A's players take parting shots at Macha

I really don't have a problem with the way he managed a game (though he always left pitchers in too long), but the fact that he never argues and never gets tossed is something i think that is important.  Look at the great managers in the league... Leyland, Gardy, Cox, etc... they all have attitudes.  That is a good thing.

Anyways, in every place I have ever worked, the person who got fired or left for another job was responsible for every little problem with every project they ever worked on. So I take these comments with a large grain of salt.

Macha said it was "puzzling." What a mean, mean thing to say.

Yeah, and kicking a man after he's just been fired shows lotsa class, Mark.

As for Zito, what is so embarrassing to Zito for Macha to state that Zito felt he should be pulled from the game against the Angels? If you're done, you do a great service to the manager and the team by telling the manager.

What does that say about Zito that Zito expected Macha to lie about why he came out of that game?

In addition, any good manager (at least in the retail world), knows their staff's buttons and when to push them to get the most out of them.  They know how to groom/train their employees for the next step.  They know which method of communication works the best for each employee (trying to employ the same method for each person, doesn't typically work unless you manage robots).  A good manager sets a clear vision/goal, and a clear guidelines on how to get there.  I realize that Macha often had to juggle playing time, but from the sounds of how it was handled, I just kinda shook my head and shrugged.  As much as they like to keep things i-house, much controvery could've been diffused by sitting down each individual player in the office, and laying out when and how they would get starts.  As a former retail manager, I know that employees hate not knowing when they're gonna work (Imagine working 2 days a week, and being on call for the other 3).  They better you let them know ahead of time what they're chances of working are, the better that helps their preparation.

And lastly, as a team leader (which a manager should be, by default), you should always have your team's back, at least publicly.  That doesn't mean getting into arguments each time your player disputes the ump.  It doesn't mean getting yourself unnecessarily thrown out.  But from the sounds of it, the players at least wanted Macha to question the umps more often.  If the player turns out to be wrong, you address that behind closed doors.  But a reliable way to inspire your players, is to show that you're looking out for them.  It was my first (and best) manager that once taught me the golden rule of managing a staff - 'take care of your employees, and they'll take care of you.'