2009 Coaching Thread -- Latest: Nashville Pitching Coach

[brewmann04]

Not sure it been posted

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/35483114.html

[nate82]

Chris Bosio named as the pitching coach also. Do a lot of other teams sign former players as coaches in their systems? It seems as though the Brewers sign a lot of former players that have played for the Brewers to coaching positions. I'm just curious about that.

[Mass Haas]

We won't copy and paste it all here, as the Journal Sentinel link should remain active through next year. Tom Haudricourt summarized all the moves in very good detail, as I'm sure Adam McCalvy will soon, if not already.

 

We'll see if we can learn a bit about some of the new names that may be interesting during the overnight and beyond.

 

We'll close the 2008 coaching thread and will post future updates here.

[twobrewers]

Money is that AAA manager!?!

 

Can we nominate that as most predictable move of the year?

 

Was Kremblas "not retained" - or was he fired?

[nate82]

Was Kremblas "not retained" - or was he fired?

He was "not retained".

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Miscik named Stars manager

Money promoted as manager at Brewers' Triple-A Nashville

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, mark.mccarter@htimes.com

 

For three years, Bob Miscik thought he had retired from baseball. He was teaching science to teenagers and helping coach a high school team in Venice, Fla. But, he said, "I couldn't stay away from pro baseball."

 

Miscik, with 28 years in the game as a player, manager or instructor, has been named manager of the Double-A Huntsville Stars.

 

Miscik, a 50-year-old native of Pittsburgh, replaces Don Money, who was promoted to the Milwaukee Brewers' Triple-A Nashville team.

 

Money managed the Stars four seasons, guiding them twice into the Southern League championship series and being named as the SL Manager of the Year in 2007.

 

Sandy Guerrero, the longtime hitting coach of the Stars, will be Nashville's hitting coach.

 

Other staff additions

 

Joining Miscik in Huntsville are pitching coach John Curtis, 60, a former Red Sox No. 1 pick and a pitcher in the majors for 15 years, and Jim Lett, 57, a longtime manager in the Cincinnati system and a coach in the majors with the Reds, Dodgers and Pirates.

 

Chris Hook, last year's pitching coach in Huntsville, will be at the Brewers' new Single-A club in Appleton, Wisc.

 

Miscik makes his home in Venice, Fla., where he is close friends with former Stars pitching coach Fred Dabney. Along with teaching science at Venice High his first year and Venice Middle School the last two, he also assisted head coach Craig Faulkner, who had played for Miscik in the minors, with the Venice High baseball team, which won the 2007 Class 5A Florida state title.

 

Though he attended several major league games during his three-year hiatus, Miscik saw only one minor league game.

 

Ironically, it involved the Brevard County Manatees, the Brewers' Single-A team, on which many of his 2009 Stars played.

 

Miscik spent seven years as a player in the Pirates' organization, then two years with the Angels' Triple-A team.

 

In 1990, current Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin hired Miscik to coach in Baltimore's minor-league system, where he managed five years.

 

Miscik followed Melvin to the Rangers, where he spent seven years as field coordinator. He held the same post for the Reds in 2005.

 

Money enjoyed Huntsville

 

Money replaces Frank Kremblas as the Nashville manager.

 

"It's a good move for me in terms of stature, I guess," Money said. "But it was good to be there in Huntsville. I liked that league and we made some good friends there."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Appleton's Matt Erickson hopes he's a hit in new job as Timber Rattlers hitting coach

By Brett Christopherson

Post-Crescent staff writer

 

If September's union between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Milwaukee Brewers was a grand slam, then consider Wednesday's announcement a bases-clearing triple.

 

Just months after inking a four-year player development pact to serve as the Brewers' low-Class A minor league affiliate, the Rattlers have learned a familiar face will be hanging out in their dugout in the upcoming season.

 

Former Appleton West standout Matt Erickson has been pegged to join the Midwest League club as its hitting coach to complete a 2009 field staff that also includes manager Jeff Isom, pitching coach Chris Hook, trainer Aaron Hoback and strength and conditioning specialist Jake Marx, a Menasha native.

 

"Obviously, growing up in Appleton, I've watched the Appleton Foxes play and I'm familiar with the administration that runs the Timber Rattlers right now," Erickson said. "I was excited about the news with the Brewers deciding to come to Appleton, and now that I get to be part of that, it's definitely a win-win situation."

 

The 33-year-old Erickson played in 11 professional seasons as an infielder and appeared in four big league games with the Brewers in 2004.

His lone hit in six career at-bats came against Chicago Cubs ace and future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux.

 

He was originally selected by the Florida Marlins in the seventh round of the 1997 June draft after playing collegiately at the University of Arkansas.

 

"This is good for a bunch of reasons," Rattlers president Rob Zerjav said. "Matt, being a local guy, is a neat story for him and us. But on top of it, he and I have a good relationship and to know one of the coaches personally definitely helps with the familiarity of everything. It makes for an even smoother transition."

 

Added Brewers director of player development Reid Nichols: "We weren't going to hire someone just because he was from Appleton. He brings a lot to the table. He's a student of the game. He comes from a baseball family. It's just the intangibles I feel he brings.

 

"He doesn't jump right in and try to change anybody. He observes. He's smart on how he talks to the players. He just fit well with what we're trying to accomplish with the Brewers."

 

Erickson, a 1994 Appleton West graduate who was coached at the prep level by his father, Bruce, retired as a player in April and had since moved back to Appleton with his wife, Julie, and their 4-year-old son, Maddox. The couple is also expecting another child.

 

He is employed as a national Nike sales rep, a position he plans on keeping - part time during the baseball season and full time during the off-season - as he transitions into his first professional coaching gig.

 

Erickson said he had other pro coaching offers in recent years but opted to hold off until playing the game was completely out of his system.

 

"I know for sure my playing days are over," said Erickson, who was in spring training this past season with Arizona and then signed with Philadelphia in April before calling it a career. "And I'm looking forward to being involved in the game of baseball while at the same time being able to stay close to home and family, which is important."

 

Isom skippered West Virginia, the Brewers' previous low-Class A affiliate, in 2007 and '08 and guided the Power to the South Atlantic League Championship Series in each season.

 

Marx, a 2001 Menasha High School graduate, will be entering his fourth season with the Brewers.

 

Milwaukee also announced former big league hurler and Combined Locks resident Chris Bosio will serve as the pitching coach at its Triple-A affiliate in Nashville, Tenn.

 

Bosio, who spent seven of his 11 major league seasons with the Brewers, was the pitching coach last season at Double-A Chattanooga, Tenn., a Cincinnati Reds affiliate.

 

He also coached at Lawrence University (2006-07) and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (2004-05).

 

Among Bosio's other coaching duties included a stint as the pitching coach for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2003.

 

"I'm very excited for the opportunity to be working with the Brewers' Triple-A club and helping the club I signed with in 1982," Bosio said.

"They have a number of very good-looking prospects, not only position-wise but with the pitchers, too.

 

"My job is to get guys ready for the big league club. That's my challenge, and I'm looking forward to it."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Sounds call up a new manager

Ex-MLB star spent past four seasons with AA Huntsville

By Maurice Patton

THE TENNESSEAN

 

Longtime major-league third baseman Don Money has been named manager of the Sounds for the 2009 season, the Milwaukee Brewers announced Wednesday.

