Coaching / Front Office Thread: Latest - Frank Kremblas on Brewer Pre-Game

[dadofandrew]

I assume he will until mid-June, Maas.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006032812/

 

Guerrero is prepared for his full-season debut

Jacob Messer

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

This season will be his first in charge of a full-season, summer-league baseball team.

 

That doesn't mean West Virginia Power Manager Mike Guerrero is a rookie.

 

On the contrary, he has 11 seasons of coaching -- not to mention nine seasons as a player -- under his belt.

 

"I don't look at it any different," said Guerrero, who was a hitting coach with the Beloit (Wis.) Snappers in 2003, an experience that prepared him for this one.

 

"I have been doing this for a long time."

 

Managing Milwaukee rookies in the Dominican and Arizona leagues, he owns a 397-278 career record.

 

"There are a lot of expectations for me," said Guerrero, whose Arizona League team finished 22-34 last summer.

 

"It's about winning games and developing players. Both things go hand and hand. It's important to teach them how to play, but it's also important to teach them how to win."

 

Guerrero replaces Ramon Aviles and will arrive in Charleston on Monday, the day after he finishes spring training in Maryvale, Ariz.

 

This will be the Brewers' second season of a two-year contract with West Virginia.

 

The Power opens its Class A South Atlantic League season April 6, the start of a four-game homestand against Delmarva at Appalachian Power Park.

 

Guerrero's staff will consist of pitching coach John Curtis, hitting coach Mike Lum and trainer Alan Diamond. Curtis and Diamond were with the Power last season, when the South Atlantic League club finished 25-45 in the first half and 35-33 in the second half.

 

"I haven't worked with any of them," Guerrero said of Curtis, Lum and Diamond, "but I'm looking forward to it."

 

He doesn't know much about the Power or Charleston, either.

 

"I have heard it's a great town," said Guerrero, a Dominican Republic native who spends the offseason in Santo Domingo with his wife, Larissa. "I'm looking forward to the season. I think it will be a lot of fun."

 

The 38-year-old Guerrero played nine minor league seasons (1987-95) in the Milwaukee and Kansas City systems. He advanced as high as Class AA before he decided to retire.

 

Guerrero said he enjoys managing as much as playing.

 

"For me, it isn't different," said Guerrero, a .256 lifetime hitter who collected 329 hits and scored 177 runs in 423 games. "Whether you are playing or managing, baseball is baseball, and baseball is what I love."

 

The Power roster hasn't been set by the Brewers.

 

"All of that will be done on the last day of spring training," Guerrero said. "We have a lot of players fighting for jobs. It will come down to the wire."

 

Whoever the Brewers send to the Power, Guerrero likely will be acquainted with them because of his time in the Arizona League.

 

"I probably know some of them, and have worked with some of them," Guerrero said, "but you never know because a guy can improve so much in a year. You could get them and they could be a totally different player."

 

When it comes to coaching, Guerrero said he knows "a little bit of everything."

 

However, his specialties are fielding and baserunning.

 

"That is my forte," said Guerrero, a former shortstop who likes to work with infielders. "That, and the fundamentals."

 

Guerrero said he wants to field a "never-give-up team" full of "hard-nosed players."

 

"That," Guerrero said, "is the way I played. I want them to play like that, too.

 

"I want to teach them how to play the game. I want to teach them how to be professional and respectful. I want to teach them that what you put into it is what you get out of it."

[Mass Haas]

From the latest Power online newsletter:

 

nl.terradon.com/newslette...4MSAg&

 

MIKE GUERRERO Q & A

 

The voice of the Power, Andy "Bull" Barch, sat down with Power Manager Mike Guerrero and discussed his off-field life, playing career, and his managing style. Below is a transcript of the interview.

 

Andy Barch: Before we get into the baseball questions, tell us about your life at home, what kind of family life do you have?

 

Mike Guerrero: My family keeps me very busy in the off-season. I try to spend as much time with my kids Michael (12), Daniel (9) and wife Larissa. I spend a lot of time going to little league games, movies, visiting the grand parents and I am involved with all the activities that they have with school and friends.

 

AB: Take us through your playing career from your days in the Dominican to your final game in the minor leagues, what are some of the things that you remember the most about your playing days?

 

MG: I played nine years in my minor league career. My last year was in 1995 when I played in El Paso, Texas and was released in the middle of May. Three weeks later, I found myself managing the Blue Jays in the Dominican Summer League. I played eight years with the Brewers at the minor league level and one with the Royals. I went to the playoffs five out of the nine years that I played.

