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Wow! Lenn is a Cal League legend. His last two gigs saw him let go by parent organizations (one mid-season!), apparently because he didn't think they cared enough about winning in the minors.
A fascinating, old-school, chain-smoking baseball savant. Great to see him back. https://twitter.com/melissalockard/status/1358855749586227201
A fascinating, old-school, chain-smoking baseball savant. Great to see him back. https://twitter.com/melissalockard/status/1358855749586227201
I still remember being on a bus with Visalia in 2013, and seeing the news on Twitter that the Rockies had fired him from the Modesto job mid-season. That almost never happens in the minors, and was indicative of how much they clashed on philosophy.
A year later, I chatted with him in Visalia before a game (he was managing San Jose that year), and he smoked cigarettes while quietly telling me how important winning was in player-development, and how he didn't think most orgs. agreed with that anymore. He felt out of place.
He was a baseball-lifer, though, and I sensed that he didn't know what else he'd do with himself. I hope he's found some peace in the years since, and that his next managerial go-around will be great for him.
