Getting fired from your job does not seem like a fun time, but finding out you’ve been fired via email sounds like even less fun.
Unfortunately for now-former Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, that’s exactly how he figured out he was out of a job this week. After losing a series-opener against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, Gonzalez received an email notifying him of a flight back to Atlanta the next day… despite the team still having three more games to play on the road.
After seeing the email, Gonzalez assumed he’d be sent packing. He was correct.
The Braves had made the decision to fire him and booked his commercial flight home Tuesday, but didn’t plan to tell him he’d been fired until Tuesday morning, after president of baseball operations John Hart flew to Pittsburgh to join general manager John Coppolella.
Later Monday night after getting the email, Gonzalez eventually had confirmed by Braves top officials what he already was certain about by then: He was fired.
That’s not an ideal way to find out you’ve lost your job — is there even an ideal way to do that? — but the news couldn’t have been all that surprising for Gonzalez. The Braves got off to an atrocious 9-28 start under Gonzalez and someone needed to take the blame, so it was only a matter of time before Fredi got fingered for their struggles.
(Via MyAJC)