 

AB: You've been managing for a long time now, what kinds of lessons have you learned in the process that have helped you become a better manager?

 

MG: I have learned to exercise patience, preparation and communication with the players and the staff. I think that I have been able to teach them to pay attention to small details, get them to understand the benefits of hard work, and I have learned how to recognize weaknesses and strengths of opposition and my team.

 

AB: How would you describe your managing style?

 

MG: My style of managing is a mix between the American and National League styles. I try to put a strong emphasis on the little things that it takes win ball games.

 

AB: Who were your favorite players, teams, and managers growing up? Who would you say had the biggest influence on your life?

 

MG: My favorite player was Damaso Garcia, my favorite team growing up was the Blue Jays and my favorite managers were Sparky Anderson & Tony Larussa. There are a lot of people who have influenced my life in a variety of different ways. There is no one person in particular, there have been so many over the years who have influenced me in life, as a manager and as a teacher, and I tip my hat to them.

 

AB: You've been with the Brewers for a very long time, what excites you about this minor league system, and the roster that you will have to work with this season?

 

MG: This system has put out some very good prospects over the years and I have always admired the players in this system for their hard work and their desire to get better and move up the ladder. I don't think this year will be any different because these guys have had some success at other levels and I think the sky is the limit for these guys.

 

AB: What are some of your off the field hobbies?

 

MG: In the summer time, it's so hard to find time for my off the field hobbies, and during the off-season most of my time is spent with my family. When I do have time to myself, I love fishing, going shopping, heading to the beach, and I also enjoy spending time with kids teaching them about baseball.

[Mass Haas]

Link for Stan Kyles photo, text follows:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1965

 

Kyles Named Pitching Coach For PCL All-Stars

 

Nashville Sounds pitching coach Stan Kyles has been selected as the pitching coach for the Pacific Coast League team in the 2006 Triple-A All-Star Game, which will be held on Wednesday, July 12 at 6:00 p.m. CDT at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio.

 

Kyles is serving his second season as the Nashville pitching coach and the team currently leads all Pacific Coast League clubs with a 3.49 ERA through the first 44 games this season. His 2005 Sounds staff posted a franchise-record and PCL-leading 1,117 strikeouts and finished 4th in the league with a 4.43 ERA.

 

Kyles, who is currently in his sixth year in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, including his third at the Triple-A level, also served six seasons in the Cubs organization (1992-93, 1997-2000) and three years in the Rockies? chain (1994-96).

 

He joins a Pacific Coast League coaching staff that also includes Omaha Royals manager Mike Jirschele, Colorado Springs Sky Sox hitting coach (and University of Tennessee product) Alan Cockrell, and New Orleans Zephyrs trainer Mike Quinn.

[Mass Haas]

As mentioned in Nashville broadcaster Chuck Valenches' blog, apparently 2005 Nashville utility infielder Corey D. Hart was assigned to be the Brevard County hitting coach this year, replacing Willie Aviles, who was featured earlier in this thread.

[Mass Haas]

Link for Ramon Aviles photo while active, text follows:

 

www.floridatoday.com/apps...002/sports

 

Manatees manager loves life at ballpark

Aviles treats his players with respect

BY SCOTT BROWN

FLORIDA TODAY

 

Ramon Aviles' rules are relatively simple: Be on time, play hard and don't walk into his office at Space Coast Stadium seeking the truth unless you're prepared to hear it.

 

Games, as the Brevard County Manatees manager sees it, are only to be played on the field.

 

"There's no suspense with Ramon," Manatees starting pitcher Josh Wahpepah said. "He gives you the same thing every day and you've got to love that."

 

The former big leaguer's steadying hand and calming influence have the Manatees, a high Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, in position to qualify for postseason play.

 

Brevard County will need cooperation from the weather and some other Florida State League teams to overtake St. Lucie and win the first-half title in the East Division.

 

However the first-half race, which ends next Wednesday, and the rest of the season will play out, Aviles (pronounced a-Vee-les) will be the same manager.

 

The manager who subscribes to the theory that you don't have to raise your voice to get your point across.

 

The manager who singles out players for doing something good during a game.

 

The manager who, during those same postgame reviews, uses "we" when referring to a mistake because the offending player knows what he did and doesn't need to be embarrassed in front of his teammates.

 

"The thing is," Aviles said, "I like to treat the players the way I liked to be treated as a player."

 

Aviles only played parts of four seasons in the big leagues, but baseball got him out of a hardscrabble neighborhood in Manati, Puerto Rico. It also got him a World Series ring, a coaching career in the game after his playing days were over and a story that can match just about any told by an ex-major leaguer.

