Brenly could manage Brew crew

[Banedon]

The perception has been that Bob Brenly is the frontrunner to become the Brewers' manager. But a person familiar with the process said Brenly's interview did not go that well and that former A's manager Ken Macha is now considered the leading candidate. Willie Randolph is the third person currently being considered for the job. He is well liked by Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin and his interview apparently went well. In addition - surprisingly - he has received strong endorsements from Mets officials. Of course, if Randolph is hired by the Brewers some of the $2.25 million the Mets still owe him for 2009 would be removed, which could be a good reason for Met officials to be so positive about Randolph.

 

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/sports/yankees/yanks_decision_looking_bad_135306.htm?page=2

 

I'd love to know what a bad baseball interview sounds like.

 

Brenly: "Oh I really like the bunt...bunt bunt bunt...You think Fielder can learn to bunt? Oh he'd surprise some people. If we gave the first base coach a hamburger I bet he'd beat the throw...."

 

Melvin: "Thanks for coming in, Bob..."

[weatherdood]

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Macha's most likely the guy....

 

These delays have an effect on the Brewers' managerial situation, also. I believe they are prepared to name former Oakland manager Ken Macha as their new manager but have agreed to obey the World Series moratorium on such announcements and therefore have to wait.

 

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/brewers.html

[Ball And Glove]

The perception has been that Bob Brenly is the frontrunner to become the Brewers' manager. But a person familiar with the process said Brenly's interview did not go that well and that former A's manager Ken Macha is now considered the leading candidate. Willie Randolph is the third person currently being considered for the job. He is well liked by Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin and his interview apparently went well. In addition - surprisingly - he has received strong endorsements from Mets officials. Of course, if Randolph is hired by the Brewers some of the $2.25 million the Mets still owe him for 2009 would be removed, which could be a good reason for Met officials to be so positive about Randolph.

 

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/sports/yankees/yanks_decision_looking_bad_135306.htm?page=2

 

I'd love to know what a bad baseball interview sounds like.

 

Brenly: "Oh I really like the bunt...bunt bunt bunt...You think Fielder can learn to bunt? Oh he'd surprise some people. If we gave the first base coach a hamburger I bet he'd beat the throw...."

 

Melvin: "Thanks for coming in, Bob..."

 

I imagine Craig Counsell starting every game came up somewhere, too.

 

To me it seems like Macha's getting the job because he's willing to virtually keep the entire staff from last year's team. Haudricourt is reporting in Milwaukee that guys like Mike Maddux, Bill Castro, Ed Sedar, and even Dale Sveum will be brought back, possibly as bench coach. The only real input Macha's getting on the staff is third base coach and hitting coach.

 

The entire interview process seemed like a joke. Macha and Randolph were old buddies of Melvin's, and Brenly was just a guy who happened to work an hour or so away. It seems pretty clear that Macha was the guy from the start, and he was almost hired over Ned Yost before Macha went back to Oakland.

[SouthSideRyan]

The perception has been that Bob Brenly is the frontrunner to become the Brewers' manager. But a person familiar with the process said Brenly's interview did not go that well and that former A's manager Ken Macha is now considered the leading candidate. Willie Randolph is the third person currently being considered for the job. He is well liked by Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin and his interview apparently went well. In addition - surprisingly - he has received strong endorsements from Mets officials. Of course, if Randolph is hired by the Brewers some of the $2.25 million the Mets still owe him for 2009 would be removed, which could be a good reason for Met officials to be so positive about Randolph.

 

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/sports/yankees/yanks_decision_looking_bad_135306.htm?page=2

 

I'd love to know what a bad baseball interview sounds like.

 

Brenly: "Oh I really like the bunt...bunt bunt bunt...You think Fielder can learn to bunt? Oh he'd surprise some people. If we gave the first base coach a hamburger I bet he'd beat the throw...."

 

Melvin: "Thanks for coming in, Bob..."

 

I imagine Craig Counsell starting every game came up somewhere, too.

 

To me it seems like Macha's getting the job because he's willing to virtually keep the entire staff from last year's team. Haudricourt is reporting in Milwaukee that guys like Mike Maddux, Bill Castro, Ed Sedar, and even Dale Sveum will be brought back, possibly as bench coach. The only real input Macha's getting on the staff is third base coach and hitting coach.

 

The entire interview process seemed like a joke. Macha and Randolph were old buddies of Melvin's, and Brenly was just a guy who happened to work an hour or so away. It seems pretty clear that Macha was the guy from the start, and he was almost hired over Ned Yost before Macha went back to Oakland.

