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Two years ago, Arizona Diamondbacks skipper Bob Melvin was the National League’s manager of the year.
And now he’s (reportedly) toast.
KTAR sports jock John Gambadoro (of Gambo & Ash fame) is reporting that Melvin will be axed as soon as he returns from San Diego, where Arizona lost 4-3 in 10 innings to the Padres this afternoon at PETCO Park.
It was just the latest defeat in what’s turning out to be a pretty dismal season thus far. The D-Backs have lost six of their last 10 games and are currently in third place in the NL West with a 12-17 record. The D-Backs also have the worst on-base percentage (.297) and team batting average (.222) in all of Major League Baseball.
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Although Melvin’s firing hasn’t been officially confirmed by the Diamondbacks, rumors have been swirling over the past few days that his termination is imminent.
Melvin came aboard as manager of Arizona in November, 2004, taking over the team in the wake of the Wally Backman scandal. (For those who don’t rember, Backman was shit-canned after only four days when the D-Backs front office discovered his history of problems with the IRS and a previous DUI conviction.)
Melvin led the Diamondbacks to the NL West crown and an appearance in the league championship series in 2007 (where they were promptly swept by the Colorado Rockies). The Snakes then went 20-8 to start the following season before falling apart and finishing the year 82-80.
Stay tuned for further coverage on the situation.
