Tuesday, October 03, 2000
Next manager probably has Reds ties
Leyland rules himself out
By Chris Haft
The Cincinnati Enquirer
General Manager Jim Bowden sounded as if he were casting a wide net in the hunt for manager Jack McKeon's successor. Though Bowden's statements must be taken at face value, bear in mind that, with the Reds, things aren't always as they seem.
This is the organization that, on multiple occasions last winter, publicly gave up on trying to acquire center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. Shortstop Barry Larkin appeared headed out the door in July. Two of Cincinnati's top draft picks, David Espinosa and Dane Sardinha, were alleg edly impossible to sign. Those were only the latest surprises. Indeed, McKeon's dismissal Monday was one of the few events that Reds-watchers have accurately forecasted in advance.
“We have a long list of candidates from within and without,” Bowden said. “We're going to consider everyone ... We want to hire the best manager possible. It may be one with a proven track record; it may be one without.”
But history indicates it will be somebody with ties to the organization. And common sense dictates bringing in a novice could be disastrous.
One “outsider,” Jim Leyland, ruled himself out as a candidate.
“I'm done. I'm sure I won't be on anybody's lists,” said Leyland, who grew weary of managing's aggravation last year and walked away from the $4.5 million he could have earned in the final two years of his contract with the Colorado Rockies. Otherwise, Leyland's success in the early 1990s with Pittsburgh and in '97 with the World Champion Florida Marlins would make him eligible for any vacancy.
Major League Baseball's rules compel Reds management to conduct a search that looks sincere. This is part of baseball's efforts to increase minority hiring.
The Detroit Tigers learned their lesson last year when they hired Phil Garner as manager after interviewing nobody else extensively. The commissioner's office forced the Tigers to make certain concessions, such as forming a minority liaison group with the community.
Due to the involved interview process and baseball's unofficial ban on major announcements during the postseason, the Reds might not name their new manager until November.
That aside, check out Bowden's previous four managerial appointees: Tony Perez, Reds legend. Davey Johnson, a consultant with the club at the time of Perez's firing. Ray Knight, whose title as Johnson's “assistant manager” made his hiring obvious. McKeon, who joined the Reds as a senior adviser in 1993 and, for a while, was one of Bowden's most trusted assistants.
That lends credence to the quintet most people agree are the favorites: third-base coach Ron Oester, bench coach Ken Griffey Sr., special assistant Bob Boone, Seattle manager Lou Piniella and Los Angeles manager Davey Johnson. Piniella (1990 World Series champs) and Johnson (1995 Central Division titlists) guided the Reds' last two playoff teams.
Oester acknowledged that Bowden told him he'd be interviewed.
“We'll see what happens,” said Oester, the Withrow High School graduate who spent his 17-year playing career in Cincinnati's system. “He said it's going to take a while. I'm just glad I'm still part of the organization.”
Said Griffey's agent, Brian Goldberg: “It is my belief that they (Griffey and Bowden) discussed that if any current staff members will be interviewed, Senior will be included.”
Griffey, a native of Donora, Pa., also could emerge as a candidate for the managerial vacancy in Pittsburgh.
Boone, who was fired as Kansas City's manager in 1997, spoke cautiously.
“In working for the Reds, I shouldn't comment,” Boone said. “Anytime you make a move like this, I think it's disheartening. I think it would be really premature for me to say anything. I think it's been well known since I left Kansas City that I wanted to manage again. But it's going to depend on Jim Bowden and the administration.”
Anything's possible. Bowden, who formerly worked with Pittsburgh and has imported several of that organization's former scouts and players, could summon one of his old Pirates acquaintances, such as ex-Astros and Angels manager Terry Collins. Or Bowden could unearth a lesser-known candidate with Reds ties, such as managerial prospect Clint Hurdle, the Colorado hitting coach who played here in 1982. Then there's Philadelphia hitting coach Hal McRae, who fits both categories.
Whoever the next manager is, he's in for a challenge, despite the Reds' talent.
He'll enter a clubhouse featuring stars such as Griffey Jr. and Larkin, who essentially manage themselves. Yet he'll also have to nurture the handful of low-salaried rookies and younger players who are bound to cross the roster as several veterans eligible for salary arbitration are jettisoned.
He'll oversee a coaching staff that may include one or two men who wanted his job. If pitching coach Don Gullett stays, the new manager will have to work with an expert whose loyalty to the Reds was rivaled, if not exceeded, by his loyalty to McKeon.
“He's a kind of guy you almost consider like a brother,” McKeon said of Gullett.
This decision represents another chance for Bowden, whose keen eye for talent extends beyond players to managers, coaches and front-office personnel, to display his acumen.
“We want to have a manager that gives us the best chance to win in 2001, 2002, 2003 and beyond,” Bowden said.
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Next manager probably has Reds ties