 

Macha was actually offered the job but turned it down to take the Oakland job.(an obvious move given each teams' talent level at the time.)

[Ball And Glove]

The perception has been that Bob Brenly is the frontrunner to become the Brewers' manager. But a person familiar with the process said Brenly's interview did not go that well and that former A's manager Ken Macha is now considered the leading candidate. Willie Randolph is the third person currently being considered for the job. He is well liked by Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin and his interview apparently went well. In addition - surprisingly - he has received strong endorsements from Mets officials. Of course, if Randolph is hired by the Brewers some of the $2.25 million the Mets still owe him for 2009 would be removed, which could be a good reason for Met officials to be so positive about Randolph.

 

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/sports/yankees/yanks_decision_looking_bad_135306.htm?page=2

 

I'd love to know what a bad baseball interview sounds like.

 

Brenly: "Oh I really like the bunt...bunt bunt bunt...You think Fielder can learn to bunt? Oh he'd surprise some people. If we gave the first base coach a hamburger I bet he'd beat the throw...."

 

Melvin: "Thanks for coming in, Bob..."

 

I imagine Craig Counsell starting every game came up somewhere, too.

 

To me it seems like Macha's getting the job because he's willing to virtually keep the entire staff from last year's team. Haudricourt is reporting in Milwaukee that guys like Mike Maddux, Bill Castro, Ed Sedar, and even Dale Sveum will be brought back, possibly as bench coach. The only real input Macha's getting on the staff is third base coach and hitting coach.

 

The entire interview process seemed like a joke. Macha and Randolph were old buddies of Melvin's, and Brenly was just a guy who happened to work an hour or so away. It seems pretty clear that Macha was the guy from the start, and he was almost hired over Ned Yost before Macha went back to Oakland.

 

Macha was actually offered the job but turned it down to take the Oakland job.(an obvious move given each teams' talent level at the time.)

 

That's what I was trying to get at in my original post, but I worded it poorly.

 

It's interesting that some of the idiotic commenters on the JSOnline blog Haudricourt writes seem to hold that against Macha, like he personally spurned them. I agree it was a no-brainer at the time for all parties involved, and even though I've been critical of Yost in the past, he was what the team needed at the time -- someone to transition the team from horrible to average. Macha would've been a bad hire back then, and it would've been a bad decision for him to come to Milwaukee back in 2003, even considering how his tenure in Oakland ended.

[SouthSideRyan]

Have you heard of anything regarding Kendall-Macha animosity? I've read elsewhere that Kendall was pretty critical of him(I believe after Macha was let go?)

[Ball And Glove]

Here's a story from the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006 with player reactions to Macha's firing: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/17/AS.TMP&type=as

 

The protection issue came up numerous times on Monday.

 

"I know that the one thing any player wants from his manager is to be protected,'' catcher Jason Kendall said. "If there's a bang-bang play at first, even if you're out, if you're arguing you want someone there behind you. If you argue a pitch, even if you're wrong, you want someone joining in. And I'm not sure Macha did that.''

 

Macha's seeming impatience with injuries also upset players. Kotsay, whose availability was uncertain at times because of a bad back, was furious when Macha said it was "puzzling'' that Kotsay couldn't play in a game at Tampa Bay when the team had been off the day before. Two days earlier, Kotsay had described himself as having to use duct-tape just to drag himself onto the field.

 

"When I got injured, I felt disrespected,'' Kotsay said. "The 'puzzling' comment really threw me. My manager didn't have my back, and every manager's first business is to protect his players. That totally lost my trust in that relationship, between us as player and manager.''

 

Now, the A's would like to have Beane's back, worried that he'll get criticized for firing a manager who just took the team to the American League Championship Series.

 

"I don't want Billy to take heat for this because this is what needed to happen,'' Kendall said. "If Billy is comfortable with it, we're behind Billy. Maybe Billy saw the same thing the players saw. If Billy gets blasted in the media, it's ridiculous. Billy's going to get a lashing, and he shouldn't.''

 

There's been quite a bit of discussion about it over on brewerfan, but it's in the middle of the massive 32-page thread that was started back when Yost was fired in mid-September. The media has also picked up on it -- Haudricourt has actually mentioned it several times, and I believe SI's Jon Heyman has even noted it recently. When Heyman notices something, it's probably pretty obvious. ;)

 

It's hard to tell what to think of it, and I think you could make a case for either side as to whether or not it's a big deal. On one hand, there's like a 10% chance that Kendall's back with the Brewers after 2009, so if he doesn't like it he can bite his tongue for a season and go elsewhere. On the other hand, Kendall seems to be one of the most respected guys in the clubhouse, and if Macha doesn't have the respect of him, it'll be hard to get the respect of anyone else. That may be why guys like Sveum and Maddux are being retained, since the players already know them and seem to get along well with them. Kendall was one of Sveum's biggest supporters in the interview process.