 

Money spent the previous four seasons as manager at Huntsville - the Brewers' Class AA affiliate - after Frank Kremblas was elevated to the Sounds' helm for the 2005 season.

 

Kremblas, the third-winningest manager in Sounds history, was released by the Brewers at the end of the 2008 season.

 

"I'm very happy to be there," Money said by telephone from his home in New Jersey. "Being in Double-A the last four years, we've had a lot of good talent. Most of the players that will probably be in Nashville, I've had at Huntsville. I know what to expect of the players, although the league will be new."

 

Brewers officials expect Money to lead with an on-the-field style that is similar to that of Kremblas.

 

"I think Don, on the field, will probably not be all that much different from Frank," Milwaukee Assistant General Manager Gord Ash said. "Off the field, he's a little more old-school in terms of his expectations of players from a discipline point of view. I think that's probably going to be one of his greatest challenges.

 

"Triple-A is a situation where players are either unhappy because they've not gone up or unhappy because they've just come down. There are not a lot of happy players there. Trying to maintain the focus and direction is something he's going to need to do. Clearly he's done that in the lower minor leagues. In Triple-A, it takes a little more finesse."

 

Joining the 61-year-old Money on the Sounds coaching staff will be ex-major leaguer Chris Bosio, as pitching coach, and former Huntsville hitting coach Sandy Guerrero, who will serve in the same role with the Sounds.

 

Bosio will replace Stan Kyles, who will serve as the Brewers' bullpen coach under new Manager Ken Macha, and Guerrero replaces Harry Spilman, who was let go along with Kremblas.

 

Jeff Paxson will return for his fifth year as the team's athletic trainer, and strength and conditioning coach Tom Reynolds is set to come back for a second season.

 

Money, a four-time American League All-Star during his 16-year career with the Phillies and Brewers, was named Milwaukee's most valuable player in 1974 and '77.

 

He has compiled a career managerial record of 829-842 over 13 seasons.

 

He leaves Huntsville as the winningest manager in franchise history with 275 victories.

 

"He's done a nice job in the lower levels of our development system and he obviously had a good season at Huntsville," Ash said of Money, who led the Stars to a 73-67 finish in 2008. "The players will be graduating and we felt it important that the staff do so as well.

 

"The focus is clearly on developing players, but developing staff is part of this process as well. For those guys to move up, I think, is pretty good."

 

The Sounds are scheduled to open the 2009 season on April 9 against New Orleans at Greer Stadium.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Rattlers manager expects to field competitive team in '09

By Brett Christopherson

Post-Crescent staff writer

 

APPLETON - Jeff Isom won't know the makeup of his roster until shortly before the 2009 Midwest League baseball season begins.

 

Still, he has a pretty clear idea on what fans can expect when they head to Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute to check out the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

 

"One thing's for certain," the first-year Rattlers manager said on Tuesday during a visit to the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, where he attended the annual Red Smith Sports Award Banquet. "It will be a competitive club."

 

That's because the Brewers have relied on one of the top minor league systems in baseball - their own - in forging into a playoff contender.

 

Milwaukee's homegrown talent includes such stars as Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy Corey Hart and Yovani Gallardo.

 

Meanwhile, potential stars like catcher/third baseman Brett Lawrie (third) and outfielder Cutter Dykstra (seventh) are ranked by Baseball America as among the top 10 prospects in the Brewers system.

 

Both were drafted by Milwaukee last June and could be slated to open the '09 season with the Rattlers.

 

"You look at our major league club, and you've got guys like Prince Fielder and Corey Hart and Ryan Braun," Isom said. "All of those guys made stops at every spot from A-ball, all the way up. So we value the minor league system."

 

Isom would know firsthand considering he skippered the West Virginia Power - the Brewers' low-Class A affiliate the previous four seasons - to a spot in last year's South Atlantic League Championship Series. He also managed the Helena (Mont.) Brewers, Milwaukee's rookie level club, to a 48-28 record in 2007.

 

Conversely, the Rattlers suffered losing campaigns in five of their final seven seasons as a Seattle Mariners affiliate.

 

"Brett Lawrie, he's a 19-year-old kid who can flat-out hit - fun to watch," Isom said. "And there's a whole handful of guys, guys like Cutter Dykstra, just a good group. Our scouting department's done a great job of not only finding talent, but good kids, as well."

 

A league of his own: The 36-year-old Isom spent parts of two of his three minor league seasons pitching in the Midwest League.

 

Among his stops were Springfield, Ill., in 1994 and Clinton, Iowa, in 1995.

 

He played collegiately at Purdue University and resides in West Lafayette, Ind.

 

"I've been here," Isom said of Appleton, which has housed a Midwest League franchise since 1962. "I'm looking forward to it, understanding that it's developmental. We polish players at this level, and as a manager, you kind of have to understand that coming in.

 

"It's not what can you do for me now. The attitude is what can you do for me in three or four years and end up being in the big leagues. That's the fun part of my job."

 

Scoreboard watching: The installation of a new LED video board and scoreboard will be the latest improvement project to take place at Fox Cities Stadium.

 

According to Rattlers president Rob Zerjav, the project will cost roughly $500,000 with the majority of that total funded by the Fox Cities Sports Authority, a nonprofit organization that owns the stadium and leases it to the Rattlers.

 

The new video board/scoreboard will remain in left field and include video, replays, head shots and animations.

 

Zerjav said the LED lighting will also make for easier viewing, even in direct sunlight.

 

The project is expected to be completed by the end of March.

 

"There will be a lot of new features," Zerjav said. "We wanted to enhance everybody's experience at the ballpark."

 

Opening day: Zerjav said the club's first home game - April 9 at 6:35 p.m. against Quad Cities - will feature a double bobblehead giveaway.

 

He said fans will receive a twin bobblehead of Rattlers mascot Fang shaking hands with Brewers mascot Bernie Brewer.

 

This will commemorate the Rattlers becoming a Brewers affiliate.

[Mass Haas]

Thanks for the heads up, BrewCrewBall -- this has been up at the Manatees' site since late March:

 

Interview Transcript with Manatees Hitting Coach Corey Hart

 

Also:

 

Interview Transcript with Manatees Pitching Coach Fred Dabney

Interview Transcript with Manatees Manager Mike Guerrero

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Long road leads home for Wisconsin Timber Rattlers hitting coach Matt Erickson

By Brett Christopherson

Post-Crescent staff writer

 

GRAND CHUTE - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers hitting coach isn't the only job title you'll find on Matt Erickson's business cards.

 

"The last few days, I've been a human MapQuest for a couple of these guys," he said.

 

Such is life for the 33-year-old Appleton resident, who has been busy ironing out swings in preparation for today's Midwest League season opener against Quad Cities at Fox Cities Stadium.

 

"No doubt about it, it's a great situation," said Erickson, a 1994 Appleton West graduate who went on to play 11 professional seasons as an infielder in the Florida Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks organizations.

 

The Rattlers are entering their first year as a low-Class minor league affiliate of the Brewers, the same club that gave Erickson his only big league opportunity, with four game appearances in 2004. His lone hit in six major league at-bats came against Chicago Cubs hurler and future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux.

 

"We had Fan Fest (on Tuesday), and I looked up in the stands and knew about 80 percent of the people," added Erickson, selected by the Marlins in the seventh round of the 1997 June draft and a collegiate standout at the University of Arkansas. "Most of them are my family. (My son) Maddox and I were out here yesterday, throwing batting practice in the bullpen.

