Ron Roenicke Hired as Manager

[Invader3K]

Roenicke a player favorite in Anaheim.

 

“I’m disappointed he’s leaving,” (Torii) Hunter said. “He’s a very intelligent man. He’s the guy I go to when I’m struggling.

 

“I’m upset, but it’s a great opportunity for him. He’s always wanted to be a manger. Those guys are going to like him.”

[RightFieldCoder]

I'm not against Roenicke (although he's got a harder name to spell than the last several managers). I just realize managers are hired to be fired. I thought I'd jump on the band wagon first, then jump off before it gets too crowded.

[BrewCrewForever]

Roenicke a player favorite in Anaheim.

 

“I’m disappointed he’s leaving,” (Torii) Hunter said. “He’s a very intelligent man. He’s the guy I go to when I’m struggling.

 

“I’m upset, but it’s a great opportunity for him. He’s always wanted to be a manger. Those guys are going to like him.”

Hearing Hunter endorse Roenicke is a good thing.

 

 

[Sage]

"I can't imagine anyone who played under Bobby Valentine making the comments about Valentine that Hunter has made about Roenicke."

 

That was a comment in the JSO Blog about this. I could not agree more.

[MJLiverock]

I like it. Someone new, comes with a good background managing and coaching at different levels and a former player. I like the idea of getting more aggressive with some players on the basebaths, speed is a weapon if utilized right. I don't get the automatic apprehension or hatred of the steal or hit and run. Sure if you are getting thrown out half the time it hurts but being successful does put pressure on the defense and honestly I think catchers have gotten worse over the years as emphasis on the steal has slipped. Make teams think twice about putting that rag armed catcher back there because of his bat. Guys like Escobar, Gomez, Cain, Weeks, should use their speed. Even Braun and Hart have had some success on the bases. No one is saying bunt all the time or steal all the time but there is a lot of room upwards from the last couple of seasons.

 

I have to agree with the posters saying tying ticket sales to a manger hire is pretty weak. I can't think of a single time anyone has ever mentioned going to a game to see the manager or even really expected a team to be much better because so and so was hired or not. I would even wager most casual ticket buyers don't even know who Bobby Valentine is or if they do they just know him as a guy on ESPN if they can even remember which talking head is which. I know I lose track of who on TV for which channel and I follow baseball more than the average fan.

[Eddiehitsthefoulpole]

If I were Bobby Valentine I would probably want a guarantee in my contract that the Brewers salaries would continue to rise. That could have been a problem.

[Gobias Industries]

I hate Scioscia ball. They give away way too many outs. The only reason that team has had success the last decade is because of how weak the division is. Hopefully Roenicke isn't a carbon copy.

[davego]

I had a ton of cards in the 80's and I'm pretty sure I had at least 6 of Ron's.

[RockCoCougars]

I'm must say that I'm pretty disappointed about this after the Valentine rumors. Not even considering the fact that this guy basically goes against all of Melvin's stated criteria (experienced, winning record, familiar with the N.L., younger and able to connect with the players), this is a very bland hire. I don't know why, but this smacks of the Davey Lopes hiring to me. If money was truly the issue with Valentine, my head is going to explode when they overpay a middle reliever or veteran bench guy 2 or 3 million bucks a year. You have to wonder if they 'went on the cheap', because Melvin is on a very short leash.

[GAME05]

he has a decent background like the rest of the applicants, so i can't complain. it sounds like he'll run a lot more, which is a strength of the team. maybe not a good thing for disciples of Beane, but it'll at least make the games more exciting than someone sitting down at First and waiting for the HR.

 

definitely don't care that he doesn't know the NL Central that well. he's got six months to figure it out.

 

i'm guessing Valentine just wanted too much money. for a guy who's been out of the Majors for 16 years, he doesn't seem to want to come back that bad. hopefully this will be one of those situations where we don't get the guy we initially wanted but the replacement turns out to be even better.

[Invader3K]

Brian Anderson with some very effusive praise, from the JSOnline Brewers blog:

 

 

"He's on the short list of most impressive people I've ever met," said Anderson. "I know that's a big statement and I don't say things like that about people very often but as far as character goes and what he knows about baseball, I couldn't have been more impressed.

 

"He's a baseball Tony Dungy. He's humble, a quiet leade, a great leader. He misses nothing. Every player who has every played for him loved him. He really believes in a team having one voice, in everybody being united for the same goal. Players buy into that. He treats people with respect and knows how to assess every situation.

 

"I'm not sure the Brewers really know what they've got just yet."

[TooLiveBrew]

"I can't imagine anyone who played under Bobby Valentine making the comments about Valentine that Hunter has made about Roenicke."

 

That was a comment in the JSO Blog about this. I could not agree more.

"I've been managed by a lot of big names, but Bobby is the most

astute baseball mind I've been managed by," former Mets pitcher Al

Leiter said. "He was by far the most forward-thinking and innovative."

 

Mr. Leiter remembers Mr. Valentine sitting in hotel lobbies, drinking

tea and reading books—-an outlier in the insular culture of baseball.

Because of Mr. Valentine's oddball personality, Mr. Leiter said he

thought that some teams wanted to beat the Mets more because they were

led by him.

