Praise heaped upon new manager. 30 comments


Singing the praises of his new managerial hire, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels noted that he “really impressed us across the board.”

Daniels researched far and wide and deep and found a consistent opinion across everyone he talked to. “From people that he works with now, the people that used to work there, and players that he’s had recently and some years back, stars as well as role players, and everyone came back with the desire to win, a love for the game, the love for people, the ability to reach people, the ability to connect with a variety of people, an interest in learning more.”

Daniels added, “He’s a winner in every sense of the word. His energy, knowledge, integrity, and passion for the game stood out during a very intensive and thorough interview process. We’re excited to get started on the task at hand.”

When asked why he hadn’t been snatched up by another team before the Rangers got him, Daniels admitted wondering the same thing. “During the interview process, I was thinking, ‘What the (expletive) am I missing?’”

The ability to connect. An interest I learning. Able to reach players at different levels.

These comments are from October of 2014 when the Rangers hired Jeff Banister. Six weeks ago was let go due to an inability to connect, failing to learn the value of analytics, an inability to reach the younger players.

Yesterday, the Rangers introduced Jeff Banister’s replacement with the same degree of enthusiasm, praise, and optimism. And many of the same words.

It’s like that old saying about the two best times in a boat owner’s life: the day he buys the boat and the day he sells it.