 

In 1979, Aviles was playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and he stopped to sign autographs after a game.

 

A man watched Aviles sign for nearly an hour while many of the team's regulars brushed past the crowd. As Aviles started to walk home -- he lived in a hotel across from Veterans Stadium that season -- the man followed him and commented on how nice he had been to the fans.

 

He told Aviles he wanted to take him out to dinner some time and then asked the utility infielder if he'd like to play every day.

 

Perplexed, Aviles asked him if he knew the owner of the Phillies.

 

"He said, 'No, no, no. If you want, I can knock off (second baseman) Manny Trillo or (shortstop) Larry Bowa and you get to play every day,' " Aviles recalled. "He said, 'I'm a hitman for the Mafia.' "

 

Aviles, who beat a hasty retreat to his hotel, told his teammates a couple of days later what had happened.

 

"Manny said, 'What did you say?' " Aviles said.

 

Having a teammate whacked wouldn't exactly jibe with Aviles' religious beliefs. He is a born-again Christian who reads the Bible every night and says, "Lord, let me be the best coach I can be today" before he leaves for the ballpark.

 

Just as in other aspects of his life, he is not in your face about his deep and abiding faith.

 

When he visits his 80-year-old mother in Puerto Rico -- she still lives in the same neighborhood where she raised Ramon and his siblings on her own with a strong will and only $90 a month of child support -- he'll give money to hungry people for food.

 

Even if those people sell drugs.

 

Such kindness is the reason why he can leave his car unlocked in a sketchy area and have nothing happen to it.

 

Of the stories Aviles has collected in more than 30 years of professional baseball, the one that probably most resonates with the players happened during spring training in the late 1970s.

 

Fielding ground balls during practice, Aviles imagined they were hit by players with varying degrees of speed. On some throws, he hurried and on others he took his time.

 

A Phillies scout happened to be watching Aviles. Impressed by Aviles' meticulous preparation, he told him he was going to get him to his organization. Aviles, who had played just one game for Boston to that point, didn't think much of it until he was informed he had been traded to Philadelphia.

 

The scout Aviles had initially dismissed as a fan was one of the first people to greet him at the Phillies' spring-training complex in Clearwater.

 

"I tell these guys that story. You never know who's watching," Aviles said. "I was buried in the Red Sox organization. I was going nowhere, and I got traded to the Phillies and I got to play in the big leagues. I got to participate in a World Series and I got a job for life after I stopped playing."

 

After retiring as a player in the early 1980s, he spent more than 20 years coaching in the Phillies organization until Philadelphia let him go, Aviles said, because he was making too much money.

 

A Brewers scout saw Aviles coaching in Puerto Rico and recommended him to the organization. He spent last year as manager of the team's low Class A team in Charleston, W.Va., before coming to Brevard.

 

"Definitely not a high-pressure guy," said Reid Nichols, who oversees the Brewers minor-league system, "and I think (players) respond to that."

 

"He's very low key, very approachable," said Manatees third baseman Ryan Braun, the fifth overall pick of last year's draft. "He's definitely a player's manager."

 

His nurturing approach and diminutive build hardly mean the 5-9, 155-pound Aviles is soft. He's clearly in control of the team, and in managing there can be a fine line between being in charge and being in control.

 

"I've never had a baseball field manager like Ramon," Manatees general manager Buck Rogers said. "Every guy in there respects him. I've never seen that."

 

They'd probably respect him even more if they knew what he has had to manage through this season.

 

Aviles' mother-in-law has Alzheimer's and requires 24-hour care. His mother is paralyzed on the right side of her body from a stroke. His wife is back in Puerto Rico helping take care of them, and the strain on her hasn't made it easy on the 54-year-old Aviles.

 

He may have to return to Puerto Rico full time after this season to help care for his family.

 

Not that he lets any of that affect him at the ballpark.

 

To his players, he is the same manager every day.

 

What they see is what they get.

[Mass Haas]

Q & A Feature with Nashville Pitching Coach Stan Kyles from MLB.com:

 

brewers.mlb.com/NASApp/ml...;fext=.jsp

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1

 

Coach's greatest hits come from homeland

Dominican provides Guerrero a wealth of experience

Contact Mark McCarter at markcolumn@aol.com

Huntsville Times

 

Stars hitting coach Sandy Guerrero is the son of a Dominican Republic baseball legend, has played with or against most of the island's top players - and, oh yeah, he's also a much happier guy now that the Stars' bats are heating up in the second half of the season. This morning, we go one-on-one with Guerrero.

 

Q: Hitting: Mental or physical?