 

"It's a great set-up. I know the front office people do a great job here. I just want to do my part."

 

That includes dealing with the sometimes grueling mental aspect of the game, as much as tinkering with mechanics, although Erickson's resume is stamped with a .300 career minor-league batting average.

 

"We know that he was a heady player, and he brings that knowledge to the field," said Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash, the keynote speaker at Wednesday's Lead-Off Experience team banquet. "Sometimes, it's difficult for a player to make the transition from player to coach this quickly, but I think Matt has the background to make that adjustment - maybe a little better than most."

 

Erickson's background has been enhanced by a father who spent the previous 34 years as a baseball coach - the first 30 as the head man at Appleton West and Appleton North and the last four as an assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh before retiring.

 

"The biggest thing about coaching is you've got to be able to communicate," said Erickson's father, Bruce, a member of the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. "It's a selling job. You've got to be able to communicate with the kids and make them believe that what you're teaching is sound. And I think Matt's No. 1 asset is his ability to communicate.

 

"Obviously, the best thing about it is he just came off 11 years of playing professional baseball. And now he gets to work in his hometown. He had been offered coaching jobs with other organizations, but he wasn't ready to do that because of the time commitment away from home. Now, with the Brewers moving to Appleton, it works out perfect."

 

Just ask Erickson, whose wife is expecting the couple's second child - a baby girl - in July.

 

"I've been traveling, living out of a suitcase for about the last 11 years I played minor-league baseball," he said. "So this will really be the first time I'll be involved in baseball and still be at home.

 

"I have a new opportunity, a new challenge, a new career. And I get to stay involved in the game of baseball, the game that I love, and at the same time be around my family, which is numero uno with me."

 

Bruce, on the other hand, sees another perk.

 

"If I ever get the urge to hit fungos," he said with a chuckle, "I'm going to walk right out on that field during batting practice and do it."

[Mass Haas]

Post-Crescent Blog Entry with a Q&A with roving infield instructor Garth Iorg includes this --

 

Q: What are your impressions of the Rattlers' infielders?

A: They've played very well. They've turned eight double plays. Our focus this year in spring training, we wanted to turn double plays throughout our organization, and this team is off to a great start. And they've figured in every game, so it has been very pleasing to me to see them take what we did in spring training and implement it into the game and see it come to fruition, that we're doing what we set out to do.

 

Q: Has that been surprising to you, particularly at this point as players are getting acclimated to their first full season of pro ball and the cool weather?

 

A: We're fortunate that we've got a great shortstop. Michael Marseco, he's incredible. Got great hands, really adept at moving around the bag. I think he kind of anchors our defense out there. And in spring, he was just phenomenal. He won our gold glove award that we offer that's available to anybody from Triple-A on down - and he won it this year. So it's nice to have a guy who can pick it like him in the infield, and he's going to help (second baseman) Brett Lawrie.

 

It hasn't been that surprising. And these guys are excited. They haven't been around long enough to know it's bad weather. They know it's bad weather, but most of these guys were in Helena (Mont.) last year. Or they're like Brett, who are just getting their feet wet, and they're just excited to be in pro ball right now and to get playing. Whatever it takes. It's very youthful enthusiasm, and they're taking advantage of a great situation here.

 

Q: Lawrie was drafted as a catcher but then moved to second base. What are your impressions of him? The transition has seemingly been seamless.

 

A: He's a great athlete, and he's getting more comfortable out there. He kind of gets lost sometimes with his positioning - things you'd expect. He needs to work on turning double plays a little bit better. But he has done really well. He's just so athletic. He's a big, strong guy, but he can run, he can move. He's got good hands. I'm very pleased with what he has done.

 

More with Iorg here.

[Mass Haas]

Post-Crescent Blog Post relays a tidbit from Timber Rattlers' hitting coach Matt Erickson about his brief (and only) big league stay in 2004, which came with Milwaukee.

[Mass Haas]

WSSP Audio Interview with Timber Rattlers' Manager Jeff Isom -- discusses Lawrie, Dykstra, Peralta, Marseco, among others

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Sounds manager understands the Brewers' way

By Maurice Patton • THE TENNESSEAN

 

During most of his 16-year playing career, Don Money's focus was on helping the Milwaukee Brewers be competitive.

 

More than 25 years after his last big league game, he's still trying to help the Brewers succeed.

 

This past offseason, Money became manager of the Nashville Sounds after a four-year stint at the Brewers' Class AA affiliate in Huntsville, where he became the winningest manager in that franchise's history. He also worked seven years at Class A Beloit, Wis.

 

"I'll go where the organization needs me," said Money, 61. "If something warrants it and I get to the big leagues as a coach or manager, that's another thing. But that's not my No. 1 priority.

 

"My No. 1 priority is trying to make these players better to get to the big leagues."

 

Mission accomplished.

 

The Milwaukee team that beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday featured eight players who rose through the Brewers' system. Of those, six played under Money at some point.

 

"I know there are coaches that have never played in the big leagues, (that) their goal is to get to the big leagues," he said. "I've been in the big leagues. I've had my time. If they'd come to me and want me to go back to A-ball, that'd be fine.

 

"I want to do my job and get the players ready for whatever level it is. My job is to help every player get better."

 

Money didn't play a day in the Brewers' farm system. He went to Milwaukee following the 1972 season in a trade with Philadelphia, where he had played four seasons after coming up through the Pittsburgh organization.

 

"I was still a young guy, 25, and the (Brewers') organization was a young organization," he said, referring to the franchise's move from Seattle after the 1969 season. "My first year was their first year. We struggled the first five, six, seven years. But from the late '70s to the early-to-mid '80s, we were as good as anybody in baseball."

 

As a third baseman, Money batted .284 with 16 home runs and 55 RBIs for the 1982 team - nicknamed "Harvey's Wallbangers" in honor of first-year manager Harvey Kuenn - that lost to St. Louis in the World Series. The year before, the Brewers lost to New York in the American League East best-of-5 "mini-series" prompted by a midseason strike.

 

In 1978, Money was the first Brewer voted into the starting lineup for the All-Star Game. He had previously gone 88 games over the 1973 and '74 seasons without an error, and made 261 consecutive defensive plays without an error during the 1977 season.

 

Following the 1983 season, Money went to Japan for 29 games in 1984 before calling it quits.

 

"There's no doubt he's got a lot of history with the club," Milwaukee Director of Player Development Reid Nichols said. "He brings a lot of credibility to the players. He's seen a lot of players come through the system. He's got a knack for infield play, and (as a manager) he runs a good game.

 

"He's loyal to the organization. It's good to have people like that in your system."

 

Leaving the system isn't on Money's agenda at this point.

 

"Would I leave here and go to another organization? I'd almost say 'no,'" he said. "I couldn't see myself doing it with the Colorado Rockies or whoever.

 

"When I'm done with Milwaukee, wherever it may end - whether it's here or wherever - I'm probably done."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Miscik manages to laugh hard if team plays hard

By Paul Gattis

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, paul.gattis@htimes.com

 

In spring training, the Huntsville Stars weren't sure what to make of their new manager Bob Miscik.

 

"He seemed kind of like a military guy," center fielder Adam Stern said. "We didn't know what his background was. We thought he had nine yars in 'Nam, not nine years (as a player) in pro ball."

 

Beware a manager whose poker face hides the adolescence of an overgrown kid.

