Richard Justice's new offering says that (presumable) new owner Jim Crane's first decision has to be about Ed Wade, and that firing him would be "popular," but might not be the right thing to do, and then makes a case for why Wade should stay:
Regardless of whether Wade is around the next few years or not, someone is going to benefit from the unseen good work he has done. If he’s gone by then, here’s hoping someone remembers he did his part.
I'm not so sure it would be a popular move. I don't know how the mind of the casual fan works, but it's pretty clear that there are some exciting things about the farm system that had been sorely lacking for some years. Maybe the casual fan doesn't see that. Who knows? I'm not a casual fan. And I'm guessing you aren't, either, or you wouldn't be here.
But it's important to note that Wade has a contract through 2012, and getting rid of him would cost some money. Of course, if you're about to drop $680m, what's another couple of million to get the guy you want?
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
