2012 Who will be our manager?

[Trillz808]

theres no argument its just my opinion I just dont see a bench coach of a team that is coming off two seasons of let down being able to be the turn around boston needs

[seabeachfred]

To me it's getting to be more of a no-brainer every day. David Martinez in my opinion is the best man. He has been John Madden's bench coach for the past few years, knows the AL East and the Rays backward and frontwards, knows what ails the Red Sox, would bring a new type of play to the team totally unlike the dull, staid and predictable game that Francona dealt. No matter what, the team has to be purged of its old relics like Wakefield and Varitek, leadership turned over to its young veterans like Pedroia, Ellsbury and others, and the sacred cow class structure torn down to shreds. Only then can the business at hand building back the team can take place and the team tries to sign or trade for a solid starting pitcher, pick two solid relief men after a few years of picking lemons in that area, and become a little more right handed in the lineup. Above all, though, we need a manager who will crack the whip when it's necessary.

[Palodios]

To me it's getting to be more of a no-brainer every day. David Martinez in my opinion is the best man. He has been John Madden's bench coach for the past few years' date=' knows the AL East and the Rays backward and frontwards, knows what ails the Red Sox, would bring a new type of play to the team totally unlike the dull, staid and predictable game that Francona dealt. No matter what, the team has to be purged of its old relics like Wakefield and Varitek, leadership turned over to its young veterans like Pedroia, Ellsbury and others, and the sacred cow class structure torn down to shreds. Only then can the business at hand building back the team can take place and the team tries to sign or trade for a solid starting pitcher, pick two solid relief men after a few years of picking lemons in that area, and become a little more right handed in the lineup. Above all, though, we need a manager who will crack the whip when it's necessary.[/quote']

 

Excellent post.

[User Name]

This team needs a manager who is not only capable of being a disciplinarian, but also has enough knowledge of pitching to influence this pitching staff and get the most out of this group. While Martinez is endorsed as knowing the AL East and being able to fix Crawford (which is complete conjecture by the way) even Maddon has said that it may take him time to get used to the spotlight of a big city. Not a good omen.

 

If it was up to me, i'd try to pry Mike Maddux from Texas. Excellent pitching coach who's tough and diligent with his pitchers. Has a reputation for being meticulous and allowing no nonsense among his ranks. Also plays in an enormous market, which could help his transition to Boston.

 

That's just me.

[Elktonnick]

This team needs a manager who is not only capable of being a disciplinarian, but also has enough knowledge of pitching to influence this pitching staff and get the most out of this group. While Martinez is endorsed as knowing the AL East and being able to fix Crawford (which is complete conjecture by the way) even Maddon has said that it may take him time to get used to the spotlight of a big city. Not a good omen.

 

If it was up to me, i'd try to pry Mike Maddux from Texas. Excellent pitching coach who's tough and diligent with his pitchers. Has a reputation for being meticulous and allowing no nonsense among his ranks. Also plays in an enormous market, which could help his transition to Boston.

 

That's just me.

 

Excellent point. Although I am not one who believes as some have suggested that a manager with a strong background in pitching obviates the need for a strong pitching coach. I'd like to see both.

[User Name]

Excellent point. Although I am not one who believes as some have suggested that a manager with a strong background in pitching obviates the need for a strong pitching coach. I'd like to see both.

 

Well that's pretty much my point. They're likely to go back to a Farrell-style pitching coach, so i thought that to be an implicit part of the Maddux idea.

[Elktonnick]

Well that's pretty much my point. They're likely to go back to a Farrell-style pitching coach' date=' so i thought that to be an implicit part of the Maddux idea.[/quote']

 

Sorry I may have misconstrued your post.

[User Name]

Sorry I may have misconstrued your post.

 

What i meant was Maddux as manager alongside a strong pitching coach.

[Spitball]

Mackanin has been mentioned since the day tito announced he was leaving

 

I mentioned Mackanin from the start. He would be an excellent choice. I much prefer former infielders and catchers to former outfielders like Dave Martinez.

[User Name]

Mackanin would also be a good choice, according to what i've read. He supposedly has a very high baseball IQ and is also a no-nonsense kind of guy.

[example1]

I mentioned Mackanin from the start. He would be an excellent choice. I much prefer former infielders and catchers to former outfielders like Dave Martinez.

 

Mackanin would also be a good choice' date=' according to what i've read. He supposedly has a very high baseball IQ and is also a no-nonsense kind of guy.[/quote']

 

I'm interested in Mackanin as well. It will ultimately depend on the rapport established between the interviewees and Ben.