 

"He's still got a lot of player in him - he's good to joke around with and fun to play for," Stern said. "He can dish it out and we can dish it out to him. He takes it just as well."

 

There are many sides to Miscik, 50, who is in his first season as manager of the Stars. He can be straightforward and businesslike, dispensing words so efficiently it's as if they cost him $5 apiece.

 

He can be in agony from laughter, both thick-skinned and quick-witted enough to be on the giving and receiving ends of an ego-trampling ritual such as a clubhouse kangaroo court.

 

He can go from mild-mannered to a nose-to-nose screaming match in a heartbeat, which happened last week with Chattanooga manager John Valentin.

 

And all this from a guy who, at this time last spring, was teaching science in Venice, Fla., counting down the days until the end of the schoolyear.

 

"Yeah, (leaving teaching) was a no-brainer," he said. "I wanted to try it and spend time with my daughter (10-year-old Natalie). And something was missing."

 

That, of course, was baseball. So Miscik picked reached out to an old friend - Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, who gave Miscik his first coaching job in 1990 in the Baltimore Orioles farm system. The two also worked together with the Texas Rangers.

 

Miscik worked 16 years in baseball after his minor-league playing days ended in 1988. And three years of teaching reminded Miscik just how much he loved baseball.

 

He loves it so much that he spends long bus rides listening to pitcher Chris Cody impersonate him in front of the whole team.

 

"He doesn't have a lot to work with but he does a better job than anyone," Miscik said after a laugh. "Cody is very good. He's got me."

 

Cody sheepishly said he has a knack for imitations.

 

"I've been known to do some imitations on every team I've been a part of," Cody said. "I've always been that guy."

 

He must be good, given that his manager and Melvin's assistant Dan O'Brien - two men who hold Cody's career in their hands - are frequent targets.

 

"I don't think I sound like (Miscik)," Cody said. "I just kind of imitate what he says, like going over scouting reports and stuff like that. He finds something and he harps on it. When he has a point he wants to drive home, he gets on it."

 

Such as?

 

"One day, it was two-out RBIs - they are the key to life," said Cody, quoting Miscik. "They're golden. He said that probably six times in one paragraph. They're golden, they're golden.

 

"Sure enough, two days later, I ended up getting a win as a result of a Chuck Caufield two-out RBI hit. The next day, Bob comes up to me and says, 'Make fun of me all you want but that was a two-out RBI hit that got you that win.'"

 

But with Double-A players only two steps away from the big leagues, Miscik's needle sometimes gets a little sharper.

 

"They are older guys," Miscik said. "If you're not prepared to dish it out and you can't take it, you may be in trouble."

 

Then Miscik would love Stern's assertion that his manager looked like he "wanted to take Ryne Sandberg out for a date at home plate" when he carried out the pregame lineup card recently against the Tennessee Smokies.

 

Said infielder Kevin Melillo: "He does spend a lot of time at home plate when the opposing manager has 10-plus years in the majors. A 7 o'clock game will start at 7:15."

 

But Miscik is laughing, too.

 

"This is a great club to be a manager of," he said. "They work correctly, they don't have to be told, they like to work and they play hard. It's the best one I've managed as far as that goes."

[Mass Haas]

This article on the task of hitting includes the following from Manatees hitting coach Corey Hart:

 

Preparing players to do that is the job of Brevard County Manatees hitting coach Corey Hart. He played eight minor leaguehttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif seasons with Kansas City (1998-04) and Milwaukee (2005), hitting .242 with 32 home runs and 248 RBI.

"You've got to tell the guys and teach them that you've got to learn how to fail," he said of his work with the Class A long-season Florida State League players.

And while the Manatees' hitting mantra is "hard-hit contact," many times the opposite can be true.

"We keep a hard-hit average," Hart said. "This game, you could hit two balls hard and two balls soft and the two balls you hit hard on, you could get out on and the two balls soft, you could get a hit on. You just never know what happens in this game."

That is the case, but if there is a truism in baseball, it's this: "Good pitching beats good hitting any day of the week," Hart said. "If you've got a top major league pitcher and he's on his game, there's probably not going to be much offense on the other side."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

A new ballgame

Curtis has watched times change since MLB drafts of 1960s

Contact Mark McCarter at his al.com blog at http://blog.al.com/mccarter

Huntsville Times

 

It was a showroom-new 1968 Buick Riviera, sleek and cool, a big hunk of American iron that went through gas the way a frat house goes through a keg.

 

John Curtis, 41 years later, still halfway kicks himself that he didn't negotiate the dealer down from sticker price for it, considering he wandered in armed with a pocket full of cash.

 

"Back then, it's how you showed off your status, how you drove up to spring training," Curtis said.

 

Some things don't change.

 

The journey from amateur athletics into professional athletics typically has a layover at a luxury car dealership. Sign a pro contract, minutes later sign the papers for a new car. Except now, elephantine SUVs and massive trucks have replaced Rivieras and Cadillacs. This past week's major league baseball draft will do more for the flagging automotive industry than anything President Obama might conjure.

 

Curtis, the Huntsville Stars' 61-year-old pitching coach, was a first-round draft pick. Not once, but twice. After pregame batting practice one evening last week, Curtis sat in the Stars' dugout, with "Free Bird" blaring on the P.A. system, to take a drive down memory lane.

 

In 1966, the Cleveland Indians made Curtis their first pick, No. 12 overall, 10 spots after a guy named Reggie Jackson.

 

Curtis and his father George had informed the major league teams he wouldn't sign, that he was going to college first. That was George's strong advice. They recognized that the maturing process would best be done in the stricter confines of a college athletic program than a minor-league clubhouse.

 

Cleveland took a chance, though, and dangled a $60,000 bonus offer, eventually raised to $73,000. Tempting, since the elder Curtis was then unemployed after working in personnel for American Airlines. But they stuck to their plan.

 

In 1968, after two years at Clemson University, Curtis was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the first round, the No. 10 pick overall. Two spots later, the Dodgers drafted Steve Garvey.

 

The Sox offered $80,000, plus a scholarship that enabled him to finish at Clemson. Said Curtis, "I ended up making some money on the deal."

He gave half his bonus to his father. He took the other half. And a Buick dealer on Long Island took a chunk of that half.

 

"What I knew was, being drafted No. 1, you were going to be a major league pitcher," Curtis said. "It was for you to figure out how you were going to get there."

 

Curtis got to the majors and spent the better part of 15 seasons there. He made his debut on Aug. 13, 1970, retiring Cookie Rojas, Amos Otis and Lou Piniella 1-2-3 in a Kansas City romp over Curtis' Red Sox. George Curtis was fighting cancer then. He lived long enough to know that his son had made it to the show, but never got to see him pitch a major league game.

 

'The biggest thrill'

 

Forty-one years after Curtis negotiated his deal with the Red Sox, inflation and hype have hijacked the baseball draft. Last year's No. 10 pick, catcher Jason Castro, signed a $2.07 million bonus with Houston, 25 times what Curtis signed for.

 

The current draft class could be followed on ESPN and the Internet, ballyhooed as the "next so-and-so" for months. Nobody heard of John Curtis, outside of a few grizzled scouts and high school opponents. He did a radio interview with a station in Cleveland in 1966. The Long Island writers who covered him during high school interviewed him.

 

"The biggest thrill for me was seeing my name in the New York Times," said Curtis. "That was something."

 

Other than that, no attention. No hype.

