Monday, September 29, 2003
GOOD RIDDANCE...AND SOME MELVIN STUFF
I didn't like the Lamar Johnson hire from the beginning. He was canned less than a year after the Royals canned him. First of all, the teams with whom he was hitting coach all sucked. His tenures in Milwaukee (1995-98) and Kansas City (1999-2002) were marked by the complete opposite of success. Notice what happened to the Royals once they DIDN'T have him as a hitting coach? They sure had one hell of a turnaround. Milwaukee hasn't had a good year since 1992, when they won 92 games and finished four games behind the Blue Jays for the AL East title. You know, if they would have lost 93 games and finished second, that would sound very familiar... Anyway, Lamar Johnson wasn't there for that season, but rather the lean years in Milwaukee which are continuing.
Another thing about Milwaukee: that 92-70 season the Brewers put up in 1992 was Phil Garner's first season in Milwaukee. Garner managed eight seasons in Milwaukee and two full seasons in Detroit (and disgracing the Tiger organization, so say the Tiger faithful) before being axed after an 0-6 Tiger start in 2002. If you take out that first fluke season in Milwaukee, Garner's managerial record is a great, grand, and wonderful 638-759 for an awesome .457 winning percentage. The 1992 Brewers were his only team to have a winning record!! Of course, the connection here is that PHIL GARNER IS ONE OF BOB MELVIN'S BIGGEST INFLUENCES AS A MANAGER.
Bob Melvin was a bench coach for Bob Brenly. In Brenly's first year, the Diamondbacks won the World Series. I'm sure there's some credit to be given to Brenly, but if you have Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, any hitting at all (in this case, Luis Gonzalez), and role players off the bench that actually CONTRIBUTE (Durazo, Spivey, Counsell in 2001), A FRIGGIN MONKEY COULD HAVE MANAGED THAT TEAM TO THE WORLD SERIES. Brenly's 2002 team got to the playoffs and got swept soundly by the Cardinals. And that's how it should be. Brenly's 2003 team went 84-78. That's what happens when Johnson and Schilling get hurt, and then come back and don't do quite as well. Of course, Brandon Webb went nuts.
Though this year's Diamondbacks were hurt greatly by the injuries, I'm gonna try to draw a faint parallel here. Garner had one good season and then his teams went down the tank. Brenly had two good seasons and one bad one, who knows where the next Arizona season goes. These guys are two of Bob Melvin's biggest influences. Bob Melvin's team went 93-69 this year and missed the playoffs.
Here's to hoping the downward trend of Bob Melvin's influences doesn't rub off on him, small sample size of Bob Brenly's managerial career notwithstanding...
Another thing about Milwaukee: that 92-70 season the Brewers put up in 1992 was Phil Garner's first season in Milwaukee. Garner managed eight seasons in Milwaukee and two full seasons in Detroit (and disgracing the Tiger organization, so say the Tiger faithful) before being axed after an 0-6 Tiger start in 2002. If you take out that first fluke season in Milwaukee, Garner's managerial record is a great, grand, and wonderful 638-759 for an awesome .457 winning percentage. The 1992 Brewers were his only team to have a winning record!! Of course, the connection here is that PHIL GARNER IS ONE OF BOB MELVIN'S BIGGEST INFLUENCES AS A MANAGER.
Bob Melvin was a bench coach for Bob Brenly. In Brenly's first year, the Diamondbacks won the World Series. I'm sure there's some credit to be given to Brenly, but if you have Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, any hitting at all (in this case, Luis Gonzalez), and role players off the bench that actually CONTRIBUTE (Durazo, Spivey, Counsell in 2001), A FRIGGIN MONKEY COULD HAVE MANAGED THAT TEAM TO THE WORLD SERIES. Brenly's 2002 team got to the playoffs and got swept soundly by the Cardinals. And that's how it should be. Brenly's 2003 team went 84-78. That's what happens when Johnson and Schilling get hurt, and then come back and don't do quite as well. Of course, Brandon Webb went nuts.
Though this year's Diamondbacks were hurt greatly by the injuries, I'm gonna try to draw a faint parallel here. Garner had one good season and then his teams went down the tank. Brenly had two good seasons and one bad one, who knows where the next Arizona season goes. These guys are two of Bob Melvin's biggest influences. Bob Melvin's team went 93-69 this year and missed the playoffs.
Here's to hoping the downward trend of Bob Melvin's influences doesn't rub off on him, small sample size of Bob Brenly's managerial career notwithstanding...
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