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In the 2000 season, a rift developed when temperamental outfielder Carl Everett quarreled with Williams and Duquette failed to back his manager."It's more important how he produces on the field," he said of Everett.

Right then and there Duquette should have been canned.

From your ancient history, ladies and gentlemen: 1975. New York Mets outfield star Cleon Jones in a tug-of-war with manager Yogi Berra, until finally Jones provokes Berra to fine and suspend him. The Mets' mismanagement (alas, Joan Payson had died and Donald Grant was now running the club like his personal feudal fifedom) refused to sanction the fine and suspension (its more important how he produces on the field - never mind that Jones was loafing almost chronically at this point), and Berra gets canned after the Mets drop a doubleheader to the Expos. Thus begins the process whereby the Mets fall from pennant contenders with one thrilling World Championship and an upset pennant which damn near turned into a World Series upset (they took the mighty Oakland Athletics to a seventh game in the 1973 Series) to basement bums who more pathetic than loveable, abetted by such additional blunders as Grant's smearing and trading of Tom Seaver, who wasn't called The Franchise just because he was a nice guy.

From your even more ancient history. Dick Wagner, Cincinnati Reds general manager, decides his club is better served by a pitcher of questionable attitude on the mound (a pitcher who all but invented what we now call the pitch count, refusing to throw more than eighty pitches again, yet one who would grow up in due course to wonder why he keeps getting snubbed for the Hall of Fame even though the only division or pennant winner he'd play for dumped him at the first available opportunity after that division title) than an outfielder whose outspokenness hasn't slowed his bat or his glove. "He's an old thirty," Wagner said of Frank Robinson before trading him for Milt Pappas, who spent more time clubhouse lawyering than he did pitching and who was never sincerely regarded as the guy you'd want on the staff if your club was going for the pennant (even with the 1970-72 Chicago Cubs, he was never considered the man and, indeed, alienated himself from his Cub teammates and the team brass only too quickly...)

You'd think Dan Duquette would have learned from those kind of blunders.

I bet some cherry picking will be going on in regards to the former employees of the Marlins that are crowding around the fax machine with their resumes.

How stupid is that, take all the bad front office people from your now former team and replace the front office people of your new team who just happen to be doing a better job then the guys you just paid moving expenses to.

"He's an old thirty," Wagner said of Frank Robinson before trading him for Milt Pappas..."

Instead of Dick Wagner, that would've been Bill DeWitt -- author of the phrase and maker of the trade that broke Cincinnati's heart.

I still recall, with bitterness, staring at the front page of the Cincinnati Enquirer that fateful morning. Ruined my breakfast...

You'd think Dan Duquette would have learned from those kind of blunders.

Dan Duquette fired Jimi Williams on the anniversary of Babe Ruth's death. He has either no knowledge or no respect of the curse of the Babe. Plus, he took a big risk firing a manager who was popular with the fans (and the TV announcers), and it didn't pay off with Joe Kerrigan's won-lost record.