[treebird]

macha was pretty awful in oakland. maybe he's smarter now, but i like the pick.

[Soul]

If Brenly's back in the Cubs booth and he feels slighted by the Brewers, that could make for some fun TV watching next year.

[SouthSideRyan]

On one hand, there's like a 10% chance that Kendall's back with the Brewers after 2009

 

Really? I thought it was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Doesn't he have a fairly cheap option?

[Ball And Glove]

Kendall signed a one year deal with a vesting option for next year (2009) that was activated sometime in August this year, but I don't see them keeping him past that point, at least in a starting role. The hope is that guys like Angel Salome or Vinny Rottino will be ready to play in the majors by 2010, but we'll see how that plays out. 2009 is going to be his Age 35 season, and I really don't expect him to put up the miraculous defensive numbers he had this year again, especially after making about 150 starts.

 

He could hang on as a back-up or part-time guy like Damian Miller did, but you have to figure he's pretty much shot as a starter. I guess he would be a cheap guy to have on the bench, but who knows if Kendall's ready to give up being a starter. I'm sure he could find a job on some 90-loss team as a starter for a couple more years past 2009.

[SouthSideRyan]

My mistake, misread that, thought you were talking about for the 2009 season. Do they really see Rottino as starting material?

[Ball And Glove]

I only bring up Rottino because he's the catcher closest to the majors at this point...Salome is only 22, hasn't seen a pitch at AAA, and is still a poor defensive catcher that reportedly has problems calling games; LuCroy is also 22 and will probably start the next year in AA. I don't think the Brewers see Rottino as starting material, even though it'd be a good story if he did become a major league contributor. He's put up solid numbers in the minors for a guy who was undrafted (.295/.355/.429), and he might end up being a decent bat bench considering his versatility in the field, but he'd probably be a placeholder for Salome/LuCroy at the most.

 

I tend to like LuCroy better than Salome -- he's 6'0" compared to Salome's 5'7", seems to be a more natural catcher, and could play a different position if need be. I was relieved when the Indians announced they were taking Michael Brantley to complete the Sabathia deal instead of Taylor Green or possibly LuCroy.

 

Rottino's a nice guy and a good hometown story, but if he's the everyday catcher, the Brewers probably aren't in very good shape.

[CUBZ99]

Among the names already surfacing in the media are former Cubs Mark Grace, Rick Sutcliffe, Dan Plesac and Darrin Jackson, all of whom have a broadcasting background and, of more importance, the credibility to succeed in a difficult job.

 

Darrin Jackson??? That would be hilarious. :-))

[Wilson A2000]

Among the names already surfacing in the media are former Cubs Mark Grace, Rick Sutcliffe, Dan Plesac and Darrin Jackson, all of whom have a broadcasting background and, of more importance, the credibility to succeed in a difficult job.

 

Darrin Jackson??? That would be hilarious. :-))

 

I would never watch a game on with him doing the color if he got the job. And I really like Len.

[MPC]

if joe morgan taken off espn's sunday night broadcast, he's likely to be replaced by rick sutcliffe.

[danonwaveland]

ESPN says it's Macha in Milwaukee. Sorry, Bob, but I'm glad. I like Brenley and Kasper in the booth.

_____________________________________________

Sandberg>Mazeroski>Morgan

[YearofDaCubs]

One of the funniest things I seen on TV was Macha trying to kick open the bathroom door because Blanton was stuck in there. Hilarious. I wish I can find it online to watch that again. Per KFFL:

 

Athletics.MLB.com's Mychael Urban reports Oakland Athletics manager Ken Macha, who is two tests from becoming a first-degree blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do, had to kick open the door to the dugout bathroom Monday, Sept. 5. SP Joe Blanton had gone inside and kicked the door out of shape in anger of his loss, and Macha kicked the door open to rescue him.

[Magnetic Curses]

it will be interesting to see what this other former oakland skipper does once parting ways with beane. seems like beane keeps the managers from getting in their own way in oakland. now that no one is there telling macha what to do, we'll see how he can really screw up a baseball team.