Tater Talk: 2042.024 – TVS Exclusive: One-on-One with New Boise Manager Labrie, Jr.

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Tater Talk: 2042.024 – TVS Exclusive: One-on-One with New Boise Manager Labrie, Jr.

Post by jleddy » Mon Apr 27, 2020 5:06 am

Image The following exclusive is from Will Bigby, lead baseball correspondent for Treasure Valley Sports.

* * * * * * *
Daniel Labrie, Jr. was inked to a contract earlier in the week to become the newest manager of the Boise Spuds. Labrie, Jr. takes over for Millard Davis, who resigned on June 24th due to health issues. I recently caught up with Labrie, Jr. on their travel day in Phoenix to start a four-game road trip against the Talons before heading into the All-Star Break. At 6'4' and north of 250 pounds, Labrie, Jr. looks every bit a former formidable ballplayer. He looks quiet but intense, his eyes noting everything in his environment as we exchange introductions. His handshake was more than firm but his smile eased the tension in the room. As we take a seat in a small hotel conference room just a few miles from Lunn Memorial Stadium, Labrie, Jr. wipes his brow from the summer heat and tugs his crisp Boise Spuds ball cap down on his suntanned forehead.

WB: Daniel, thank you for taking the time to...

DL: Call me Danny, please.

WB: "Danny," um, sure. Well, thanks for sitting down with me. I know you must be busy thrown right into the mix mid-season like this.

DL: It's quite alright. That's baseball. One city to the next.

WB: So you've become the sixth manager in just eight seasons in Boise and you were given just a contract thru the end of this season. Does that history of turnover and contract, which some may call a lack of confidence, concern you at all?

DL: No, not at all. This has been a stable franchise over the last few seasons. I had a great interview with [Boise GM Joe] Lederer and he explained to me the turnover during his tenure. One manager was promoted to Assistant GM after a retirement mid-season in the front office and two managers have retired all together. Lederer's never fired a manager so I don't expect to be the first.

WB: But what about the contract? Essentially you're on an interim basis, no?

DL: I don't see it that way. Listen, the manager plays a huge role, true. But I'm the new guy around here. There are some great veteran players and coaches in that dugout. I have to earn their trust...earn Lederer's trust. Hell, I gotta earn the trust of the fans, too. If we string together wins, the contract will work itself out.

WB: This talk about trust. Are you referring to being fired earlier this year from Nashville?

DL: Look, I don't want to discuss about what happened in the past. I respect [Nashville GM Matt] Rectenwald. He was running the show when I broke in with the Hustlers and he gave me my first managing job with the Bluebirds. But I guess we just didn't see eye-to-eye. I thought I did a great job in my first year as an expansion club and felt I earned my stripes going to the playoffs last year. I didn't change a thing what we were doing this year. They didn't like our record out the gate and needed a fall guy. Well, guess what? It's been two months and they're still under .500, so I don't believe the issue was with me.

WB: Are you suggesting it's with the front office?

DL: Next question. C'mon, we've got a really outstanding and fun team here in Boise. This is what your readers what to know, right?

WB: Very well. So the squad is 3-0 under your leadership. What can we expect in the second-half of the season?

DL: Well, I can tell you we won't go undefeated. [laughs] Like I said, there are some really great ballplayers here. I mean, Dennis French! The best in the game. It's a thrill to watch him prepare day in and day out. And that extension! That's just tremendous for this club.

Image
Daniel Labrie, Jr.
WB: Your game during your playing days was similar to French, no? Great outfield defense, speed, hit for some power and average.

DL: [laughs] Yeah, I could play a little but nothing like Frenchie. He's generational. Every manager wishes they get the chance to have a star like him.

WB: And how's the team taken you coming on-board?

DL: Great, I think. As a former player, I get it. New coaches, new teammates...they come and go all the time. We all speak the same language of baseball. I feel like I've known these guys all my life already. It's a beautiful thing.

WB: Speaking of that, you actually do know one of the players quite well before being hired, right?

DL: That's right. I've known Félix [Román] since he was twelve or thirteen years old. After I retired, I ran a baseball clinic every summer back home in Baltimore. Two sessions, three weeks each. Félix is a Maryland kid, grew up about twenty minutes outside Baltimore. He and his older brother Diego would be at our camp every year, both sessions. So I got to know the Román family very well. Félix was always one of the best players in camp, even at an early age. But to see what he's blossomed into? Wow, so cool.

WB: That's an incredible story.

DL: Yup. And I want that relationship with all the guys. I'm here to mentor, to lead. But at the end of the day, they're the ones playing out there. It's my job to make it as easy for them, fight for them and ultimately help put them in the position to get wins.

WB: Speaking of wins, the club has dug out of their early hole and are a few games over .500. I believe you're just one game back of the wild card. Is reaching the playoffs the goal at the end of the year?

DL: Lederer's built a winning culture here. Last season's run was amazing to watch from afar. So missing the playoffs? Yeah, that'd be a failure in my eyes. I think we have the horses to get back there this year.

WB: The Spuds have had a tough schedule to date.

DL: That's right. That was in the general manager's report I read on the flight last night. We've played three or four fewer home games than most in our division and our strength of schedule for the rest of the year is the lowest in the Frontier by a good margin. But that really doesn't matter. You gotta get up for each and every game, no matter if it's home or away, against a losing club or the division leader. Yes, we can make up a lot of ground this summer but we still gotta complete and play our best ball.

WB: That's great. Well, I really appreciate this, Danny. Best of luck this series.

DL: No problem, Will. Was a pleasure.

Image Labrie, Jr., shown here before Nashville's first ever spring training game in 2040, led the Bluebirds to their first
playoff appearance in 2041. For his managerial career, Labrie, Jr. is 176-165. During his playing days, Labrie, Jr.
was a five-time All-Star, retiring with a career batting average of .314 with over 1000 runs and runs batted in.
"My $#!? doesn't work in the playoffs." - Billy Beane Joe Lederer

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