 

I don't know enough about Dave Martinez, but here's his resume:

 

http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/team/coach_staff_bio.jsp?c_id=tb&coachorstaffid=118363

 

I don't know why everyone thinks he'd be a great manager. Apparently he's very highly thought of. If the Sox get it right, they might find the diamond in the rough with a guy like him, but it certainly seems like a higher risk than someone like Mackanin.

 

Here's Dale Sveum's resume, FWIW:

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/team/coach_staff_bio.jsp?c_id=mil&coachorstaffid=123011

[SoxSport]

Sveum was one of those bad Red Sox 3B coaches, as I recall. Not someone the fans can get excited about.

 

If they're going to pick an older guy, I wish they would pick somebody who has won a championship--not named Tito.

 

I'm not a big fan of Charlie Manual--nice guy. strictly old school. I can't get excited about his bench coach , either.

 

I wish the Red Sox would aim higher.

[a700hitter]

I don't know why everyone thinks he'd be a great manager. Apparently he's very highly thought of. If the Sox get it right, they might find the diamond in the rough with a guy like him, but it certainly seems like a higher risk than someone like Mackanin.

 

Here's Dale Sveum's resume, FWIW:

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/team/coach_staff_bio.jsp?c_id=mil&coachorstaffid=123011

Everyone thought that Butch Hobson would be a great manager. The Sox fired Joe Morgan to give Hobson the job before the Yankees poached him. Hobson turned out to be a horrible manager. I think the choice of a first time manager is a huge wild card.

[example1]

Sveum was one of those bad Red Sox 3B coaches, as I recall. Not someone the fans can get excited about.

 

If they're going to pick an older guy, I wish they would pick somebody who has won a championship--not named Tito.

 

I'm not a big fan of Charlie Manual--nice guy. strictly old school. I can't get excited about his bench coach , either.

 

I wish the Red Sox would aim higher.

 

Is the choice of a manager really supposed to be centered around who the fans can get excited about? That seems pretty low on the list of priorities to me. A guy who helps this team play to their potential and get wins seems like the biggest priority.

 

That's all stuff that none of know about with regard o the selection process. Thy will undoubtedly ask questions about game situations and other things that impact outcomes.

 

Also, Sveum isn't thy old. If he's hard nosed and knows his stuff then the fans will become excited when he starts winning ballgames. Again, I don't know enough about any of these guys to have a clubhouse favorite. I sure as hell wish I could be a fly on the wall in interviews though.

[SoxSport]

Is the choice of a manager really supposed to be centered around who the fans can get excited about? That seems pretty low on the list of priorities to me. A guy who helps this team play to their potential and get wins seems like the biggest priority.

 

That's all stuff that none of know about with regard o the selection process. Thy will undoubtedly ask questions about game situations and other things that impact outcomes.

 

Also, Sveum isn't thy old. If he's hard nosed and knows his stuff then the fans will become excited when he starts winning ballgames. Again, I don't know enough about any of these guys to have a clubhouse favorite. I sure as hell wish I could be a fly on the wall in interviews though.

 

The fans don't have a positive impression of Sveum, based on his performance coaching 3B.

To the fan, he's one of a string of bad 3B coaches. Ditto for Hale, who is one of the old regime connected to the September collapse. He would seem to share some responsibility in the team's lax attitude.

 

The team needs a new face in the dugout--after what happened in September, and the management replacements. An outside face.

 

Whether that new face is new school or old school--may not matter.

A priority , however, is to turn Crawford around, and that suggests Martinez.

Another priority is to tighten up the rules.

[seabeachfred]

I'm interested in Mackanin as well. It will ultimately depend on the rapport established between the interviewees and Ben.

 

I don't know enough about Dave Martinez, but here's his resume:

 

http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/team/coach_staff_bio.jsp?c_id=tb&coachorstaffid=118363

 

I don't know why everyone thinks he'd be a great manager. Apparently he's very highly thought of. If the Sox get it right, they might find the diamond in the rough with a guy like him, but it certainly seems like a higher risk than someone like Mackanin.

