On opening day in Arizona, manager Clint Hurdle posted the lineup. Clint Barmes wasn’t in it, despite a terrific spring training and assurances he was the starting second baseman.

A veteran player rolled his eyes and said, “Why can’t our manager just once not be a (jerk).”

That goes to the core of what was wrong this season and it explains why manager Clint Hurdle finds himself unemployed after seven-plus seasons and a World Series appearance. The players didn’t trust him to do the right thing.

He was unintentionally two-faced.

The mixed messages – he alternated between trying to be their friend and their drill sergeant – only complicated matters. It was more confusing than effective. He seemed to be reacting, rather than anticipating.

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