...

Mr. Valentine's managerial style could, however, rub players the wrong

way. But Mr. Leiter said that he thinks Mr. Valentine got a "bad rap" at

the end of his time with the Mets when he was criticized for what some

perceived as a deteriorating relationship with his players. After a

75-86 season in 2002, Mr. Valentine was let go.

Link

"Probably one of the best baseball men I've been around," former New

York Mets General Manager Jim Duquette said recently. "It's not just

that he's a bright guy. He's taken the time to study it, hours upon hours."

 

"I've played for a lot of guys, and Bobby is very, very baseball savvy."

said MLB Network analyst Mitch Williams, who played for Valentine while with

the Texas Rangers.

 

"Very thorough and very motivated," former Marlins pitcher Charlie

Hough said.

...

"He's A-plus as far as being a manager, knowing the game, and handling

people," said former Marlins pitching coach Rich Donnelly, who served

in the same role when Valentine arrived in Texas in 1985. "I don't know

his IQ, but it's probably pretty high. He sees things clearer than a lot of

people."

...

"I compare him a lot to Bill Parcells that way," said Williams, who

was a rookie on Valentine's Rangers club in 1986. "They're going to do

things their way. If ownership wants a guy they can put their thumb on and

control what they do, Bobby's not one of those guys.

Link

[PKBadger]

Roenicke (as it's pronounced) sounds a bit like Meineke, which is funny because one of their old taglines was "you're not gonna pay a lot, but you'll get a lot."

 

That pretty much sums up this hire....I hope.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

I wonder where he stands on "Untuckem"?

[carniesandrubes]

OK, I want to know who's behind this already:

 

http://fireronroenicke.com/

That would be me. Just a joke more than anything. Hopefully the site never has to be used for any real campaigning http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

 

[splitterpfj]

I love Ron Roenicke....no wait, I hate Ron Roenicke...RATS, I guess I'll have to watch some actual games to make up my mind.

[PrinceFielderx1]

Ron Roenicke is just the aggressive manager the Brewers need. I'm very happy with this pick!

[chuckiehacks]

I love Ron Roenicke....no wait, I hate Ron Roenicke...RATS, I guess I'll have to watch some actual games to make up my mind.

You'll never work in talk radio with that attitude!

 

 

The most impressive thing for me so far is the quote from Hunter. That just seems so opposite from both Yost and Macha, that it should be beneficial somehow.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Oh thank Melvin! Dodged the Joey Cora bullet yet again.

 

Whew!

[AJAY]

This is one of the most demoralizing days I have experienced as a Brewers fan. I can't tell you how heartbroken, devastated, crushed, and disappointed I am that Bobby Valentine did not get the job. For 40 years, we have been hiring the exact same type of "up and coming" nobody for a manager. Look where it has gotten us. We heard all the same nice things about ever other guy they hired in the past too. Why does the front office keep repeating the same thing over and over?

 

The Brewers had a golden opportunity to hire the guy I have always dreamed of having for years, and I can't comprehend how they chose to pass on him. I feel sick to my stomach. I guess it's just another painful reminder that we are just the lowly small-market Brewers and that for some reason, we never get the special things in life.

 

I wish the new guy luck, but this is very painful for me.

[logan82]

This is the least popular choice as far as creating fan excitement is concerned. The Brewers will have their work cut out for them selling season tickets this off-season.

 

The team will sell or not sell tickets based on their wins and losses. Nobody will care who the manager is by midseason. He will either be savior or goat based on how the team plays.

[Invader3K]

AJAY, I was pulling for Valentine too, but I think you are being a bit over the top. Macha was seen as a veteran "winning" manager, and look where that got us. Roenicke seems like he is well regarded and will have a personality and philosophy that will fit where this team is going. Maybe he'll end up being a disaster, but it's way too early to say.

[Invader3K]

Ray' Maddon thrilled for Roenicke.

 

"They're getting a guy who is very good on details, really well-thought out and well-prepared," said Maddon. "They're also getting a guy with very strong opinions, but he can back them up. There's no question about that.

 

"The way I've always described Ronnie is he sees things in baseball before they happen. I think that's why we got along so well, because I feel we're cut from the same particular cloth and we were able to really co-exist at coaches. He was always looking for the advantage, and I was doing the same thing. Believe me, you're getting a really bright baseball person, and one of the most honest people I've met in my life. That's a real good thing when talking to Major League players. He's going to talk to those guys straight-up."

[RockCoCougars]

Somewhere Ken Macha yawns....

 

As I said, I'm pretty disappointed with the choice of Roenicke over Valentine, but time will tell. As a disclaimer, I haven't been overly excited with a Brewers hiring since Phil Garner. At least I can say I'm not as upset with this one as I was when Lopes and Macha were hired.

[jwill535]

Before we start killing Melvin for not offering Valentine the job, lets remember that we all werent in the meetings, nor did we hear what was said about him on the fact finding missions. I would venture to guess that he was indeed the first choice, but ran himself out of the running by demanding the high contract. From the outside looking in, it woudl appear that Valentine liked to flirt but never commit. You have to think that he wasnt willing to get off the pot.