 

Here's Dale Sveum's resume, FWIW:

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/team/coach_staff_bio.jsp?c_id=mil&coachorstaffid=123011

 

EX1--Personally I do NOT know if Dave Martinez would make a great or even a good manager, but bear with me for a minute. Why I like him is that he was a bench coach and right hand man of one of the better managers in baseball. He knows the Rays very well and he would certainly know about the Red Sox since he opposed them for many years. It is also safe to say he is fully versed on he AL East, which I still believe is the toughest division in baseball. He brings a familiarity with what the Sox need to know to compete successfully in the division. If he is a chip off the block of Madden it also stands to reason that he would bring a different type of game to the dugout, more variety, certainly more daring, and I think he would be able to handle the clubhouse and end the the turmoil that developed this past season. Learning at the hand of Joe Madden is a good learning tool for anybody.

 

BTW, it wasn't me who first mentioned Martinez as manager but their arguments were con-vincing to me and I just expanded why I think the guy is right for the Red Sox. Anyway, it is all a guessing game, isn't it???

[User Name]

The fans don't have a positive impression of Sveum, based on his performance coaching 3B.

To the fan, he's one of a string of bad 3B coaches. Ditto for Hale, who is one of the old regime connected to the September collapse. He would seem to share some responsibility in the team's lax attitude.

 

The team needs a new face in the dugout--after what happened in September, and the management replacements. An outside face.

 

Whether that new face is new school or old school--may not matter.

A priority , however, is to turn Crawford around, and that suggests Martinez.

Another priority is to tighten up the rules.

 

First off, thinking that Martinez can turn around Crawford is pure conjecture. Second, even if he could, that should not be a "priority" management should be looking at, the top priority should be winning ballgames by getting the most out of players, and Crawford is just one of the players.Tightening up the clubhouse and maximizing the performance of an embattled pitching squad are priorities A1 and A2 IMO.

 

Martinez could be a good candidate, but we don't know a lot about the guy.

[Scottish Red Sox Fan]

I have just come from MLB.com where I learned that the Red Sox will be interviewing Dale Sveum for the manager's job. OMG NO!! This is some sort of joke right?

 

The guy couldn't even coach 3B, far less manage a team like the Red Sox. If Ben Cherington wants to endear himself to the Red Sox Nation I suggest he puts this idea out of his head now.

[SoxSport]

I'm more impressed with what the Rays did this year than the Phillies.

Maddon strikes me as a better manager than Manual, so that's a good reason to prefer Martinez,

assuming he has picked up something from Maddon. Plus the Crawford factor.

 

But it's understandable why the Red Sox are interested in Mackanin.

The Phillies had the best pitching and the best overall team last year.

That's a plus for Manual--and their coaching and GM.

They were just unlucky in the playoffs--like the Yankees.

 

Beane in Moneyball says the playoffs are just a crapshoot.

[SoxSport]

Rick Peterson, by the way, is the pitching coach everyone seems to like.

I think he's available right now.

[User Name]

Beane in Moneyball says the playoffs are just a crapshoot.

 

He's right.

[Dojji]

Rick Peterson, by the way, is the pitching coach everyone seems to like.

I think he's available right now.

 

Was he the guy who talked the Mets into trading Kazmir because he thought he could fix Victor Zambrano?

[example1]

I'm more impressed with what the Rays did this year than the Phillies.

Maddon strikes me as a better manager than Manual, so that's a good reason to prefer Martinez,

assuming he has picked up something from Maddon. Plus the Crawford factor.

 

But it's understandable why the Red Sox are interested in Mackanin.

The Phillies had the best pitching and the best overall team last year.

That's a plus for Manual--and their coaching and GM.

They were just unlucky in the playoffs--like the Yankees.

 

Beane in Moneyball says the playoffs are just a crapshoot.

 

I realize that Maddon is a great manager regardless, but I can guarantee that the admiration here would not be so Maddon heavy if the Sox won 2 more games. Just sayin

[SoxSport]

Was he the guy who talked the Mets into trading Kazmir because he thought he could fix Victor Zambrano?

 

He did get fired by the Mets. And dropped by the Brewers recently.

[SoxSport]

Reading Cafardo today, I think the manager issue boils down to FO game control--does Cherington want to manage games, like Beane does (and probably Epstein did with Tito), or do they want the manager to have game independence?

 

The answer probably lies in what Lucchino/Henry think is best for the team at this point. From, the interviews, it looks like they want a guy the FO can micromanage. Maybe.

 

I hope they recognize that it's about pitching. In which case, Maddux should have the inside track.

 

But what if they want a guy who has the experience to handle a bunch of beer-drinking millionaires, and who can manage in-game? Cafardo says Valentine is the guy. I've heard Henry likes him, too, and Henry is the supreme sabermetrics guy on the Red Sox. Valentine may well be lurking under the radar.

