It's That Time again, Baseball season is about to start.  And with it the Biggest Question - outside of Who's on First - is which Major League Manager(s) is/are going to lose his/their job(s)?

As a reminder, Last year, Willie Randalf of the New York Mets "won".  Within a week two other managers were quickly fired.  And for a change the New York Yankees didn't fire their manager.

But it's 2009 folks.  We all know that Steinbrenner wants another World Series trophy, the cost almost to his wallet almost immaterial.  That means his manager is in the crosshairs.  But what other manager?  Who else is in the hot-seat?

Place your bets folks, the little ol' lady with her knitting is warming up her guillotine song.


(For those that don't get the joke; during the French Revolution there was supposed an old woman knitting something or other. And as the next person was brought out to be executed, she would cackle, "Guillotine!  Guillotine!"

Either Ron Washington or the sad fucker who happens to be in Baltimore

Billy Martin! Oh wait..... Bud Black in San Diego.

Melvin out as D’backs manager after 12-17 start

PHOENIX (AP)—Bob Melvin’s stock rose when he guided the youthful but talented Arizona Diamondbacks to the NL West title two years ago.

He was dismissed on Thursday because many of those same players have failed to live up to expectations based on that season, when the Diamondbacks were an NL-best 90-72 despite being outscored by 20 runs across the season.

“This is a difficult decision, but I feel that our organization needs to move forward with a new voice,” general manager Josh Byrnes said in a statement.

The Diamondbacks will name A.J. Hinch, their vice president for player development, as Melvin’s replacement on Friday, according to a person familiar with the move who requested anonymity because the announcement had not been made.

The 34-year-old Hinch is a former major league catcher with no professional managerial experience. His promotion was first reported by radio station KTAR.
The 47-year-old Melvin’s firing comes after a disappointing start by the Diamondbacks, who entered Thursday 8 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. Melvin, who went 337-340 in four-plus seasons, had one year left on a contract he received after being the 2007 NL Manager of the Year.

Hitting coach Rick Schu also was fired, and pitching coach Bryan Price resigned.

Justin Upto Arizona’s 21-year-old right fielder, is off to a solid start, but some of the team’s other young players have struggled. Conor Jackson went 1-for-3 in Arizona’s 4-3, 10-inning loss at San Diego on Thursday and is batting .191 on the year. Mark Reynolds has struck out 36 times in 102 at-bats.

“We’re counting on everybody to develop further,” Melvin said in an interview before the season.

Arizona’s few veterans also did little to help the ousted skipper.

Eric Byrnes is hitting .139 in the second year of a three-year, $30-million contract. Melvin this week decided to bench Chad Tracy, who is hitting .221.

Speculation about Melvin’s future grew with every 1-2-3 inning by the Diamondbacks’ hitters. Arizona entered Thursday with a .225 batting average, by far the worst in baseball.

Making matters worse for Melvin, the Diamondbacks have been beset by injuries.

Ace Brandon Webb went on the disabled list with a shoulder injury shortly after his opening day start and has yet to return. Then Stephen Drew went on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring.

This is the second time in their 12-year history that the Diamondbacks have changed managers in midseason. In 2004, the Diamondbacks fired Bob Brenly after a 29-50 start and replaced him with Al Pedrique on their way to a franchise-worst 51-111 record.

That disaster paved the way for Melvin’s return to Arizona, where he had served as Brenly’s bench coach on the 2001 World Series champions.

Melvin made an immediate impact in the desert. He led the 2005 Diamondbacks to a 77-85 record, a 26-win improvement.

Two years later, the Diamondbacks made a surprise run to the NL West title despite scoring 20 fewer runs than they allowed—a fact that led many to praise Melvin’s ability to squeeze the most out of his lineup.

“I am grateful for all the success and memories associated with Bob,” Byrnes said. “Bob has done great things for this organization. Having worked with him for nearly four years, I have a great deal of respect for his character and skills.”

I'll second the gNats manager.

Wrong

Rockies fire manager Clint Hurdle

DENVER (AP)—The Colorado Rockies fired manager Clint Hurdle on Friday, less than two years after their incredible “Rocktober” run to the World Series, and replaced him with bench coach Jim Tracy for the rest of the season.

Without reliable hitting, pitching or defense, the Rockies stumbled to an 18-28 start and were 14 1/2 games behind Los Angeles in the NL West heading into Friday night’s action.

