Carleton: Front-office jobs, and worrying about the money
From Russell Carleton at Baseball Prospectus on December 23, 2016:
Last week, Braves general manager John Coppolella did something that most GMs would never dream of doing. He got on Twitter and took questions. It’s something that he does once in a while as part of his #AskCoppy series. Most of the questions were about various Braves personnel, along with a few “get to know you” questions.
Apparently, boxers.
Then, in answering a question from someone who said that he was a recent college graduate wanting advice on pursuing a career in baseball, Coppy said: “Look for internships. Don’t worry about the money. Work hard & don’t have expectations beyond being part of a team. Assume nothing.”
Twitter did what it normally did in situations like this and responded with a collective, well-thought out critique of his advice, one full of subtlety and nuance.
I think I understand what happened on both ends of this one. Coppolella is guilty of saying something that is at once true and uncomfortable. He answered a question about baseball, but was handed a political football. In the strictest sense, his prescription is probably the best advice that he could reasonably give to the question that was asked. It’s also advice that reflects a set of facts about how the job market works that aren’t entirely polite conversation. It might not be fair, but that’s the way things are.
Read the full article here: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=30874
Originally published: December 23, 2016. Last Updated: December 23, 2016.