The Montpellier Barracudas are managed this year by a pair of managers: Tim Smith, a Canadian coach with a significant career in American minor leagues and with Canada’s national team, and Olivier Brossier, who has been the team’s backbone for a very long time and has led them to the top of the championship and the France Challenge in recent years. Let’s hear from them in a cross-interview about their role as managers.
1. The essential virtue of a good Club President/Manager
Tim SMITH: One of the most important qualities a Club President/Manager can have is creating chemistry. In team environments, there are so many different roles in terms of people. Whether it’s the players, the coaches, the staff, the fans, etc., we must understand that everyone works together to be as effective as possible. Everyone plays their role. Being sociable and accessible is essential. It’s important that everyone feels seen and heard. We will function better together as a unit rather than as individuals.
Olivier BROSSIER: Synthesis
2. The main trait of my character as a leader
Tim SMITH: Controlling one’s emotions and attitude as a leader is very important. Over the course of a full season, there will be highs and lows. Positive vibes are contagious. In difficult situations, a leader must remain resilient and firmly believe that the common good will prevail. If a leader displays a positive attitude and is mentally strong, the team will follow.
Olivier BROSSIER: Listening
3. The quality I prefer in a coach
Tim SMITH: The quality I prefer in a coach is passion. I love being surrounded by baseball enthusiasts. Someone who is not passionate about the game might see it superficially. A passionate coach enjoys the preparation before the game and the analysis after the game as much as the game itself. It’s a complete process, and you have to love it.
Olivier BROSSIER: The ability to anticipate and organize
4. The quality I prefer in a player
Tim SMITH: I like tenacious and determined players. Of course, the player who hits home runs is glamorous. Of course, the player who throws fastballs is glamorous. What catches my attention is the player whose uniform is dirty at the end of the game. I like the player who will get hit by a pitch with two strikes for the team. I like the player who runs to first base, no matter the strength of their hit. I like the player who isn’t afraid to dive for a ball and make a sacrifice.
Olivier BROSSIER: Positive energy, selflessness
5. My main flaw as a manager
Tim SMITH: My main flaw as a manager/coach is similar to the one I had as a player. Sometimes, I go home after a baseball game and keep thinking about what could have been done better. There is a time and place in sports to let go, learn from things, yes, but turn the page and disconnect.
Olivier BROSSIER: Poor management of certain emotions
6. My greatest strength in managing a team
Tim SMITH: My greatest strength in managing a team is mentally preparing for situations before they happen. I like to have mental options ready rather than being caught off guard and forced to do something. In a way, seeing the game unfold before it actually happens and being one step ahead.
Olivier BROSSIER: Knowledge of the players and their goals.
7. My favorite moment in a sports season
Tim SMITH: In the history of Baseball Canada, we have only won two gold medals in its entire existence. I am proud to say that I was part of both of those teams. Baseball is not a major sport in Canada, so the underdog story was particularly special.
Olivier BROSSIER: The moment of grace where everything that has been set up works simultaneously (during the 2021 and 2024 challenges, for example).
8. My ultimate dream for the club
Tim SMITH: Of course, winning a championship is what we all aim for. But ultimately, I would like all members of the club to have memories of a special summer. If in 20 years, some of these people say: « Hey, do you remember that summer in 2025? » and they can laugh and smile about it, I think we will have done our job.
Olivier BROSSIER: Having facilities worthy of the name, allowing the development of important activities for the club: hosting matches in good conditions, organizing events, developing an Academy…
9. What would be my greatest failure as a president/manager?
Tim SMITH: I think something is wrong if people come to the field and don’t want to be there. It’s like a black cloud of negativity. I want people to be excited to come to the field, to see their peers, to play the game we love. It should be the same feeling, whether we’re practicing, in a game, in a meeting, it doesn’t matter. As soon as someone no longer wants to be there, we need to dig deep to understand what the problem is.
Olivier BROSSIER: Team chemistry not happening.
10. The club ritual or tradition I prefer
Tim SMITH: I like that there are specific rules regarding local players and foreign players. This creates a story for baseball in France and allows the development of local talents. It also creates a fun strategy on how to use your roster as a manager.
