Defending Dan Snyder

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, folks.  I’m travelling, and I was having some technical difficulties posting.  They all seem ironed out now.

The subject for today is now quite old and actually comes form the baseball headlines.  I know some of you can’t stand baseball.  Some of you are fans but like the Nats.  Some of you, like me, were O’s and Redskins fans for a long time and didn’t switch to the Nats when they arrived.  At any rate, I promise to tie this back in to the Skins.  As many of you know, a few days ago Joe Giardi announced that despite being offered the Orioles managerial job he didn’t want it.

As an O’s fan, this really bugged me because it was a sign of mismanagement.  It isn’t unusual for a manager to turn down a club.  But only the worst organizations make it public that they want one guy and then that that guy turned them down.  (See Magic, Orlando).  But let’s face it, we all know Peter Angelos is a lousy owner.

The thing is, when sports reporters want to go on a tirade about bad, egotisitical owners, the list starts at the old George Steinbrenner and then goes on to mention Peter Angelos and Dan Snyder among others.

When it comes to Dan I have to say they’re full of crap.  I know for some of you I’m preaching to the choir.  But for your journalist types and for those hoping Jack Kent Cooke will rise from the dead, let me defend him. Yes, Snyder makes errors.  Deion Sanders comes to mind as an acquisition we know where Snyder was at the forefront.  Yes, Snyder is a bit moneygrubbing (a couple less jumbotrom ads would certainly improve the atmosphere at the game).  But in the end, Snyder for all of his mistakes, has run a pretty tight ship in recent years.

Take the hiring of Joe Gibbs for example.  The rumors were barely circulating about Gibbs before he was standing at a podium being announced.  And while Steve Spurrier may not have turned out well, let’s face it, the man went about getting a super star coach for our franchise and he got one.  And he got one when others had tried to hire him out of college and failed.

I didn’t bother covering the Bill Cowher rumors, precisely because the Redskins are a tight organization.  The rumor came out and they issued a definitive denial in hours.  Frankly, I don’t believe it.  Personally, I think Gibbs has told Dan that he has a year or two tops left in him and Dan is covering his bases.  And that’s good business. But either way, the Redskins handled the rumor like pros.  The Orioles handled their business like amateurs.

I think Snyder is highly professional, and spends lavishly to try to give us back a championship.  And yes, it isn’t all selfless.  He wants one for himself, too.  But there are owners out there who treat their team like an investment. Say what you want, just don’t lump him in with the bungler up I-95.