wonderfully snarky column written after a press conference Schneider’s immediate boss Ross Atkins held four days after the end of his team’s season. Atkins’ boss Mark Shapiro is scheduled to speak to media almost a week after Atkin’s press conference. 

https://www.thestar.com/sports/blue-jays/ross-atkins-throws-john-schneider-under-the-bus-for-blue-jays-controversial-demise-why-am/article_8c593763-b2ac-597f-b801-6eb3f3ce265d.html

 

There are some fascinating comments in the article. The media covering the team appear to be searching for a reason to trust the team’s general management, and for a clear explanation for at least one decision that failed spectacularly during the final game.  With that decision, the team replaced the starting pitcher who was dominating the opponent, with a talented pitcher who was inexperienced in the role he was then assigned in the game. That decision will be questioned for years to come by the fans and media.

The on-field manager and some Jays players seem to suggest that the pitching decision was influenced by more senior management.

‘(one player said) he “hated” the decision, and that it was another example of “the kind of baseball decisions that are taking away from managers and baseball.”’

 

Sounds like this player doesn’t trust senior management in the front office. That player, Whit Merrifield, is a free agent and not expected to return to the Jays. What role might trust play in his decision?

Conclusion

All teams need accountability, trust, and clear delegation of decision- making power to the correct levels of the organization. The drama surrounding the performance of the Jays, who are perceived as underperforming based on their perceived talent, offers opportunity to consider how organizations make decisions, how leaders accept responsibility, and how leaders take accountability for their decisions and actions. 

Without accountability, trust is impossible.

Some interesting considerations on lack of accountability are contained here

https://www.paretolabs.com/lack-of-accountability/

 

Postscript: Toronto Jays Versus Montreal Expos

Regardless of the recent results of the Blue Jays, I find that Major League Baseball isn’t fun or entertaining these days.

I’m not a Jays fan. I was a Montreal Expos fan. I remain a Montreal Expos fan. In 2004 the Expos were relocated to Washington, D.C. and renamed as the Washington Nationals.  However, I’m not a Washington Nationals fan, I’m a Montreal Expos fan. They are a fond memory for me.

The Expos were usually great fun to watch, providing great enjoyment alongside the typical agony that sports teams provide their fans. Vladdy Guerrero Sr. would take wild swings at pitches that nobody would consider a strike and get a hit, and even hit some pitches that bounced before they reached home plate. Gary Carter usually wore a big grin. Tim Raines stole base after base causing nervousness and disruption to opposing teams. Pedro Martinez would display masterful control. Larry Walker crushed home runs. Andre Dawson and Marquis Grissom controlled the outfield. Ellis Valentine would throw out base runners from his position in right field, sometimes as they jogged to first base. When it became obvious the team would be moved, crowds dwindled, but previously the team used to draw two-million fans each year in a much-derided stadium that I remember often being very loud and fun. 

However, Major League Baseball isn’t fun to watch these days. Anytime I’ve caught a glimpse of a game, none of the players display any sort of personality.  It’s supposed to be entertainment.

It’s too bad.