THE WORD "OFFER" IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KILLING MOMENTUM & EXCELLENCE

Bryce Harper is one of the most injured guys around.  But yet, he's a star player always making things happen for the Phils. I found this headline super-interesting and I wanted to delve into it a bit with my thoughts on managing and trusting abilities and momentum killers and all of that.  First, see what I grabbed from Facebook just a short time ago:

Now I don't know what the Liberty Line is, and I'm reading this story, but I was taken by the part on top.  "Rob Thomson offered Bryce Harper a rest day today."

Now I want you to think about Aaron Boone and the Yankees and for this exercise, Aaron Judge will be part of this example.  

Day after day we'd have a guy on a hot streak and then out of nowhere... Boone decides to rest the guy.  Here are just 3 headlines of Boone resting Judge... without offering, without asking... just doing it... even during hot streaks, even when the team needed him.

And so, lets get back to that word OFFER.  For me, it comes down to bad personnel decisions by Boone. He never offers, he just does it. To me, I observe Boone as a guy that doesn't think big picture... that doesn't understand the true dynamic of a hungry ballplayer, or trust of talent and the irony is that is WAS a ballplayer.  Now this is the best part... Bryce Harper's answer:

"Absolutely not. We're in the middle of this thing. Trea's not here. We've got to go."

Do you know what happened next? Rob Thomson played Bryce Harper.  Why? Because he offered with the idea that he trusts his players, understands momentum, ability and the hunger to want to go out there and win.  

We have Aaron Judge on our team, in many regards the leader of the team like Harper is to the Phils.  They both get hurt a lot yes, but they both mash the ball and lead their respective teams.  But the difference is the manager, isn't it?

Aaron Judge can try and back Aaron Boone all he wants.  But that's because he's got a friendship with the guy. It's not because he's a good manager, trust me. Boone isn't a true manager or baseball guy, is he?  You don't shut guys down for rest if they don't want to rest.  Thomson gets it... why doesn't Boone?

Offering star players rest is much better than making them rest.  It allows streaks to be extended... momentum to continue.  Making players rest during hot streaks kills momentum.  I mean... it's common sense. What's he missing?