 

And nowhere near as many zeroes at the end of the bonus figure.

 

For all those changes, in the most important aspect, nothing has changed, as Curtis is quick to remind.

 

"It's an exciting time for youngsters who look forward to becoming a professional and realizing a dream of pitching in the major leagues," he said. "The most difficult thing to understand is the journey is only starting. To think you've spent 75 percent of your life, if you're an 18-year-old, getting to the point to where you attract professional scouts. And you get into the business and you realize you're an extra fly on the cake."

 

That's the constant from 40 years ago to 40 years from now. The opportunity presents itself. The journey starts.

 

They're just traveling in a little different style these days.

[Mass Haas]

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'Gonzo' uses vast baseball experience to lead Brewers

By JASON SCOTT - Helena Independent Record

 

Rene Gonzales knows a thing or two about baseball.

 

He's a former major leaguer who started playing pro ball in 1982. He played for 15 years at the highest level and for eight teams. Now he's in his second year as manager of the Helena Brewers. He also coaches in the Arizona League during extended spring training. "Gonzo," as he is called around the ballpark, is a baseball guy, through and through.

 

Last year, in his "rookie" season in Helena, Gonzales coached the Brewers to a 35-41 record to place sixth in the Pioneer League. It's a statistic he is hoping to improve, starting Tuesday, when the Brewers host the Missoula Osprey in the season opener.

 

The Brewers feel that this season, they'll be more prepared when things kick off. They showed up early for a minicamp that will culminate this weekend in a three-game scrimmage.

 

"We got off to a slow start last year," Gonzales said. "The minicamp should make the difference. I tell you we're going to be better coming out."

 

Gonzo said that sometimes a coach has to work on his feet as the short season approaches. Sometimes teams don't get a chance to gel before opening day, making a fast start tough.

 

"You really don't know your team," Gonzales said. "Everyone gets there and the season starts three days later. Here we have seven, eight days to see what we have.

 

"Guys are hanging out with each other, playing on their home field, and living with each other at the hotel. That will help big-time."

 

Gonzales, who hails from southern Califonia and played for Cal-State Los Angeles, said he feels his team should be tough to beat this year, highlighting the players' size and athleticism.

 

"I like what I see, I like our size. We're pretty big this year," he said, adding that his team's conditioning isn't a question at all. "They've been playing all year. If anything, you've got guys playing more than they ever have in their career. It's new territory."

 

That's for certain. The players drafted out of college are, by definition, the best on their teams. That means they've gotten the most innings throughout the collegiate season, innings that are hard work. Now they come to the pros where they'll be expected to play at that same high level every day. He said that a 4-for-4 performance one day doesn't mean a thing the next.

 

"It's a grind. It's not college life anymore," Gonzales said. "They're getting paid to play baseball. They're professionals. It's perform or go home. I think once they get awakened to that idea, they'll be OK. But you have to show up every day."

 

Gonzales is used to that kind of hard work. He played a large chunk of his career in the middle infield. While in Baltimore, he was part of a big shortstop-second base combo, one that included Gonzo and the Iron Man himself, Cal Ripken Jr. The duo together measured 12-feet, 7-inches and 425 pounds. That's a formidable double-play pair.

 

"They made a big deal of that when we played together," Gonzales said of his and Ripken's size. "They said, 'That's the biggest middle infield ever.' "

 

Now Gonzales looks to continue bringing knowledge to young pro ballplayers who are on their way up the minor league ladder. It means working on an individual level with each player as well as the team as a whole.

 

"I am used to it. I did it my whole career," Gonzales said of the fine line he walks. He added that his workdays get long during the year. "I come in between noon and 1 and don't leave 'til 11 or midnight. But the four or five hours out on the field are the best part."

 

The next few days will help Gonzo finalize his starting lineups and rotations. The intra-squad games might give some insight into who is ready for game time.

 

"I have a lineup," he said. "It's in pencil, but I got a feel for what I see. Scouting reports help me out big-time. Guys work out practice differently than they play. I'll figure that out right away, as the season gets going."

 

The scrimmage tonight starts at 6:00 PM. Players will be at Kindrick Legion Field prior to the game for a barbeque with their host families. The intra-squad game is open to the public.

 

Helena Brewers manager Rene Gonzales hits ground balls to infielders during minicamp Tuesday afternoon at Kindrick Legion Field. (Lisa Kunkel Independent Record)

http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/20/sports/local/55spl_090620_gonzo.jpg

[battlekow]

Bob Miscik will be a coach for the U.S. team in the Futures Game.

[Mass Haas]

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Brewers manager Gonzales lived the life of a big leaguer

By JASON SCOTT - Helena Independent Record

 

Editor's note: Helena Brewers manager Rene Gonzales took advantage of the All-Star break to relax and let his short-A club team take the day off. He also recently took the opportunity to sit down with Independent Record reporter Jason Scott, the beat reporter covering the Brewers this season. This is Part 1 of an excerpt of the interview.

 

JS: You were a major league baseball player. You're the only one I've ever met.

 

RG: Really?

 

JS: Yeah. Easily. I don't think I ever even got an autograph directly from a major league baseball player. My parents always went off to spring training and left me at home.

 

RG: Wow.

 

JS: Yeah. Tough life.

 

RG: Yeah. Speaking of parents, my parents didn't get to see me play a whole lot growing up because they were always working. They both were working.

 

JS: What did your parents do?

 

RG: My dad was a heliarc welder and my mom, she was a clerk, a government secretarial official. They worked all the time growing up. I just remember getting on my bike and going everywhere on my own. It was just "Make sure you're home by dark." Well, you're saying you've never met a big leaguer. I'm just telling you my story. I had a brother that was almost ten years older than me so I was way ahead of the curve and it still pays off today. With my peers, I was just way ahead. He told me the do's and don'ts and the rights and wrongs and how to play head games with the guys my age. My dad was a great baseball player, I always knew that growing up. He screwed up and married my mom and joined the real world.

 

JS: So was he a pro ballplayer?

 

RG: Yeah. My brother was really good, he played at UCLA, but he didn't pursue it. I remember taking ground balls for hours and hours. Just play all day; all sports, too. I had out of high school scholarship offers for basketball as well as baseball. I just liked baseball so much.

 

JS: Your brother decided not to go pro. What made you do it?

 

RG: People thought I was crazy. When I was little, I remember, when I was five years old, I walked around and told everyone I was going to play in the major leagues. And I was, I knew it. By the time I was in junior high and high school, I had put the blinders on. I just trained every day. It wasn't training to me, it was just going out and having fun. But I did something baseball-specific every day. There was one time when I was in high school, there was one time my brother said, "Hey, did you work out today?," and I said no. He said, "Well, someone out there is, some other kid out there is." I never forgot that. My parents and my brother never had to tell me I had to go out and train. I was just whacked. There was some homes in a field behind our house that eventually got knocked down. A bank took it over and it had a huge parking lot. In the parking lot there was a street lamp that stayed on all night. In the back of the building there was a huge brick wall. I used to sneak out of my bedroom window in the middle of the night and jump the fence. I'd put tape on the wall and throw at it and field the ball. I'd come back in the house at three in the morning or four in the morning, get a few hours sleep and get up to go to school. I did that almost nightly.

 

JS: That's dedication, even if it doesn't feel like dedication.

