I was extremely disappointed with the news that the Arizona Diamondbacks extended Torey Lovullo for another two years. Over 10 years, he has a losing record and has missed the playoffs over the last three
years. In 2023, he got lucky and went to the World Series but lost decisively four games to one.
He has problems managing pitchers. He pulls out pitchers when they are doing well but is slow to remove pitchers who are clearly struggling. He is fixated on right/left matchups. He is prone to give too many rest days to players, even when they are doing well, as if they are working in a steel plant or coal mine. While lauded for his communications skills, he seemly can't reach Ketel Marte.
Compare this with what the Buffalo Bills did with their former coach, Sean McDermott. He was fired after 9 seasons, despite a winning record, and making the playoffs in 8 of those 9 seasons, including 2 AFC championship game appearances. However, that was not good enough, and he was fired. This year the new Bills coach has started 3 and 0.
Too bad "good enough" is OK with the DBacks.
Thomas Baranick, Chandler
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks settle for ‘good enough’ | Letters
