Rob Manfred Needs To Take A Masterclass From Gary Bettman On How To Take Getting Booed Like An Adult
You saw that look in his eye. Well, actually, that lack of any look in his eyes. Because those right there were the eyes of a man who is just one more snap away from being completely broken and dead inside. And the tsunami wave of boos raining down on Rob Manfred as he presented the Commissioners Trophy to the Los Angeles Dodgers last night looked like they carried enough force to deliver that final blow. A few more moments up there on that stage and I think we would have seen some legitimate tears.
Now I get it. Not only is Rob Manfred still relatively new to this job, but he also really sucks at it. It would be one thing if Rob Manfred was totally kicking ass at his job and could easily brush off the haters. But the truth always cuts the deepest, and no commissioner has earned the boos quite as hard as Robby Boy has over the past few months.
So he's going to have to do something to get over the booing and he's gotta do something fast. Because a few more boo tsunamis crashing on his shores and he's going to be irreversibly busted. Which is why if Rob Manfred cares about the future of baseball and cares about the future of himself, he will reach out to the master and learn from Gary Bettman.
This is a man who lives for the boo. A man who thrives in the boo. He was born in it, moulded by it.
Here's the thing. I'm not really a huge baseball guy. Heck, I'm not even really a baseball guy at all. So I could give two shits either way about this. But I'm a firm believer in the power of Gary Bettman. I know he was put on this Earth for a bigger purpose. You send Rob Manfred up to the mountains for a week-long retreat with Sensei Gary and he'll come back a reinvented man filled with life and vigor, and the ability to actually control a crowd. Put your faith in Gary and you'll be begging to get booed every day of the week.