 

RG: I went to college of course and eventually got drafted. When I was drafted by the Montreal Expos, I thought, "Montreal, who are they?" The scouts eventually came to my house to sign me and I thought we were going to play hardball with them and tell them, "I want this much." They said, "You're a pretty good player, we want to send you right to AAA. So I was like "Yeah, I'll sign." And I did, I went right to AAA.

 

JS: Is that pretty rare?

 

RG: Yeah. You have a few guys, there are just a handful of guys that went straight to the big leagues. There was someone hurt in AAA, the shortstop, and when I got there he wasn't hurt as badly as they thought, so they sent me down to AA Memphis for a while. It was really cool. Playing every day and doing it for a living.

 

JS: What's the pay scale like?

 

RG: It was terrible.

 

JS: Is it still that way?

 

RG: Oh yeah.

 

JS: So you have to make the show before you're get paid well?

 

RG: Oh yeah. There's no doubt. There are some guys who are around for a while in triple-A, making a living. But in the minor leagues, ooh, we were three, four guys sharing an apartment, sharing a car. Very little money. Even this group here, they stay with host families and no cars. They can get one meal here, scrounge for another meal there. There's no money to be made in the minor leagues. That's some incentive as well.

 

When you're growing up, you always say, "I'd play it for free. As long as I could make a living." And I did. I was in the big leagues going, "As long as I can make a decent living and playing baseball." Then all of a sudden, you're sitting in the locker room next to someone making five, ten million and you're saying, "I'm better than you are, what the heck's growing on?" When it comes to negotiating a contract, that's the only way, is being compared to someone else. Putting numbers up against another guy. That's how negotiations go. You hear about the ugly stuff that goes on during arbitratition, stuff like that and that's exactly how it goes.

 

JS: That's when you bring in an outside guy?

 

RG: Yeah. Basically it's an attorney for you and the team's attorney, and he's telling you how horsecrap you are and your attorney is telling them how valuable you are. I've heard a lot of ugly things. It's funny. They build you up throughout your career and if you go through arbitratition, there they say, "You're batting .200 with runners in scoring position. That's not very good. Yeah, we'd like to have him, but…"

 

So a couple years, year and a half in the minor leagues. Chris Spiers gets hurt in Montreal and I get called up.

 

JS: Do you get a new contract when you get sent up?

 

RG: Yeah.

 

JS: Because it's two different leagues, right?

 

RG: Right. You have a major league contract, you have a minor league contract. Guys who are in the big leagues, are always going to be in the big leagues. They can send them to the minor leagues, but they have to pay them under the major league contract.

 

JS: So they want them to play in the majors.

 

RG: A minor leaguer has signed his contract for the year, all of a sudden, he gets called up, because they have to put them on the 40-man roster. Because it's a different league and a different union, they're automatically getting paid the minimum.

 

JS: Is it $250,000?

 

RG: I think it's more than that, $300,000 or something. When I first got called up it was $82,000. But it's great. It's the big league life. It's funny, in the minor leagues, you're struggling for cash, trying to get by, you only have one pair of cleats. When you're in the big leagues, people are just handing you stuff. When you're in the big leagues and you're making money all the free stuff comes in when it should've come in the minors.

 

JS: I've always thought that.

 

RG: The very first time I got called up, my triple-A coach called who me into the office, it was Buck Rogers, who eventually became my big league coach in Montreal and again in Anaheim. He's a great guy, a great coach. There's a lot of stuff I use managing that I learned from him. He called me up and he goes, "You're outta here, you're getting traded." I said, "Traded? I'm the top prospect in the country. How am I getting traded?" He said, "You're going to the big club." So I showed up in Philadelphia. The team was playing the Phillies. I remember getting to Veterans Stadium and the game was already playing. I had to ask security how to get to the locker room. I walked into an empty locker room … I walk down this tunnel and the game was already in the eighth inning. The minute I walked into the dugout, all my teammates were like, "Hey, how's it going," and all that.

 

Bill Verdon was the manager, and as I was just getting settled in and talking to the guys, he goes, "Hey, are you ready?" And I go, "Yeah, of course," thinking, am I ready to play in the next couple days.

 

He says, "Okay, you're in there playing short." And I just ran out on the field. No warming up, no stretching, nothing. The first baseman throws the ball across the field and my first throw, I just aired it out. You know, with the adrenaline, I didn't have to warm up. I was ready.

 

Sure enough, first hitter is Greg Luzinski. I'm thinking okay, okay, big pull hitter. First ball is at you, that's the way it always is. Got it, threw him out. And there it went.

 

First I remembered calling my mom, that evening, telling her, "Mom, I'm in the big leagues". She went nuts, of course. There it started.

 

First big league game start, I went 4-for-5 off Charlie Hudson. I remember it just seemed so much easier. The backdrop was so clear, you play on these minor league fields where the lights are terrible and the fields are bad. I remember getting in there and the ball looked so big and everything just seemed to slow down. Again, I went 4-for-5, I was on base all five times, and I was thinking, "Man, there must be a league higher than this." So I thought that I had started my big league career, I'm never going to see the minors again. But they were just throwing me fastballs, challenging me to see what I could do. The next week, here comes the sliders, splits and I'm thinking, "Wow." Chris Spier gets well and I'm back in the minors in two weeks. It was pretty humbling.

 

When I was first drafted, I was put in a high league and right away the next year when I came back, I was in big league camp. So one year after getting drafted there I was in big league camp with Andre Dawson and Tim Raines and Gary Carter and Al Oliver.

 

JS: This was still with Montreal?

 

RG: Yeah. I already gauged myself off of them. Immediately I knew I could play with these guys. There was no period doubt. Rookie Ball to the major leagues is just just miles and miles away. Straight out of college I was playing with those guys so I felt I could easily do it.

 

My first day in the big leagues, in Philladelphia. The next morning, there was a knock on my door and it was Tim Raines and Andre Dawson, saying, "Let's go, young buck." They took me out and bought me three or four suits, shoes, everything. They go, "Hey, you've got to look like a big leaguer and act like it."

 

Now you hear about all the pranks they pull on the rookies, putting them in dresses and all that stuff, I never went through that. All those guys, they just made me feel welcome. They would just sit next to me on the bench, coaching me, teaching me. They just put their arm around you. It's not like that now.

 

Later on, when I would be a veteran on the team, guys would tell me to go tell the rookies to double up on the bus or go sit in the front of the plane, I couldn't do it because it didn't happen to me.

 

JS: So you played how many years?

 

RG: Thirteen seasons, seven teams.

 

JS: Any favorite at bats? Anything that sticks out?

 

RG: Not really. You remember the first major league at bat.

 

JS: Did you get a hit?

 

RG: Yeah. Jerry Koosman. I'm thinking here's this guy, sinkerballer, a lefty, he's going to throw it outside half of the plate, I'm thinking I'm going to try to hit a line drive to right field.

 

Bill Mazeroski and Duke Snyder were my coaches. I told my dad that and he was impressed. A favorite at bat, well hmm. I do. I think I remember all my hits.

 

Your first hits you remember. Game-winning home runs, you remember those. I had a couple of those. I hit one the second day of the season in Baltimore. We were playing Seattle. It was just near opening day. We had the meet and greet with the boosters and the sponsors of the Orioles. It was a banquet they annually had in the evening after the game on a Sunday. Mike Jackson was the pitcher and I think in the tenth inning, I hit a game-winning home run. So we went to the banquet and they got me up in front of everybody and they said, "Well, you hit the game-winning home run tonight." And I said "Yeah, but more importantly, I'm on pace to hit 82 home runs this year." I was joking. Yeah, I was not a home run hitter.

