I would not have guessed this. I know that a lot of people gave up on Clete a long time ago, but if there is a vacancy, it seems like he is earning another chance.
I agree that the public criticism of players for things like this is counterproductive. And I don't see this happening much with other managers. Why would it not be better to keep this in the clubhouse?
It might be worth it to pay for a year of consumerreports.com to get the reviews/ratings for stuff like this. I let mine lapse because we have not bought anything for a while, but it was useful when I needed it.