Calzones GM has Critics

[Matt]

Calzones GM has critics

When the San Antonio Calzones of Laredo named Matt Higgins as their GM, the move was hailed by many as a no-brainer. After all, Higgins has consistently built winning teams from scratch for the better part of two decades. His teams have won numerous championships in several different leagues. But critics were quick to surface.
"Look", said one GM who preferred to remain anonymous, "I give him credit for consistently building solid teams. But let's keep things in perspective, his teams really should have won a lot more championships. His teams have too often suffered from late season letdowns and honestly, some of his teams playoff meltdowns are legendary".
Another GM had a similiar opinion. "He is a great evaluater of talent. But his teams always seem to come up short. Sure, he has a handful of championships, but realistically, he should have had more."
But he has his supporters as well. As another GM told us, "You can't win every year. He has been in competition with some of the best GM's of this era. His teams have also suffered from some brutally bad luck. One year his entire starting rotation get's wiped out by a hurricane in Florida during the first round of the playoffs. Who can control that? Another year two of his top sluggers are lame for the entire final month of the season. And his teams have often run into other teams that just got hot at the right time. Those aren't things you can control. Frankly, I think his critics are way off base."
The biggest criticism from fans has been his reluctance to make any deals that will help the team. But as he himself points out, it's not like he hasn't tried. "I make every effort to continually improve my teams. But trading becomes a double-edged sword. When your reputation as a great evaluator of talent precedes you, other GM's become reluctant to make a deal with you for fear of getting fleeced."
What we do know about the Calzones new GM is that he is a tireless worker with a great deal of baseball knowledge. When we asked him who he would compare himself to when it came to GM's, he was stumped. "Great question. To be honest, that would be hard to quantify. I think I have learned something from many of the great GM's throughout baseball history, as well as things I have learned from managers and pitching coaches. There is probably something you can learn from everyone. When it comes to evaluating talent, beyond my own research and the reports of scouts, I take insight from a wide range of people. Bill James and his evaluation of the numbers is a great starting point, and Billy Bean's Moneyball approach has some merit as well. But am I going to build MY team around just one of their approaches? No. I look for some balance. When it comes to pitching, I like rick Peterson's approach to building up young arms slowly, and I like Leo Mazzone's way of handling a pitching staff. When it comes to a philosophy of building the franchise, I think I incorporate things i have learned over the years from watching guys like John Shuerholz and Terry Ryan. Again, am I going to subscribe to just one of their philosophy's? No, I learn something from everyone and incorporate into my own philosophy".
For the time being, the jury is out on how successful the new Calzones GM will be here in Laredo. But for now, the fans of Laredo are reserving judgment and remaining optimistic. As one fan said, "He's built winners before, if he does that here in Laredo we will be happy".