A Yankees Fan, a Red Sox Friend, and a Lesson for Dentistry
Written by: Alan Stern, DDS
As a lifelong Yankees fan, I was practically giddy when the Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. I had an entire article ready to submit to Dentistry Today, built around the idea that sometimes removing a “toxic” presence—whether real or perceived—can lead to better team performance.
But my good friend, Dr. Paul Feuerstein—a proud Red Sox fan for the past 40 years—asked me to pump the brakes.
“Let’s wait,” he said. “Let’s see how this plays out before jumping to conclusions.”
Fair enough.
Well… we’ve seen how it’s played out. Neither team has thrived.
The Red Sox were hovering around .500 when they sent Devers west. Since then? They’ve slid backward. Meanwhile, the Giants had hoped Devers would spark a surge. Instead, they’ve stumbled. Both teams are struggling to find momentum.
It turns out that removing one person—even a superstar—isn’t a magic fix in baseball. The roster’s too big. The variables are too messy.
But in Dentistry… It’s a Very Different Story.
In a dental practice, the math works differently.
Your “clubhouse” isn’t 26 players plus coaches, trainers, and a general manager. It’s 6, maybe 7 or 10 people—close quarters, constant interaction, and no place for tension to hide.
When someone toxic is part of that environment—whether it’s gossip, negativity, resistance, or outright hostility—everyone feels it. Every procedure. Every handoff. Every morning huddle.
And here’s the part I see over and over again in my coaching work:
👉 When the toxic person leaves, the change is immediate and massive.
- Team members who were quietly dusting off their résumés suddenly breathe a sigh of relief.
- More than one has told the doctor, “I was this close to quitting if you hadn’t handled it.”
- Patients notice it too. I’ve had dentists share that patients commented, “The office feels different… nicer… lighter… what changed?”
This is not theory. It’s reality. I see it in practices across the country.
Why Is It Different Than Baseball?
Simple: proximity, frequency, and scale.
- In baseball, one unhappy player disappears into the noise of 25 others, plus 162 games, a bullpen blowup here, a groin strain there… it’s chaos.
- In a dental office, one negative person is in every conversation, every patient interaction, every team meeting, every handoff.
The emotional impact of a toxic person in a small team environment is exponential. And the lift when they’re gone? Just as big—and immediate.
A Leadership Check-In
This doesn’t mean that every struggling employee needs to be walked out the door. Leadership requires asking:
- Have I set clear expectations?
- Have I provided honest, timely input?
- Is this a skills issue, an attitude issue, or simply a poor fit?
But when it becomes clear that someone either cannot or will not align with your culture and core values, the kindest and most courageous move—for you, for the team, and even for the person themselves—is to move on.
The Results Are Predictable—and Remarkable
Unlike Major League Baseball, where trades are a roll of the dice, in dentistry, this formula is consistently reliable:
- Remove the toxic energy.
- Watch morale, teamwork, and performance rise.
- Feel the stress drop—and notice how even your patients can sense the difference.
It’s one of the few places in life where addition by subtraction is real, immediate, and transformative.
Final Thoughts
If only baseball were this simple. But it’s not.
The good news? In your dental practice, you have far more control over your culture, your happiness, and your success than any Major League manager ever will.
When you fix the clubhouse, the wins start piling up.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alan Stern, DDS, retired from clinical dentistry in 2023 and now operates Better, Richer, Stronger, LLC. He is a dental practice coach, keynote speaker, and author.
His book, Enjoy the Ride, is available on Amazon.
Join his Facebook group, strangely called Better, Richer, Stronger.
He can be reached at alan@betterricherstronger.com.
FEATURED IMAGE CREDIT: Michelle Pitzel from Pixabay.