 

Guerrero: It's got to be 70 percent mental, 30 percent physical.

 

Q: What are the secrets to hitting?

 

Guerrero: Basically, besides your natural abilities, hand-eye coordination is primo on hitting. But you don't try to do more than you can, recognizing the kind of hitter you are plays a big part on how successful you are going to be as a hitter.

 

Q: It's unfair, like asking a teacher who his favorite student has been, but what's your biggest success story?

 

Guerrero: Rickie Weeks was a a good example. He came here and he was struggling. The last month of the season, Rickie tore up this league. My question to Rickie was, "If you start this league right now with all the knowledge and how your approach is at the plate, do you think your numbers would be better?" His answer was, "I would tear this league apart."

 

Rickie is a very, very good kid and to see he has learned, even though his numbers were not great here, we could see his progress. He went to the big leagues the year after he was here. Like my boy Prince (Fielder), they kept positive, not getting frustrated mentally. Prince has so much ability it's unbelievable.

 

Q: Why is baseball so big in the Dominican Republic?

 

Guerrero: Baseball is a religion, it's also a pastime, it's a profession, it's a form of living. People take days off from work to go play softball or amateur baseball. It's amazing to see how passionate people are. It's unbelievable.

 

Q: What's your all-time Dominican team of guys who have been your teammates?

 

Guerrero: Whew! It's going to be hard. Let's start with (Boston's) Davie Ortiz. I was his backup at first. Then go with (Mets' Julio) Franco. Then we have to go Juan Samuel. (Sammy) Sosa. Then Raul Mondesi. I'd put Neifi Perez at shortstop.

 

I played against (ex-Stars shortstop Miguel) Tejada and we went to the Caribbean Series together. Catching, I never played with Tony Pena, but I played against him. Miguel Olivo (Mariners) was a rookie on my team. Pitching, hmm. I'd have to say Mario Soto.

 

Q: Did you ever play with Pedro Martinez?

 

Guerrero: I played against him. He hit me (with a pitch), too - after I hit one off the wall against him. But he's a good guy.

 

Q: Your dad (Epy Guerrero) is a scout who signed dozens of great players. Tell me about him.

 

Guerrero: He's a great guy. Smart. Very determined. Loves baseball. That's his whole life. He can't retire. If he retired, he'd rather be dead. He runs a complex there now he rents to the Seattle Mariners, training kids.

 

He has a lot of influence. You go anywhere and people in the streets know who he is, where he lives, what he does. He has the highest decoration the Dominican government can give to a person, being a lifetime Consul of the Dominican Republic. Which means he has diplomatic immunity wherever he goes. He is a diplomat of the Dominican Republic for life.

 

Q: How was it growing up with a father that famous?

 

Guerrero: Overwhelming. Because every place I go, people know, "that's Epy Guerrero's son." I drove without a license three or four years in the Dominican and if a cop stopped me, I said I was Epy Guerrero's son. My brothers and me, we never had a ticket.

 

Q: Now you're a Huntsville resident year-round? How is that?

 

Guerrero: Me and my wife Jessica stay here. This is my home. Even though I have my home in the Dominican.

 

You know, Huntsville is nice. People are nice to everybody. It's the nicest place. It's quiet. It's a nice place to live.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006080910/

 

Power coach still recovering year later

Michael Dailey

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

With over 20 years experience as a professional baseball player and coach, West Virginia Power pitching coach John Curtis has developed many memories of the game he loves.

 

Some of Curtis' memories are good and some are bad, but none rival the memory of suddenly finding himself sprawled out on the outfield grass last Aug. 6, in Greensboro, N.C.

 

During Power batting practice on that Saturday afternoon at First Horizon Park, Curtis was struck in the back of the head by a liner off the bat of Milwaukee Brewers' shortstop prospect Alcides Escobar.

 

Curtis was standing around 10 feet behind a protective screen at the edge of the outfield grass in shallow centerfield, hitting fly balls to outfielders, when he was struck by the sinking liner.

 

The liner bruised Curtis' brain and caused a hemorrhage on the right side brain, resulting in stroke-like symptoms, including the loss of feeling in his left arm and hand.

 

"I remember everything," said Curtis on the recent one-year passing of the accident. "I remember standing out there and right up to the moment that that thing hit. I remember going down, I remember lying on the ground.

 

"Usually you can hear a ball when it's coming in your direction, but that one, I just had no chance. It caught me by surprise."

 

After quick care on the field by Power trainer Alan Diamond and a five-day stint in Greensboro's Moses Cone Hospital, Curtis headed back to his California home for rehabilitation.

