The Coaching Merry-Go-Round Continues

It's 3AM, do you know where your team's manager is?

Within the span of four days three weeks ago, the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays each fired their managers amidst disappointing seasons.

This is the first time there were three managerial changes in a four-day span within a season since May 1991, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Back then, Jim Essian replaced the Chicago Cubs' Don Zimmer, Johnny Oates took over from Baltimore's Frank Robinson, and Hal McRae succeeded the Kansas City Royals' John Wathan.

The Mets let manager Willie Randolph, pitching coach Rick Peterson, and first-base coach Tom Nieto go after a sub-.500 start this season and the team’s poor play. Though 70 games into the season, the firings are widely thought of to be a result of last season in which the Mets suffered the worst collapse in baseball history. The team lost the NL East to the Philadelphia Phillies despite being ahead a full seven games with 17 left to play and failing to make the postseason.

The Mariners let General Manager Bill Bavasi, manager John McLaren, and hitting coach Jeff Pentland go last week as a result of the teams dismal 25-47 start to the season; 17 and a half games out of first place. Before the season, the team was believed to compete with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the AL West crown but bad pitching and inconsistent hitting has led to the team having the worst record in baseball.

The Toronto Blue Jays fired manager John Gibbons, hitting coach Gary Denbo, first-base coach Ernie Whitt, and third-base coach Marty Pevey after a 35-39 record and increasing pressure to compete in the tough AL East. The team went into last weekend with a .258 batting average and next to last with 49 homers in 74 games.

These firings all were not only different in nature and execution, but have all resulted in new hirings that bring back some old faces.

The Mets promoted bench coach Jerry Manuel to replace Randolph on an interm level. Manuel had previously coached the Chicago White Sox from 1997 to 2003 before being replaced by current manager Ozzie Guillen. In the year 2000, following 95 wins and a division title, Manuel was named as the American League Coach of the Year. Manuel also served as Jim Leyland’s bench coach for the Florida Marlins in 1997 en route to the team’s first World Series title.

To fill the other coaching spots, former third base coach Sandy Alomar Sr. was moved to bench coach while former New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA) manager Ken Oberkfell and pitching coach Dan Warthen were promoted to first base coach and pitching coach respectively. Former Mets outfield instructor Luis Aguayo was moved to third base coach, while Howard Johnson maintained his position as hitting coach.

Manuel’s coaching style is just as laid back as Randolph’s but he seems to be more firry when it comes to standing up for his players. He’s already been ejected twice this year; once as manager, once as bench coach.

He also takes a more hands-on and relatable approach with his players. For example, the clean-cut rule is no more (I kind of like Mike Pelfrey’s new beard). Also, whenever a pitcher is removed from the game, Manuel instructs the pitcher who is being removed to wait on the mound and hand the ball off to the new pitcher from the bullpen. He also can be satirical when it comes to disciplining his players, which make both players and fans pay attention. Like what he said when he went to remove Jose Reyes from the first inning of his first game managing the Mets after Reyes made a scene about it:

"I told him the next time he does that I’m going to get my blade out and cut him. I'm a gangster. You go gangster on me, I'm going to have to get you. You do that again, I'm going to cut you right on the field."

But instead of the focus being on what Manuel can bring to the table, it was more about what had gone on over the past month leading up to Randolph’s firing.

His status had been in limbo over the past few months even though General Manager Omar Minaya maintained that “Willie is our manager,” multiple times since his initial meeting with owner Fred Wilpon on May 26^th.

Even on June 13^th, five days before Willie Randolph was let go, Minaya was quoted as saying, “It's resolved; it's resolved that he's our manager.”

But there were so many reported leaks about Minaya’s words weren’t entirely true, that the media was always there questioning and left Randolph constantly in the hot seat. It wasn’t until their victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at approximately 12 AM Pacific Time (3 AM Eastern Standard Time) on June 18^th, that Randolph, Peterson, and Nieto were relieved of their duties.

The timing was questionable at best, especially considering the Mets were just leaving for a road trip, but I think the problem lies more with the Met organization than Minaya. Clearly, Minaya’s words were more said in regards to defusing the media hype around Randolph. If the New York media can in essence cause the firing of a manager, there is a problem.

Minaya better watch himself too. On June 21^st, the Mets hired former Cincinnati Reds GM Wayne Krivsky as a Special Assistant to Omar Minaya. His responsibilities mainly concern professional scouting. Well, until the media pushes Minaya out anyway.

The rest of the hirings and firings weren’t quite as dramatic.

The Seattle Mariners bench coach and former Chicago Cubs manager Jim Riggleman replaces McLaren as the coach of the team on an interim basis. Riggleman, 55, managed the San Diego Padres from 1992-94 and the Chicago Cubs from 1995-99.

Interestingly enough, interim General Manager Lee Pelekoudas was the one who made the call. He was only hired a few days earlier, replacing Bill Bavasi.

"On a personal level, this was a very difficult decision to make," Pelekoudas said. "John McLaren and I, and many of us in the organization, go back a long way. But from a strictly professional level, I felt this was the right thing to do for the ballclub and for the further advancement of the organization and for our efforts to try to get better this year."

McLaren’s firing was notably different from Willie Randolph’s firing though. McLaren was axed hours before the team left for a three-city interleague road trip.

Riggleman was known as a bold manager in the National League, a fan of the home run who aggressively used pinch hitters and changed pitchers.

"Jim is a serious man," Pelekoudas said. "He's not a guy looking to have fun. He thinks fun's going to happen if you do the right things. If you play hard, play the game right and win, you're going to have fun.”

Another familiar face is Cito Gaston, rehired by the Toronto Blue Jays after manager John Gibbons was fired. Gaston is remembered for leading the Blue Jays to back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993.

The 64-year-old Gaston becomes the Blue Jays' first two-time manager and the fourth-oldest manager in the majors. He previously managed the team from 1989 to 1997, going 681-635 following seven seasons as the hitting coach. He returned as the hitting coach in 2000 but was not retained after the 2001 season.

These were the first major firings of the 2008 season, with probably more to come. Inevitable, yes, but necessary? Usually not. Someone has to be the fall guy (or guys). It doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad coaches, most are usually hired later in the year or before the next season. Then again for every Randolph there is an Art Howe. But I’m pretty confident Randolph, McLaren, and Gibbons will land on their feet.

So who’s next? In these days of media speculation, you really never know.

Sources: seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/367645_mclaren20.html, news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080621/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bba_blue_jays_gibbons_fired, http://www.nypost.com/seven/05262008/sports/mets/willies_meeting_with_wilpons_scheduled_f_112612.htm, http://www.nypost.com/seven/06132008/sports/mets/minaya__willie_has_full_support_115387.htm, http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2008/06/21/2008-06-21_exreds_general_manager_wayne_krivsky_joi.html, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2008007773_riggleman20.html, http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/367774_riggleman20.html