I disagree. Manning was never a good player. The Brewers knew Thomas was the better player, but they foolishly thought that Gorman's "laziness" was becoming a cancer to the team. In particular, I remember quotes from another "Dalton coach", Dave Garcia all over the press after the trade. Trading a decent center fielder who had just led the league in homers for a no hit center fielder basically signaled the end of the Brewers glory days. All in all though Dalton was a good GM, easily the best the Brewers have had. Towards the end of his reign he slipped, he tended to sit on his hands too much, or make the wrong move (Ron Robinson, Franklin Stubbs,, etc.). He kind of lived off Bruce Manno's work with the farm system at that point What happened to Bruce Manno anyway? To the point at hand, I think it is asinine to suggest that Melvin should be fired. While I've found myself disagreeing with him more often during the past year (keeping Mench, Counsell, Linnebrink, keeping Yost), etc, he's done a pretty good job. I still wake up in a cold sweat with nightmares that Dean Taylor is back in charge.