Atlanta Braves the day after the scandal

Coppy got sloppy?

That ode from Gondee is  funny and at the same time sad. Fans knew Coppy could be arrogant and stubborn. In March of 2015 following the trade of Andrelton Simmons, Coppolella called USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and said he was, “I’m getting so tired of this.’’ He went on to ask fans to “Trust me.”

People who can really be trusted do not have to say “You can trust me.”

After that piece  Mark Bradley gave this evaluation of Coppy.

"I know, from conversations with him, that he can’t quite fathom why others fail to grasp the wisdom of this grand vision."

Looking back it’s easy to see him as someone who believes he’s smarter that others and therefore able to find ways around rules others can’t see. Gondee’s tweets however indicate he may have been just a high-class crook (my words only.)

Jeff Schultz’ blog today expands the information about Coppolella as GM and is a recommended read. While Schultz give him credit for rebuilding the farm system but says he got everything else wrong.  Eventually Schultz says he “adopted a bunker mentality”  and “turned on anybody who didn’t agree with his positions on players or roster strategy.”

"over the past year, Coppolella had becoming (Sic) more autocratic, listening less . . .growing increasingly obsessed to the point of, well, feeling compelled to cheat. He became like an addict. He lost perspective, clarity. The job clouded his thinking."

That’s a stiff evaluation of the former GM but supports my belief that the ego displayed when he asked why people didn’t trust him took control.