Or: Thanks, but no Danks. Clearly, the folks at Fast Company are not Texas Rangers die-hards; certainly they weren't among those who cast their votes in this April poll pitting Rangers general manager Jon Daniels against his Minnesota Twins counterpart, Bill Smith, for the title of "worst GM." (Daniels won in a landslide.) Or perhaps Fast Company is out to celebrate a team that is the very definition of mediocre. Because a Friend of Unfair Park whose name rhymes with "Shmavi Schmadelman" sends along this profile of Daniels in which the 30-year-old who traded "Little Pedro" to the Reds for Josh Hamilton (yes, I know) is celebrated for his yoof and for leading the charge of a "new breed of baseball execs." Still, though, a highlight:
His awkward grin suggests neither confidence nor worldliness. When he spits -- as baseball people tend to do -- the saliva dribbles from his mouth, less cool than, well, embarrassing.Also, notes Daniels of his brief high-school stint in baseball: "I couldn't hit for shit." And I do believe it's the paper version of Unfair Park the writer's referring to when he notes, "One newspaper dubbed him 'Boy Blunder.'" Hey, lookie there. Still, the worst part, for those who need reminding: John Hart is "now one of Daniels's advisers." --Robert Wilonsky