Olivier BROSSIER: One knee down, in prayer format before the game when you’re a Barracuda.
11. My favorite quote on team management or sports
Tim SMITH: « A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life. » – John Wooden
Olivier BROSSIER: « There are three types of baseball players: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. » Tommy LASORDA. This underscores the importance of setting up elements so that each player is in the right mindset to take the initiative for the team.
12. The coach or trainer who would have inspired me
Tim SMITH: I admire and respect everything Greg Hamilton has done for Montpellier and Baseball Canada. He has always been a mentor and a role model for me. Following his journey and involvement with the Barracudas brings me great joy.
Olivier BROSSIER: Laurent TILLIE, the coach of the French Volleyball team. Because he succeeded with his players in achieving historic results and especially because of the detached way he talks about it.
13. My greatest pride as a manager
Tim SMITH: My greatest pride as a manager is gratitude. Baseball has taken me through so many paths in life. This game has allowed me to travel the world, meet incredible people, embrace different cultures, and continues to teach me life lessons. I am proud of this new chapter in my life and I am excited to be part of the baseball lifestyle in Europe.
Olivier BROSSIER: Having contributed to my club finding its way back to the titles: Challenge 2021, Championship 2023, and Challenge 2024.
14. What I hate the most about managing a club
Tim SMITH: My intuition would say losing. But with defeats come great learning curves. I can’t say I like losing, but we must accept that it’s part of the puzzle. What I don’t like is juggling for equal playing time. At higher levels, someone will always draw the short straw. You feel the pain of athletes when they don’t get the playing time they desire. They can be wonderful people, but at the end of the day, it’s a business, and sacrifices must be made to accumulate wins.
Olivier BROSSIER: Managing the different and opposing goals of others.
15. The biggest mistake a manager can make according to me
Tim SMITH: The biggest mistake a manager can make is thinking they know everything or that they are above the game. Even as managers/coaches, we continue to grow and learn. It’s an endless process. If you start becoming complacent, the game will remind you of your humility.
Olivier BROSSIER: Cutting yourself off from your players, looking at them from afar or from above.
16. The natural talent I would like to have as a leader
Tim SMITH: I think every great leader really wants to earn trust. A leader wants to assure their team that everything they say or do is for the common good, for the team, and never for personal gain.
Olivier BROSSIER: A talent from the past that would have given me an undisputed record!
17. My ideal vision of the club in 10 years
Tim SMITH: I think the potential for growth is limitless. We present a sport that is somewhat foreign to the region. It would be great to see the support of the local community continue to grow. More fans at the games. The field continues to improve, so over time, it will only get better and better. Finally, the talent and development of baseball must continue to progress. All these aspects combined would really make this place a special place to play for local players and a major attraction for foreign players.
Olivier BROSSIER: Modern facilities, solid finances, increasingly well-stocked and dynamic sections, a first team at the European level…
18. My mindset at the dawn of a new season
Tim SMITH: I think we need to be ready to play hard from the first game. Often, teams start a year too complacent, feeling out the field. The idea that there’s plenty of time can come back to haunt you. Often, standings can be decided by one or two wins. Being mentally prepared as if the first game of the year is treated the same way as the championship game can make a big difference. There’s no letting up. We play every game to win.
Olivier BROSSIER: Serene
19. The mistake that inspires the most indulgence from me from a player or a coach
Tim SMITH: Physical errors in sports will always happen. Whether at the professional level or with young players, it’s inevitable. Different athletes have different skills. Some are more talented than others. Effort is expected. The least talented player must be equal in terms of effort to the most talented player or vice versa. There’s no excuse for laziness. Mental preparation and physical effort are expected at all times.
Olivier BROSSIER: A strategic choice assumed that didn’t work (generally, very quickly criticized by some and others;)
20. My motto as a president/manager
Tim SMITH: My motto as a manager is to treat every pitch as if it were the last. We must be grateful for our environment. We must really be in the present moment. We never know when an injury might occur. We never know what life might bring us outside the field. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. The next pitch is never guaranteed.
Olivier BROSSIER: « It’s the players who make the manager and not the other way around. »