 

This may well be the best approach, because sabermetrics is much more important in the FO, picking the right players. You want a manager that is good in-game and has the players' respect.

 

The other thing is , apparently Cherington's manager list was compiled with Epstein while Theo was still in Boston. That means the Cubs manager search list is probably the same as the Red Sox. If so, Cherington may have to act quickly to get his man.

[a700hitter]

I realize that Maddon is a great manager regardless' date=' but I can guarantee that the admiration here would not be so Maddon heavy if the Sox won 2 more games. Just sayin[/quote']I still don't like Maddon.

[seabeachfred]

Reading Cafardo today, I think the manager issue boils down to FO game control--does Cherington want to manage games, like Beane does (and probably Epstein did with Tito), or do they want the manager to have game independence?

 

The answer probably lies in what Lucchino/Henry think is best for the team at this point. From, the interviews, it looks like they want a guy the FO can micromanage. Maybe.

 

I hope they recognize that it's about pitching. In which case, Maddux should have the inside track.

 

But what if they want a guy who has the experience to handle a bunch of beer-drinking millionaires, and who can manage in-game? Cafardo says Valentine is the guy. I've heard Henry likes him, too, and Henry is the supreme sabermetrics guy on the Red Sox. Valentine may well be lurking under the radar.

 

This may well be the best approach, because sabermetrics is much more important in the FO, picking the right players. You want a manager that is good in-game and has the players' respect.

 

The other thing is , apparently Cherington's manager list was compiled with Epstein while Theo was still in Boston. That means the Cubs manager search list is probably the same as the Red Sox. If so, Cherington may have to act quickly to get his man.

 

Cherington seems to be a little on the procrastinating side; he should be acting more quickly to get a manager selected so he can get down to the business at hand of retooling the team. This idea of having a manager who is controllable by the GM or front office is ludicrous on the face of it. We just went through a disastrous season with inept and errand boy Francona dancing to the tune of his equally inept and talent judgment challenged Esptein. Bobby Valentine was my first choice from Day One but I kept being told that no way the Red Sox hire that guy, and since so many people told me that I quickly went to Dave Martinez.

 

Cherington's choice of manager is going to tell all of us a lot about the direction the team is going to be heading and for all our sakes it better not be more of the same. Losing Epstein and Francona was like a breath of clean fresh air to me and the direction the team now takes must go in a different direction from the route they took us.

[jung]

I agree that Valentine is the guy that JH wants and that as much as anything else has me worried about Valentine. I have liked Martinez from the start but if this boils down to JH gets his boy and we turn Cherington into the behind the curtain coach and LL into the behind the curtain GM we are all in for much more pain.

[seabeachfred]

I agree that Valentine is the guy that JH wants and that as much as anything else has me worried about Valentine. I have liked Martinez from the start but if this boils down to JH gets his boy and we turn Cherington into the behind the curtain coach and LL into the behind the curtain GM we are all in for much more pain.

 

I see your point very clearly Jung. If Henry says Valentine is his man he has to back him to the hilt because Bobby will not allow himself to become a puppet to anyone. He will let Cherington know that it is his job to procure the players and Bobby's job to manage in the dugout. We just went through this errand boy routine and for the last four years we didn't win a damn thing. I, like you, would like Dave Martinez if we can't get Valentine, but the new RedSox manager must be light years away from any resemblance to the flunky Franconas may have been to Epstein.

[SoxSport]

I agree that Valentine is the guy that JH wants and that as much as anything else has me worried about Valentine. I have liked Martinez from the start but if this boils down to JH gets his boy and we turn Cherington into the behind the curtain coach and LL into the behind the curtain GM we are all in for much more pain.

 

I think Cherington is on a shorter leash than Epstein was the last few years. Translated, that could mean a manager with more independence. I figure Lucchino is back to having a bigger say in player dealings and manager choices. That may not be bad, considering Epstein's inconsistent performance the last few years.

 

The media is saying Sveum now is a favorite for manager. I don't know as I believe that, but it's disturbing they would seriously consider an ex-coach who left with a bad rep as 3B coach. I think they want a break from the past here, much as letting Tito and Theo go. Sveum apparently still has friends in the FO--but they need a fresh face. If they don't see that, they might be in trouble.

 

LaRussa, a traditional manager, has just won a World Series. The Cardinals GM is a sabermetrics nerd. Maybe there's a message for Henry there.