Managing the Atlanta Braves this season is a fruitless job. With no talent and very little hope, the team is on track for well over 100 losses.
So, there’s a good chance that Fredi Gonzalez was resigned to the fact that his days as Braves skipper were numbered. Still, he didn’t expect to learn the news this way.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the front office brass planned to inform Gonzalez of his removal on Tuesday in Pittsburgh (where the Braves have a three-game series scheduled through Thursday). But Gonzalez received a flight notification email informing him of a flight back to Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. Gonzalez, though, wasn’t upset by the interesting turn of events — as told to the AJC.
“What would have sucked is if you’d dragged it all the way out to the weekend before the season ended, and then got whacked,” he said. “There’s no perfect timing, but in this situation I think sooner than later was better.”
Brian Snitker, once the manager for the club’s Triple-A affilliate, is now the interim manager.