“It was been a tremendous ride. It has been life lesson after life lesson,” Hurdle said. “And I will tell you this, the last seven weeks I have said the serenity prayer more times than I did in the last seven years.”

Hurdle, who had been Colorado’s manager since replacing Buddy Bell three weeks into the 2002 season, was 534-625 for a .460 winning percentage in his seven-plus seasons.

“Obviously, he takes the sword for us,” first baseman Todd Helton(notes) said in a subdued clubhouse. “He didn’t have any bad at-bats, he didn’t throw any bad pitches. He’s the same manager he was two years ago. So, we realize that ultimately we’re the reason he got fired.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Hurdle, who has been with the organization for 16 seasons, was offered a job in the club’s front office but didn’t address that opportunity at a news conference Friday in which he answered no questions.

“I’ll be pulling for them from afar,” he said in wishing the Rockies well.

Since the Rockies’ one and only trip to the World Series in 2007, where they were swept by the Boston Red Sox, Colorado was 24 games under .500 with Hurdle at the helm.

Hurdle said general manager Dan O’Dowd told him in a meeting Friday morning that the organization wanted a change.

“I’ve always been all-in. I’m all-in now,” Hurdle said. “I wish Jim Tracy nothing but good luck, good fortune, good health and success with the ballclub. I wish the players the same.”

Tracy has a 562-572 managerial record with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2001-05) and Pittsburgh Pirates (2006-07), with a division title in 2004. He joined the Rockies’ staff this winter at the behest of O’Dowd.

Tracy said he wouldn’t make wholesale changes and had great respect for Hurdle.

“I want all of you to understand and realize that in no way, shape or form will I try to undo anything that this man has done for this organization,” Tracy said. “(Sixteen) years to this organization is an eternity in the business today. He’s done some wonderful things.”

Colorado Springs Sky Sox manager Tom Runnells will fill Tracy’s spot as bench coach.

Hurdle, who was in the final year of his contract, was hamstrung this season by the loss of his best hitter and his best pitcher as the Rockies got off to their second straight slow start, which affected attendance.

Slugger Matt Holliday(notes) was traded to Oakland in November after refusing a contract extension, and ace Jeff Francis(notes) was lost for the season with shoulder surgery this spring—not that Hurdle ever used that as an excuse.

Hurdle was never one to complain about the club’s cost-conscious ways, which likely helped earn him a longer leash from ownership than many fans would have liked.

Except for that magical month at the end of the 2007 season, when the Rockies won their first NL pennant by going on an unfathomable 21-1 run-up to the World Series, Hurdle’s teams never were very good.


Jim Tracy, the new manager



Aside from their 90-73 record in ’07, the Rockies owned nothing but losing records under Hurdle—he’s the only manager in major league history to begin his career with five consecutive losing seasons and not get fired for it.

Ownership stuck by their man for years because of his loyalty during the long rebuilding process when the Rockies pulled in their financial reins following some embarrassing and costly mistakes.

“We’re an organization that values stability more than we value change,” O’Dowd told The Associated Press. “Clint is someone who’s been a part of everything we’ve done here. He deserved the benefit of the doubt until it got to the point where we realized we needed to do something.”

O’Dowd said he would meet with Hurdle soon to talk about a front-office role.

As for Tracy, O’Dowd said he’ll be evaluated at season’s end but stressed that his future won’t hinge solely on wins and losses.

“I’m not unrealistic. I don’t expect miracles here,” O’Dowd said. “I think (what will be weighed) is the caliber of how we play and how we establish an identity, more those types of things.”

Hurdle was asked in the offseason to change his approach and juggle his coaching staff, bringing on Tracy and hitting coach Don Baylor. He set a more disciplinarian tone at spring training. Yet, the Rockies seemed to get away from that when the season started, and they struggled on the field and at the gate.

“This is not just a reflection of Clint,” O’Dowd said. “He’s been a special person for our organization and community and hopefully he’ll be in a position to lead our club in other ways.”

A Batting Coach was fired recently.  Unfortunately, there is no "Manager" in his job description.  So he doesn't count.

interesting series of firings we've had this season.





I, being a rockies fan, did not see clint hurdle as the problem, but its obvious that tracy is/was the solution.





