Open Mic: Ned Yost Ousting Makes For Confused Fan

There's a great history of managers who rub the front office the wrong way. Even just looking at this year alone, there are three prime examples in Willie Randolph, John McLaren and John Gibbons.

We'll let you take a stab at seeing which one of those firings worked out (I'll give you a hint, the team is north of the border). And while Yost's firing certainly lacked that certain thing we call tact, there have been some far worse decisions made by the front office when it comes to removing a manager.

The one terrible firing I remember in my lifetime is when the White Sox (namely, Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson) fired Tony LaRussa and single-handedly ran the Sox into the ground during the 1986 season.

There are countless others, as many writers will tell you—but honestly, it's part of the game. Teams are always looking for a scapegoat, some more so than others (here's lookin' at you Mr. Steinbrenner).

Which brings us back to Ned Yost—why did he get fired anyway?

It's true he isn't a top-tier manager—if he hadn't been canned I'm sure he would've ridden CC Sabathia to the ground like an over-zealous jockey, but let's face it folks, the Brewers aren't much better than their record right now.

Did Ned Yost go out and get Eric Gagne? Or how about the rest of the guys in that makeshift bullpen? Oh sure, they can rake the hell out of the ball, but it doesn't mean anything if you can't pitch.

Outside of Sabathia, the Brewers don't have any innings eaters (Sheets only half-counts—paramedics should always be waiting in the dugout with a cast in hand every time he hits the rubber).

As such, the starters average only about 5.5 innings per start, leaving their already depleted bullpen exposed—never a winning formula when it comes to late-season baseball.

Of course, none of that matters to the Brewers front office—they got swept by the Phillies after all, relinquishing sole possession of the Wild Card spot, and given their similar failures in the past, that's enough.

Hopefully though, fans will see through the smoke and mirrors that the front office has set up and call them to task. Love him or hate him, it's hard to argue that he didn't get the most out of that Brewers team.

Next time, GM Doug Melvin needs to do more to help his team—Sabathia was an outstanding piece to get, but the Brew Crew also needed some 'pen help. They can have all the offensive parts in the world, but pitching wins championships.