Potential Managers
By
KC2HMZ
Posted at 3:55 am
First of all - I was somewhat surprised the Reds made Pete Mackanin the interim manager rather than Bucky Dent. However, I surmise from this that the promotion of bench coaches to replace fired managers is over in Cinci and that the search is on for a real manager.
That being the case (and I think it is), some possibilities:
Guys who managed in the majors last season who aren't doing so this year (so far) - Felipe Alou, Dusty Baker, Joe Girardi, Ken Macha, Frank Robinson, and Buck Showalter.
Macha is a part-time analyst on Red Sox broadcasts. Baker is working for ESPN as an analyst. Girardi is working as a Yankees broadcaster and also does regional Fox Saturday Baseball telecasts, and reportedly interviewed for the Orioles' managerial job last week. Robinson has said he doesn't want to manage again. I don't know what Alou's doing.
Guys from this year - Sam Perlozzo was fired in Baltimore. Mike Hargrove quit on the Mariners.
FWIW, Other guys besides those mentioned above who have managed in the majors from 2000-present who aren't managing in The Show as of now are listed below, and I did some digging - after all, I'm the CHFS - which is also included (Mackanin would have also been on this list but since he's now the interim manager of the Reds, he doesn't fit the criteria of “not managing in The Show as of now”):
Don Baylor - Forget it. Has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
John Boles - Mariners' front office
Bob Boone - Nationals' front office
Larry Bowa - Yankees coach
Bob Brenly - Cubs broadcaster
Larry Dierker - Astros broadcaster
Jim Fregosi - was a candidate to replace Bowa in Philly before they hired Charlie Manuel, not sure what he's up to now
Art Howe - Rangers' bench coach
Davey Johnson - working to earn Team USA a spot in the 2008 Summer Olympics and a consultant to Bowden in Washington
Tom Kelly - special assistant to GM for Twins
Joe Kerrigan - Yankees bullpen coach
Bruce Kimm - has managed in Cinci organization; no idea where he's gone since the Cubs fired him and hired Baker
Ray Knight - studio analyist on Nationals' broadcasts
Rene Lachemann - was coaching in Oakland last I knew
Gene Lamont - Tigers' 3B coach
Davey Lopes - Phillies 1B coach
Jerry Manuel - Mets' bench coach
Buck Martinez - Orioles broadcaster
Lee Mazzilli - Mets broadcaster
Lloyd McClendon - Tigers coach
Jack McKeon - sitting on his ass in Florida waiting for his phone to ring. I'm serious. Miami Herald said he went to a Marlins game, and that he wants to manage again.
Hal McRae - Cardinals' hitting coach,
Dave Miley - Yankees' minor league system.
John Mizerock - Managing Class A Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Royals' affiliate in the Carolina League
Tony Muser - Managing the Peoria Padres in the Arizona Rookie League
Johnny Oates - Forget it. Passed away on 12/24/04 in Richmond, VA.
Al Pedrique - special assistant to GM in Houston
Tony Pena - Yankees' 1B coach
Tony Perez - special assistant to Marlins' GM
Luis Pujols - Giants' 1B coach
Larry Rothschild - Cubs' pitching coach
Jerry Royster - Was managing Dodgers' AAA affiliate last year but got fired in September, not sure where he is now
Bob Schaefer - Oakland's bench coach
Joel Skinner - Indians' 3B coach
Jeff Torborg - Was a Braves broadcaster last year but wasn't retained for this year, dunno what he's doing now
Carlos Tosca - Marlins' bench coach
Alan Trammell - Cubs' bench coach
Bobby Valentine - Managing the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League in Japan
Gary Varsho - OF/baserunning coordinator for the Indians
Jimy Williams - Phillies' bench coach
Idle Speculation Department: Tony LaRussa's contract to manage the Cardinals is reportedly up after this season. And we all know that Castellini was formerly a part owner in St. Louis. Just sayin'.
Except for McKeon, I haven't offered any opinions here, “Just the facts, ma'am” as they used to say on Dragnet. FWIW, if I were Castellini, I'd have called McKeon already, but I'm not Castellini, so I haven't. As for my thoughts on the other guys listed in this post, I'll save 'em for downthread.
