(*) MASTER NOTES: Advice and counsel

A couple of weeks ago in this space, we ran through our annual list of lessons learned from big-league GMs at the trade deadline.

Another such lesson popped up this week. Even though we just went through this topic, I thought this particular lesson was too important to skip.

The Red Sox, in the waning days of a very disappointing season, hired former Angels GM Jerry Dipoto as a temporary consultant. (Story here.) Essentially, Dipoto is going to come in an offer an impartial eye to look at Boston's internal operations, their processes and biases. This is a great practice, one that seemingly doesn't happen all that often within MLB, but is more common in many other industries across the corporate world.

There's a bit of an assumption we're making here: that this relationship is to be taken at face value. It's at least plausible that the outcome here is that Dipoto makes some recommendations that somehow lead to Dipoto himself having a prominent role in the Red Sox future front office. (For a real-world corollary, think back to Dick Cheney leading the search for George Bush's vice-presidential running mate, and deciding that the best person for the job was... Dick Cheney!)

If we suspend our cynicism and believe for the moment that Dipoto is really just bringing the objective eyes of a knowledgeable outsider to look at Boston's processes, the benefits of that engagement seem pretty clear. And the benefits of undertaking that same process for our fantasy teams seem equally obvious.

The fact that Boston picked Dipoto in particular for this tells us a lot about the criteria for making this a beneficial process:

• Pick an advisor who understands the league/environment. As a recent MLB GM, Dipoto's bona fides are more than sufficient.
• Pick an advisor who understands your approach/methodology. Dipoto worked in the Red Sox organization, with current GM Ben Cherington, a decade ago.
• Pick an advisor who you trust, and has minimal or no conflict of interest. Currently unemployed, Dipoto has no conflict with the Red Sox. There is the risk that he could grab some knowledge in this engagement and then take it to a new GM role, but that seems to be of minimal concern. It probably helps that there are no current GM openings in the AL East.

How to take those principles and apply them to your own circumstance? Here are a few ideas:

• Get help from your "other" league: if you play in multiple leagues, asking a competitor from one league to offer some thoughts about your circumstances in another league is a great way to find that impartial perspective.
• Get help from within your league: it can be a little more perilous to seek advice from within your league, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Maybe there's someone in your league with whom you both value your friendship over your rivalry. Or maybe there's a competitor you respect, who happens to be on the opposite side of the contend vs. rebuild curve right now, thus minimizing the potential conflict.
• Seek help online: not to turn this into a commercial, but BaseballHQ has the best subscriber forums on the internet; full of helpful souls (both subscribers and HQ staff) who are frequently willing to sink their teeth into the intricacies of your league, or share their experience in similar circumstances.

Regardless of which of these options you pick, September and October are a great time to undertake such an exercise: you and your advisor are still relatively engaged, and the events of the season and the thought processes behind various decisions are still relatively fresh in your mind.

Actually, as long as we've broken the barrier on commercial plugs, here's one more idea: another great place to get expert advice and counsel is at First Pitch Arizona. Our 21st annual symposium at the Arizona Fall League, running this November 5th-8th, will be well-stocked with HQ staffers and other industry experts who are more than happy to sit down with you for an extended discussion of your league and your approach to it. Better yet, these discussions frequently occur in nearly-empty ballparks while watching top prospects in Arizona Fall League games. Register before the end of this month to save 20%. Join us; you won't regret it.

 

More From Archives