It is now that time of year when some professional baseball teams fire their general manager because of their losing or inferior season. However, there is no need for fans to worry since they will just be hiring another general manager who was fired from a different team. They are expert at playing musical chairs.
What no one cares to admit is that the successful general manager is the one who was able to guess more correctly. If they happen to select some players who turn out to be great, they are considered to be a genius. If the athletes don’t pan out, they are quickly fired and the process begins again with a new manager.
It is analogous to betting on the horses. You go to the track, buy the racing form and other materials to learn everything you can about the horses running in a particular race. You study the material and then make an educated guess. Sometimes you guess right and get a nice return on your money. Most often you guess wrong and lose.
In the long run your selections are not winners, although some come close, and you wind up losing more than you win. And so it is in baseball. You happen to get some excellent players, but in the long run, most of the players do not pan out.
This is why it is often comical read about the excuses given regarding why the general manager was not able to be successful. Some of the reasons include not having enough money, having top players traded to other teams, having the owners dictate the type of player they want and so on.
We do not read about how the players were not developed to their full potential, how they were not trained well after making the team or how they were not helped with their technique or development of their physical abilities with the use of science. This is the crux of the problem; one that is continually ignored.
For related information see Build a Better Athlete and Sports: Is It All BS?