Fire Fredi Gonzalez? Fire Robert E. Lee While You're At It

The 7-20 Atlanta Braves have run up the flagpole the firing of manager Fredi Gonzalez. His dismissal can't be too many losses away.

Gonzalez has presided over a pair of losing skids this season -- eight and nine games -- bracketing a four-game win streak. They have the worst record in the game, befitting the worst collection of talent in the sport.

This is nothing new. Gonzalez skippered last year's sinking ship, which crashed after the All-Star break on a 22-53 record. He helmed the 2014 squad that cratered to an 11-22 finish.

Good Guy. Bad Manager?
Gonzalez's friends and detractors alike acknowledge that he's a good guy, a loyal soldier and a mediocre tactician, not the worst but far from the best in the Majors. Braves' brass evidently thinks Gonzalez is a patient teacher because they re-upped him and his coaching staff midway through last season as their sell-off began.

The Braves are in a tear-down in preparation for their move to Marietta. They've sold off or let go Craig Kimbrel, Shelby Miller, Andrelton Simmons, Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Evan Gattis. In return, they signed Nick Markakis and collected a pile of prospects.

Blaming Fredi Gonzalez for leading this collection of Minor Leaguers and veteran castoffs to a losing record against a brutal early schedule (Nationals, Cardinals, Nationals, Marlins, Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox) is akin to blaming Robert E. Lee for commanding the rebel armies to a two-year losing streak against superior Union forces.

What If They Keep Losing?
The question has been raised about what happens if the losing continues. At 7-20, the Braves are "on pace" -- the stupidest pair of words in baseball -- to go 42-120, tied with the '62 Mets for the most losses in a season. So?  If management hands Gonzalez a 100-loss team, what difference does it make if they lose 90 or 120?

Obviously the public knows little about the internal workings of the franchise. Perhaps Fredi is insubordinate, shiftless or apathetic. Perhaps he's regularly voicing his displeasure to management about the direction of the franchise. Firing might be in order.

Or maybe it's just an act of mercy, although there are a lot worse things than a million dollar paycheck and access to the ballpark all summer. The Braves lack star power, but the teams they lose to have players worth watching.

The talk, however, is solely about the team's performance, which was largely pre-ordained by the people who would ostensibly do the firing. And for this team, at this time, that is the dumbest reason to fire the manager.