The D-Backs new manager was a strange choice.



The Nationals were shitty, and will be shitty with whomever is running the controls.

interesting.





I don't think Bobby Cox is in any danger of being run off. Braves have been looking better as of late.



Good pitching vs the Rockies last series.



 

I understand. We go through a lot of the same here in Colorado. Although the last game of the series was destiny for my rockies Seth Smith is in the 7 inning or later is batting over .400 and Brad Hawpe leads baseball in 2 out RBI's. We've had pitching woes for as long as we've been around. We've definetally had our share of FA catastophes too.





IIRC, Cox pulled escobar after he grounded into a double play and didn't see another minute of playing time in the Colorado series. I can see what you are saying in regards to Bobby Cox.



Good baseball teams have a great offense. Great baseball teams have a solid defense.



The Giants are the prime example. They simply don't have a very good offense. But pitching has them in the wild card lead.



 

The rockies are 44-22 under manager Jim Tracy

Orioles manager Dave Trembley will return in 2010

BALTIMORE (AP)—Dave Trembley’s job as manager of the Baltimore Orioles isn’t complete: He will get the opportunity to see the team’s arduous rebuilding process through to its next stage.

Trembley will return to manage the Orioles next year after the club announced Friday that it will exercise the 2010 option on his contract. The decision came a day after the Orioles (61-98) broke a 13-game losing streak, third-longest in Baltimore history.

“We have been successful as an organization in introducing the kind of talent that I hope could one day lead to a … postseason berth,” Orioles president Andy MacPhail said. “It is on that basis that I think that Dave has earned the opportunity, deserves the opportunity to manage the club in 2010.”

Trembley has compiled a 169-244 record since taking over for the fired Sam Perlozzo on June 18, 2007. Trembley joined the Orioles as bullpen coach for the 2007 season after managing for 20 seasons in the minor leagues.

“It has been difficult the last couple weeks for everybody. But take that last couple weeks aside (and) what we said we were going to do, we did,” Trembley said. “I’m very appreciative and thankful for the opportunity … to get to go forward.”

Throughout his minor league career, Trembley was most comfortable as an evaluator and developer of talent. With the Orioles forced to expedite their top prospects’ ascension through the organization, Trembley used those skills to the fullest.

“I always felt that Dave Trembley did exactly what this franchise asked him to do: He was charged with nurturing and developing young talent,” MacPhail said.

This year, however, has been particularly challenging. Because the Orioles weren’t expecting to contend, they intended to give some of their best minor leaguers some additional seasoning. Instead, pitchers Brian Matusz(notes), Brad Bergesen(notes), David Hernandez(notes), Jason Berken(notes) and Chris Tillman(notes) were rushed to the majors to reinforce a depleted rotation.

The contributions of other rookies, such as catcher Matt Wieters(notes) and left fielder Nolan Reimold(notes), became more important after MacPhail traded away closer George Sherrill(notes) to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July and cleanup hitter Aubrey Huff(notes) to Detroit in August.

How Trembley handled a younger-than-expected roster while competing in the AL East, one of the toughest divisions in baseball, impressed MacPhail.

“It would be unreasonable … to suggest that over the course of those two seasons, we could expect a record better than they had,” MacPhail said.

Because Trembley managed some of the current Orioles in the minor leagues, he wants to see the rebuilding process through to completion.

“I understand very clearly what it’s all about,” he said. “We have kind of graduated some players. We had a lot of first-year players—I kind of used the term, a lot of true freshmen here—and they got better. Guys improved. Now it’s our job to make sure we go to the next step.”

That process, MacPhail said, will change the way in which Trembley will be graded—and determine his future past next season.

“You now change the criteria for evaluating managers (to) wins and losses,” MacPhail said. “That may not always be fair. Things happen, but at this point, going forward, I like to think we’re out of that first phase of what we hoped to do.”

Trembley intends to be the man to pull the Orioles out of their franchise-record run of 12 straight losing seasons.

“I am happy for the philosophy that’s existed since I came aboard: To do things right, be fair, understand that the big picture is not yourself and it’s the Baltimore Orioles,” Trembley said.

Still, being summoned to MacPhail’s office at 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon made Trembley nervous because his status had been widely debated.

“I felt like I was walking the green mile,” Trembley joked.

Ready for this season

I concur.