HMZ
I just found this:
[url=http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=txredsnarron&prov=st&type=lgns]http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=txredsnarron&prov=st&type=lgns[/url]
“A source told PA SportsTicker that Joe Girardi, the 2006 National League Manager of the Year with the Florida Marlins, twice interviewed for the Reds job this past week but turned the position down because he would have had to retain some of the current coaching staff.”
I doubt Girardi seriously considered taking the Reds job. If that rumor is even true.
Because of mandates related to interviewing minority candidates for managerial positions, the best they could have done with Girardi would have been to hire him as “interim” manager while they went through the required motions before eventually dumping the interim label.
I think this might be what the comments on the ticker article referred to. If Girardi (or anyone else for that matter) as an “interim” manager were to start dumping current coaches and start bringing in his own staff, that would exceed the usual authority of an “interim” manager and could get the organization in trouble with the league, or Selig’s office, for circumventing those mandates.
please tell me you didn’t just list Ray Knight, Bob Boone and Dave Miley
I have a candidate. ME. Seriously and I mean seriously no one is better read than I am.. plus I have a temper to boot.. I’ll stick my left foot so far Dunn’s ass next time I see him loaf, he’ll be on his god damn massage chair for a good 15 day stint.
I know I don’t have the resume or the connections. Another lifetime maybe. In an alternate universe somewhere I take this team to 2 or 3 world series titles (minus several despicable characters).
Speaking of despicable characters WHY THE HELL is kent Mercker allowed to float around the clubhouse talking shit? Like we need distractions and assaults against rookies? No fucking wonder none of the rookies in the bullpen no which way is North.
* know * which way is North.
Well, Krivsky said they haven’t even talked to Girardi.
De Nial a’int just a River in Egypt, my friend. But who knows?
[quote]please tell me you didn’t just list Ray Knight, Bob Boone and Dave Miley
[/quote]
Listed, yes. Recommended, no way. Remember, that was the Dragnet post (“Just the facts, ma’am”) with opinions being saved for downthread.
There’s only a few on that list I’d actually be happy with as the next Reds manager. Knight, Boone, and Miley are not among them. Neither are Baker, Showalter, Perlozzo, or Hargrove, for that matter.
FWIW, I’d rather they stayed away from Girardi, too. He had one season where he probably had the Marlins playing way over their heads just to go 78-84 and finish fourth in the NL East…but that’s the extent of his resume. He’s still mostly unproven and there are some guys out there who have managed in the bigs and won some divisions, and even some WS rings.
My personal choice would be Jack McKeon. I’d also be inclined to accept Macha, Dierker, Valentine, MAYBE even Williams without griping. Of course, by the end of the year, Tony LaRussa might be on the loose, and ditto for Joe Torre. I certainly wouldn’t gripe if one of those two guys ended up on the top step of the Reds’ dugout either.
I think the best thing the Reds can do right now is wait until the offseason and see who’s the best available candidate. Meanwhile, Mackanin has been an advance scout so he presumably can judge talent, and he has enough minor league managerial experience to go along with his stint as the interim in Pittsburgh after McClendon got canned there to handle the job for the rest of the year. The Reds should use that time, and Mackanin’s abilities, while they deal veteran spare parts (Conine, Hatteberg, Moeller, Lohse, Stanton, and the list goes on and on) for prospects, and start bringing up their own prospects (Votto, Dumatrait, Livingston, maybe Medlock and Dickerson as well) to determine what they do and do not have.
Then come wintertime, they can go on from there, with a clear picture of where they need to add pieces and where they’re set with promising young guys…and add a proven manager to oversee the development of the resulting squad into an NL Central power for a 4-5 year period before the young guys become eligible for free agency.
[listed, yes. Recommended, no way.]
thank God, I thought I’d have to sick Geki on you.
I would be OK w/ Showalter (he’s used to cleaning up Jerry’s messes.)
others would be Williams, Davey Johnson, Ken Griffey SR.
I also wouldn’t mind Trader Jack (though he’s getting old) and if Torre becomes available he’d be great too. (Bonus if they can bring Don Zimmer also. Just to sit on the bench & fight w/ pedro while the mets were in town.)