Managers...

[TheLink]

is this job so difficult that they can't find younger guys to take on this role. The Mets are working on a deal to offer Terry Collins the position. He last had head coaching job in 1999 with the Angels.

Isn't there some better candidates out there that are due for a shot at a job. Seems like in all these leagues all you see is retread coaches.

[Sweetleaf22]

Ten teams hired a manager this winter and some did better than others. Here are my rankings of the new managerial hires, from top to bottom.

1. Clint Hurdle, Pirates. Pittsburgh sure took a long time finding its new manager, partly because not everyone is right for this job and perhaps partly because not everyone they targeted wanted to endure the stress. No matter, the Pirates wound up with exactly with the right guy. They interviewed what seemed like countless baseball people, but there's nobody who fits an organization that has endured 18 consecutive losing seasons better than an eternal optimist such as Hurdle. He spent this past year as the Rangers' hitting coach and he helped improve their patience at the plate. And the Pirates, who appeared to target Eric Wedge early, were rewarded for their patience in waiting out the World Series and Hurdle. He did a nice job overall during his time managing in Colorado, but Hurdle eventually wore out the Rockies with his perpetually gung-ho message, though, it took seven years to do so. Within seven years, the Pirates ought to break their 18-year losing streak, the longest in the four major sports. Grade: A.

2. Fredi Gonzalez, Braves. This Bobby Cox disciple is the least surprising hire of them all. But it's still an excellent one. Gonzalez won 87 games two years ago in Florida and overall did a fine job there. While he impressed just about everyone, he failed to impress Marlins owner/tough managerial critic Jeffrey Loria. Gonzalez, knowing his job was in jeopardy, held his head high and did the right thing by not backing down to Hanley Ramirez's shenanigans, either. He's seasoned and ready to lead the Braves, who are in the same division as the Marlins but have better pitching and slightly higher expectations. Grade: A-minus.

3. Mike Quade, Cubs. After going 24-13 as interim manager for a team that was demoralized and decimated when he took over for Lou Piniella in August, he was the only logical pick for GM Jim Hendry -- though Cubs faithful wanted to see their beloved Ryno get the job. Ryne Sandberg certainly served the necessary apprenticeship in the minors to earn consideration, but Quade earned the gig in a little over a month at the helm after eight years as an organization man. Luckily for him, Hendry was ready to transition from celebrity managers to relative anonymity after several years of Dusty Baker and Piniella. Grade: B-plus.

4. Eric Wedge, Mariners. He seemed to be the most popular of all the many managerial candidates who surfaced this season, with the Pirates seemingly having him atop their list to start the offseason as well. Wedge is known as a tough disciplinarian. He also has a history, and not a good one with Milton Bradley (few do), so that dynamic bears watching. The Mariners scored only 513 runs but they have several top prospects and the resources to turn things around. Lloyd McClendon, thought to have been the second-place finisher, was said to have sparkled in the interview, and may be a better candidate than many have credited him with being. Bobby Valentine seemed like a perfect fit, but Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik, a good baseball man who needs a bounce-back year, apparently didn't want to take the chance. Grade: B.

5. Ron Roenicke, Brewers. Milwaukee seemed to be leaning toward Valentine, but after the Brewers' higher-ups put in their calls, they switched gears and went with Roenicke, a first-timer who is the anti-Valentine and a relative unknown. Roenicke earned a strong reputation working for the Angels under Mike Scioscia, who has already helped develop two previous successful managers, Joe Maddon of the Rays and Bud Black of the Padres. Roenicke has been seen as an excellent communicator as a coach. But this is no easy task, especially after two straight losing seasons and with star Prince Fielder entering his walk year. Interesting call. Grade: B-minus.

6. Edwin Rodriguez, Marlins. He looks like the longest-running interim in history, as he's now contracted to stay through the 2011 season. The one-year deal doesn't look like much of confidence booster, but the optimistic E-Rod is telling folks he's taking it for the opportunity it is. The Marlins were rejected in their run at Valentine (in the first one back at midseason, they turned him down). When the White Sox broached Logan Morrison's name as possible compensation for former Marlins third base coach Ozzie Guillen and current Miami resident as manager, the Marlins said no. It is such a soap opera on the South Side of Chicago that Marlins people are holding out hope Ozzie can be available after the 2011 season. But there is far from any guarantee there, as some close to the soap opera say White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf loves Guillen even more than he loves GM Kenny Williams. Grade: C-plus.

7. Kirk Gibson, Diamondbacks. He has received many plaudits but the truth is the D-backs didn't fare all that much better than they did with the oft-ridiculed A.J. Hinch, going 34-49 for Gibson after a 31-48 record for Hinch. Gibson is beloved for his hard-edged baseball approach and feistiness, and for being the opposite of Hinch, an intellectual who wasn't accepted by old-time baseball folks through no fault of his own. The reality is, Gibson may be a folk hero for his unforgettable home run in the 1988 World Series but he remains unproven as a manager. Grade: C.

8. Don Mattingly, Dodgers. The Dodgers were contractually obligated to go with Mattingly, a good man with a strong work ethic who's a holdover from the Joe Torre regime. The big question seems to be this: Is Mattingly ready? He's had a couple minor glitches in managerial cameos, but he was unfairly chastised for running out of pitchers in the recent Arizona Fall League, as pitch limits dictate early removals in that preparatory league. Still, the Dodgers did him a favor by surrounding him with a lot of experience on his staff but also have some possible managers-in-waiting, including Tim Wallach. The Dodgers will take high expectations into the season after quickly rebuilding their pitching staff. You have to wonder how short Mattingly's leash might be. Grade: C.

9. John Farrell. Blue Jays. Farrell, the well-respected pitching coach of the Red Sox, probably got this chance because of the great success of Black, a longtime pitching coach who made the transition to manager look easy by doing well in San Diego. Farrell beat out a long line of candidates to get the call. Toronto comes off a year of relative overachievement under the underrated Cito Gaston, and while no one expects them to make the playoffs in baseball's hardest division, the task to avoid the cellar won't necessarily be easy now that the Orioles seem to have turned things around under Buck Showalter. Farrell is by all accounts a very bright man, but this is tough spot for a new manager having to match wits with Terry Francona, Joe Girardi, Maddon and Showalter in the AL East. Grade: C-minus.

10. Terry Collins, Mets. New Mets GM Sandy Alderson, who was last to choose, picked from a selected field of four finalists who were already working for the Mets (Collins plus Bob Melvin and Chip Hale were ex-GM Omar Minaya hires while Wally Backman was mostly a Jeff Wilpon import). Collins, who hasn't managed a major league team since 1999, knows his baseball but looks like he might be the riskiest choice of all after bad endings in Houston, Anaheim and with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan. Collins appeared like the favorite the moment his close relationships with new team VP Paul DePodesta and the immortal Sandy Koufax, who also happens to be Mets owner Fred Wilpon's childhood friend, came to light. Mets people say the feisty Collins rounds out an erudite front office. Moneyball men also tend to pick guys they have pre-existing relationships with who can be counted on to fulfill the orders of the front office. Collins is no dummy, and his fiery shtick should play well at the start (especially among those Mets fans who craved for Wally Backman, a starter on the 1986 World Series champion Mets), but his history suggests he may have difficulty making it all work in New York. Grade: D-plus.


Jon Heyman

[smitch124]

Odds this would be posted if Pirate entry got a C+: +2600

[ZoomVT]

lmao at farrell a C-.