 

I was a fan of facing Clemens and Ryan and all those guys. Most guys would duck them. I welcomed it because I wanted to say I faced the best and beat them. I used to get up for those at bats. I thought it was just a blast to face them. I think I had better success against the better pitchers because of that. I remember 3-4-5 starters used to get me out all the time.

 

I was eventually traded to Baltimore from Montreal. Played there for five years.

 

JS: Would you say it was your favorite team to play for, did you have a favorite?

 

RG: I would say I never felt more like a big leaguer than I did with Baltimore.

 

The way the city treated me, the way the players on that team treated me. Baltimore is just an unbelievable, huge baseball town. And also, having lockers next to Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken. Having Brooks Robinson come through the clubhouse. Jim Palmer, Boog Powell. When we would go to visit another city, even in spring training, when we would walk into the park with all those guys. That was fun.

 

It wasn't fun playing behind Cal Ripken. I had never played any other position but shortstop. They got me, thinking I was going to play shortstop; they traded me for three guys: Dennis Martinez, a catcher and another minor leaguer. I was hoping they were going to move Cal to third but Cal didn't want any part of that. So they asked me if I could play other positions. Never having played other positions, I said, "Yeah, sure, of course." And then I was a utility man. I was labeled. I wish I had never done that, I wish I had demanded a trade. It changed my whole career. And you know, saying you played in the big leagues, people say that's awesome, but I still have second guessed my career. I could've been better. I should've had a much better career. With the talent I had, I should've had a better career. It's weird and people can't grasp that. It's like playing golf, you shoot a 63, but when you get done, you say, "Yeah, but if I had made that one putt." But that's how it is.

 

I was much better than I ended up being.

 

I went to Toronto in 1991, another great city. We lost to Minnessota in the playoffs. That sucked. I thought we had the class of the big leagues that year. We had beat up on the Twins all season long so we were looking beyond them. They kicked out butts.

 

Next year, free agent again and I went to Anaheim, I went home. Everybody said, "Man, it's too bad you weren't in Toronto." And I said, "No, playing every single day, living at home, on the beach, parents in the stands every night, it was almost like little league. It was so relaxing.

 

As a visiting guy, coming into L.A and Anaheim, coming in as a visiting guy, everybody's calling you and wanting tickets.

 

Now that you're home, nobody bothers you. That was a blast, I loved playing in California. It was 78 degrees every night, short sleeves, you know you're going to play. No rain delays, it was awesome.

[Mass Haas]

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Gonzales on life in the big leagues, Ripken's record

By JASON SCOTT - Helena Independent Record

 

Editor's note: Helena Brewers manager Rene Gonzales took advantage of the All-Star break to relax and let his short-A club team take the day off. He also recently took the opportunity to sit down with Independent Record reporter Jason Scott, the beat reporter covering the Brewers this season. This is Part 2 of an excerpt of the interview.

 

JS: Did you enjoy playing with Cal Ripken Jr.?

 

RG: When I was playing there, every one forgets. Forget the consecutive game thing, he had consecutive innings. He didn't miss an inning for 10 years. He hadn't missed an inning, an at bat, nothing. It was a joke, like, "Who's the only backup shortstop never to play shortstop?"

 

Finally his dad pulled him out of the game. He told him, "You're not going back in there." I think it was in Toronto, and I think Cal was taken aback, too. I was sitting next to him and he was literally tearing up.

 

JS: Do you have any lasting friendships?

 

RG: That's the coolest thing about my career is that I can call all those guys my friends. You know, Cal, Eddie Murray, Dave Parker. I played with Pete Rose in Montreal. That was awesome. Tim Lollar, Terry Francona, guys like that. If you saw my contact list, you'd be amazed.

 

JS: At what level did you have the most fun?

 

RG: I think like a lot of things, whether it's baseball or whatever career, when you look back, it's almost cliché, but the journey is the most fun part. The funniest and craziest stories come out of the minors. The long bus trips, the bad food and hotels and all that stuff. The big leagues are everything that you could imagine. You're staying in the best hotels, eating at the best restaurants, you never wait in line for anything, you hardly ever pay for a meal, you never see your luggage, it just shows up in your room and you play in front of thousands of people. It's an absolute joke.

 

People go, "Wow, you live this big league life." With that, everybody thinks it's the greatest thing in the world. But it's much more cutthroat than people think. You perform or you go home. I can't tell you how many times I'd come into the clubhouse and look at the locker next to me and it's empty. That guy's gone. He was struggling, not hitting the ball. See you. That part about it is not glamorous at all. It's all well-earned and it's short-lived. The careers are very short and people are saying, "How are you paying this guy $15 million?" It's because very few people can do it. How does Tom Cruise get paid $20 million for a movie?

 

JS: I guess if people are willing to watch it, those superstars are going to want to get paid.

 

RG: It just makes you nervous. I remember we opened the season in Cleveland in the old stadium, the "Mistake on the Lake." There were 70,000 people for Opening Day. It was just unbelievable. People would ask me if I was nervous. I never was. I was more nervous on the bench for my teammates than I ever was on the field.

 

JS: It's something you can control.

 

RG: Yeah. It's like driving. You're with your best buddy, who's driving the car and you're totally comfortable, but you would be more comfortable if you were driving because you are in control. When I would break it down, there are all these people and you're hoping to get a ground ball hit to you, I thought I was still in my back yard with my brother hitting me ground balls. The surrounding and atmosphere doesn't really change; it's just fielding a simple ground ball.

 

It was funny. In Cleveland with all the 70,000 people and the fireworks and all that, the next night there were like 19,000. That old stadium was horrible. The new stadium, Jacobs, is pretty awesome.

 

In Baltimore, John Miller was our play-by-play guy. He was in Baltimore forever. I knew before anyone else that he was good, I think before the rest of the world did. Now he's so national, but he was our everyday guy. There's another friend. What baseball has brought me is stuff like that. John Miller is now a good friend of mine. Tim Kurkjian was our beat writer. Those guys were like part of the team. They were on the buses and planes with us. They're with you in the locker room every day. It's pretty cool.

 

JS: Now, in 2009, what has changed. What have you noticed is different since when you were a player?

 

RG: I think a lot of things have changed. The guys coming up now don't have the history and knowledge of the game that is as good as it was back then. I think there's just so much more going on in their lives and the culture and stuff like that.

 

JS: Would you say that the athleticism is better?

 

RG: I think overall the size of the guys is bigger. I wouldn't say the athleticism is better at all. I think the era like in the '70s, teams were so fast and athletic. I think Astroturf changed it a lot. No, I don't think the athleticism is better, I'd say it's less. I think guys get a little bit more one-dimensional. They can do this but they can't do that.

 

JS: Any really strange moments?

 

RG: Tons of them. But there's so many of them. I think my friends are better at telling them because they have their favorites.

 

JS: You were on hand when Ripken broke the record, right?

 

RG: Yeah. That was really huge. We had talked about being there when that would happen. At the beginning of the year, I looked at the schedule and saw that I would be in town when this happened. It was so cool. I played in that game. It was so cool. I think I was supposed to be there. He being my friend, I think it was meant to be. Even if I was on the other side. He came through and shook all of our hands and eventually I gave him a big old hug. It was great.

 

Sometimes my friends and I stay up all night telling stories.

