12°c Light rain showers
8°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Decision on GM Mack can’t wait much longer
Blue have to move now
Expect Mack to be back. (MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store
KEEP Joe Mack or dump Joe Mack.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are at a fork in the road.
While the decision is major, there is not a lot of time to spend on it.
Bombers CEO Garth Buchko must make his call on the embattled GM, present it to the board, and then quickly make an announcement.
Something he may or may not be ready to do right now.
"I cannot comment at this time," responded Buchko, to an email on Sunday asking if an announcement would come prior to the team’s final game this Saturday or after the season has ended.
Mack will want a firm declaration of his position made soon so he can begin building his team for next season. Or looking for new work.
If the club does plan changes, and that doesn’t appear to be the blueprint at this point, they’ll immediately need to put together a search team and begin conducting interviews.
They can’t wait. Either way.
Hiring a GM in January, such as the Bombers did with Mack in 2010, doesn’t work. It puts the new GM behind on a number of fronts, including free agency and hiring a coaching staff.
And preventing Mack from moving forward on his plans would be just as destructive to the organization.
Any decision must be made now.
There are indications one has already been made. Sources say Mack has been told by Buchko he’ll be back and Mack has recommended that head coach Tim Burke be signed to a new contract.
Mack owns a 19-34 record and a .358 winning percentage as GM of the Bombers. But many in the organization believe this year was an anomaly due to a host of injuries. They believe Mack has put the right pieces in place and they only need a little more time to mature and flourish.
Burke is 3-6 as head coach of the Bombers.
A high-placed organizational source told me in the last two weeks Burke would be the coach next season and that the club’s remaining games had no impact on that decision. That position was reaffirmed prior to Winnipeg’s loss on Saturday to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
When I asked about Mack, the source didn’t have an answer. But Burke likely can’t return without Mack at the helm. So, it would seem, Buchko has made his decision.
The board of directors, however, are the wild card in this game. They can exert their will and steer Buchko in the direction they want to go.
"I will have the authority to hire and fire GMs," said Buchko, at the press conference to announce his hiring in January. "In consultation with the board, of course. It’s going to take me some time to learn the football business, the ins and outs of it. But that part doesn’t frighten me at all."
There’s been lots of talk suggesting the board is split on Mack. Firing him would be expensive — he’s owed about $500,000 for the rest of his contract — and the board would like continuity at the GM position.
But there are hawks among the board that view Mack as a failure and want change.
There’s another game remaining on the schedule but the real plays are being made high above the field.
Keep your eye on Joe Mack, folks. It’s all about him right now.
gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca Twitter:@garylawless
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 16 articles for today)
Harper's body to lie in state today
05/20/2013 10:25 AM
0
About Gary Lawless
Gary Lawless is the Free Press sports columnist and co-host of the Hustler and Lawless show on TSN 1290 Winnipeg and www.winnipegfreepress.com
Lawless began covering sports as a rookie reporter at The Chronicle-Journal in Thunder Bay after graduating from journalism school at Durham College in Ontario.
After a Grey Cup winning stint with the Toronto Argonauts in the communications department, Lawless returned to Thunder Bay as sports editor.
In 1999 he joined the Free Press and after working on the night sports desk moved back into the field where he covered pro hockey, baseball and football beats prior to being named columnist.
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- The end of the credit card?
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Country music goes to pot
- Brady Bunch kids to mark 40th anniversary popular episode shot at Kings Island
- Fire damages St. Vital home
- Head-on collision kills pickup driver
- Swarm of tornadoes slam central US; 2 dead in Oklahoma mobile home park ravaged by twister
- Traditional TV season becoming outdated before your eyes
- Take me off your guest list, Harper
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Flood victim gets six years for shotgun threat, attack
- Province removing red tape in alcohol sales
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Susan Griffiths dies in Switzerland
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Uganda: Blessed are the children
- Two charged in golf course burglary
- The end of the credit card?
- Take me off your guest list, Harper
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- U.S. bill would give Canadian snowbirds more time to spend in the sun
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Microsoft update to address Windows 8 complaints, confusion will be free; to be called 8.1
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Uganda: Blessed are the children
- New website profiles neighbourhoods of Winnipeg
- Province removing red tape in alcohol sales
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Paul McCartney to play Winnipeg Aug. 12
- Ontario steps in to help save ELA
- Saskatchewan professor wants to test the health benefits of nose-picking
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Retail sales in province see 2 per cent increase in February
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.