 

JS: Now you're a manager. What's it like?

 

RG: Baseball is the same as it ever was. Being on the field with the players and in the dugout is still the greatest thing ever. Even the umpires will tell you the same. Umpires are probably the most hated guys on the field but they wouldn't say that. They're part of a pretty cool thing going on.

 

Now it's a little bit different, seeing guys succeed and follow up and move on is the greatest thing for me. Dealing with 30 different personalities is a challenge. I think that's what makes me a good coach is my ability to do that. Even as a player, I played for seven different teams. That's tons of ballplayers. You could name anyone. I bet I spent time with all of them. The challenge is to know how to treat people.

 

Knowing that with this guy, you have to put your foot in his butt and this guy you have to stroke him a little more. A lot of it is semantics. It's Sociology 101. I think I'm really good at that. I think that's what made Buck Rogers a really good coach and what makes me a good coach.

 

Doing reports and sending in all that stuff is not the fun part of it. I used to be the first one to the ballpark and the last one to leave as a player and now I still am even more so. I don't leave here until midnight. I get here at 1 p.m. for a 7 o'clock ballgame.

[Mass Haas]

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Easy Money

Terry McCormick, Nashville City Paper

 

As a baseball player, Don Money enjoyed a long Major League career that stretched between 1968 and 1983. But as a manager, the current Nashville Sounds skipper took an unconventional route to get where he is today.

 

Money, a four-time American League All-Star as an infielder with the Milwaukee Brewers for 11 of his 15 major league seasons, finished his big league career with a .261 batting average, 176 home runs and 729 RBIs.

 

But once he retired, Money didn't jump right into coaching. He took some time off away from the game - 15 years away to be exact.

 

What did he do during his time away from baseball?

 

"Nothing," he said. "I went home. My kids would have been like 12 and 13, so I went home and just got out of the game."

 

Well, he didn't exactly do "nothing." Money still dabbled in the game, coaching baseball at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Vineland, N.J., and doubling up as a coach in a men's league on weekends, all the while tending to family matters.

 

"Of course, they graduated from school, got married and had their own families, and I coached high school for five years," Money said. "Then I said, 'You know, this is a seven-day-a-week job. High school five days during the week and the men's league on the weekends. My kids got out of the house, and I started to get the itch to get back in."

 

Fortune smiled down on Money, now 62, because at that time there was an opening in the Brewers organization for him. A connection with former teammate Cecil Cooper, who was working in the Brewers front office, helped hook Money up with his first managing job.

 

"Cecil Cooper ended up getting the minor league director's job in Milwaukee, so I called him up in probably March (1997) and I just happened to ask him if he had any openings coming up," Money recalled. "I said I'd be interested.

 

"He said, 'I have some openings, but I can't tell you when and where.' He said, 'I'll call you back later in the summer.' So he called me back sometime around August and he offered me the manager's job in Helena, Mont., which is in Rookie League. I said, 'OK, fine.' "

 

Money was all set to spend time in the mountains of the Northwest in the summer of '98. However, that Montana managing stop never materialized. Cooper called Money back a few weeks later with a different sort of assignment for his old Brewers teammate.

 

"About three weeks after all this came about, they were still looking for a manager in Beloit, [Wisc.]. Cooper said, 'Nah, I've changed my mind. I want you to go to Beloit, which is a full season,'" Money said.

 

Money was pleased with the change, because it meant he would be managing a full-season team rather than the short-season team in rookie ball. It worked out well enough that Money stayed in Beloit for seven seasons before being promoted to the Double-A Huntsville, Ala., Stars.

Money managed in Huntsville for four seasons before taking over the Sounds' top job this year.

 

For a guy who spent a decade-and-a-half in the majors, Money doesn't mind the slow climb up the ladder as a manager.

 

"It's like anything else, you've got to pay your dues," he said. "A lot of players I played against think it's easy. But it's not an easy job. You've got to learn the ropes.

 

"As players, you know the playing side of it, but we don't know the other side of it," he added. "You know baseball - [like] when to bunt and when not to bunt. But it's all the other behind-the-scenes stuff that you really don't know as a player. Like dealing with personalities."

 

According to his Sounds players, many of whom he has managed in Beloit and/or Huntsville, dealing with them is Money's strong suit.

 

"He's up front. He'll tell you what he expects, and the team understands what to expect from him," said outfielder Cole Gillespie. "If you're not getting the job done, he's not afraid to make some moves."

 

The fact that Money spent so much time in the majors also counts plenty for prospects who have yet to realize their own big-league dreams. Plus, as a former player himself, Money understands the ups and downs of baseball life.

 

"If you see a guy that's been in the 'Bigs' for a long time, you've got to respect that," said catcher Angel Salome. "He's one of the best managers I've had. He knows what it is to be a baseball player, he knows how it is when you're tired, or when you're struggling."

 

According to Money, players on the Triple-A level are also more appreciative of his past than the youngsters he dealt with at the lower levels.

"When I got back into it, I was back in low A-ball. You're dealing with kids who are 18 to 21 or 22 for the most part and they know everything about the world already," he said. "When I first started, the players I coached didn't even know I'd played in the big leagues. I'd talk to the opposing third baseman, and he'd say, 'Coach, did you ever play in the big leagues?' And I'd say, 'Yeah, I got a little time,' and just leave it there.

 

"These players here are a little older and they might know your stats. I'm not one to go out and say I did this or I did that. Go look it up. It's in there someplace."

 

Money knows there are difficulties that come for a manager. Having to teach younger kids the same fundamentals over and over can become frustrating, and he said it's never easy to have to tell a player he's been released.

 

"I think the biggest thing as far as a manager's standpoint is not sending a guy down, it's releasing a guy," Money said. "Sometimes when you release a guy, he might show up on other teams, maybe that year or next year. Some guys you release, they go back to independent ball, or they go get a real job. That's the hardest part."

 

As for what the future holds for him as a manager or big league coach, Money has a low-key approach to all of that.

 

"My goal is to win today's game first. It's one game at a time. We don't look at next week or win tomorrow," he said.

 

Surely, being so close to being back in the majors, Money has some aspirations for such a promotion.

 

"It's irrelevant. If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen," he said. "Some guys, their goals are to try to get back to the big leagues. My goal is to just try to win today's game, and we'll see what happens down the road."

 

Another unique perspective to Money's approach is his loyalty to the Brewers organization, where his two stints have now totaled 23 years. He said he can't see himself working for any other franchise at the current time.

 

"It'd have to be in Milwaukee. I don't think I'd go anywhere else. I played for them for 11 years, and managed for 12. I couldn't foresee myself moving," Money said. "Of course, you could get laid off or fired, but I don't think I would get on the phone and say, 'Hey, what do you have?' I'd probably just go home.

 

"This is the team I grew up with. I got traded over here when I was 24, and I played for them for 11 years. I got out of it and got back into it for 12 years. When you've been with them for 11 of your 15 [playing] years and 12 years coaching, I really couldn't foresee myself moving. Could it happen? Yes, but I really don't foresee it."

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Media Notes:

 

CLINE NAMED PITCHING COACH: Steve Cline joins the Sounds as interim pitching coach today, replacing Jim Rooney who returned to his scouting duties for the organization. Cline, who joins Nashville from the Brewers' rookie-level Arizona League affiliate, is in his 29th season as a pitching coach in the minor leagues and 14th year in the Brewers' farm system.