 

Since that rehab, Curtis' symptoms have decreased to a slight tingle in his left hand.

 

"I've still got some tingling in the hand that went dead on me for about three weeks," Curtis said following Tuesday night's 11-4 Power win over the visiting Rome Braves. "But it's coming along.

 

"I've not had any post-concussion syndrome.

 

"Now, I've forgotten things once in a while, but nothing real serious. There's no short-term memory loss, so I'm just counting my blessings right now.

 

"It's hard for me to believe that it's been a year ago. I still feel the hangover from it, but it's getting better. I can do a lot of things now, that I couldn't do a couple of months ago.

 

The progress is getting a little slower now, and there's still some fine tuning that needs to be done, but I can carry things and throw a little bit now."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=51737

 

Sounds manager credits late father for instilling coaching values

By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

If Frank Kremblas had listened to his dad, he might have become a concert pianist instead of one of the top managerial prospects in all of baseball.

 

?He made me take piano lessons and I hated it,? the current Nashville Sounds skipper said of his father, Frank Sr. ?Hell no, I wasn?t gonna take piano lessons.?

 

Growing up in tiny Carroll, Ohio, Frank Sr. never pushed his son to play sports. This came despite the fact Frank Sr. was himself an accomplished athlete.

 

He played quarterback for legendary coach Woody Hayes at Ohio State from 1956-58, helping the Buckeyes win the Rose Bowl in his senior season. Frank Sr. was selected by New York in the 1959 NFL Draft, but the Giants wanted him to play defensive back so he chose instead to remain in Columbus. There, he played semi-pro football and put himself through law school at OSU. He became a partner at the law firm of Kremblas, Foster and Phillips, where he remained for 36 years.

 

Prior to Tuesday?s game against Albuquerque, Kremblas talked with The City Paper about his father. Hours later, after his team?s 6-2 victory over Albuquerque, Kremblas would learn his dad had died at the age of 69. According to a family friend, Frank Sr.?s death was ?somewhat unexpected? although the cause of death was not immediately made available.

 

***

Instead of playing piano, Kremblas followed in the athletic footsteps of his father, playing baseball, basketball and football for Canal Winchester High. He went on to play baseball at Eastern Kentucky, then in the minors for eight years, before pursuing a coaching career.

 

Managing the game is where Kremblas found his niche. He was named the top Double-A managerial prospect by Baseball America while with Huntsville in 2004. He led the Sounds to the Pacific Coast League championship in 2005 and has the team contending again this season.

 

Kremblas obtained many of his coaching traits from his father.

 

?He was a good teacher,? Kremblas said. ?He made sure I was mentally tough without a problem. He had good mental discipline and good mental toughness. He worked hard and he played hard.?

 

Kremblas said his dad passed onto him the lessons he learned playing for the legendary Hayes at OSU.

 

?He learned a lot and he had good coaches that always helped. It was a good athletic background in the family,? Kremblas said. ?When he was with Woody Hayes at Ohio State, he was a pretty smart guy and strategizer and discipliner and all the necessary attributes for winning teams and winning players.?

 

While his sons pursued a career in baseball (younger brother Mike also became a minor league player and actually played for Frank?s Huntsville team in 2003), Frank Sr. earned his reputation in the Columbus area as an attorney.

 

?I?ll tell you one thing, everyone here loved him. He was one super guy,? said Frank Foster, Kremblas?s law partner for 36 years. ?In the core, he was just a good guy.?

 

After learning of his father?s passing, Kremblas left the Sounds prior to their five-game road trip to Memphis to be with his family. He is expected to rejoin the team, which has a four-game lead in the PCL American Northern Division pennant race, next week in Albuquerque. Hitting coach Gary Pettis will manage the team in Kremblas?s stead.

 

Frank Kremblas Sr. was the starting quarterback for Ohio State when the Buckeyes won the 1958 Rose Bowl. He passed away Tuesday night at the age of 69.

Photo courtesy of Ohio State

 

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/frontpageimages/082406kremblas02.jpg

 

***

Kremblas may be permanently absent from the Sounds bench after this season is complete.

 

Many baseball insiders credit Kremblas for laying the groundwork of the youth movement currently leading the Brewers organization.

 

Prior to joining the Sounds, Kremblas, who turns 40 in October, managed Double-A Huntsville, which featured current major leaguers Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Jose Capellan and Corey Hart. When that group of prospects made the jump to Triple-A in 2005, Kremblas came with them, eventually ushering the group to the Brewers. This season, Kremblas has a new pool of prospects, including Tony Gwynn Jr, and has guided the Sounds to the cusp of another PCL playoff appearance.

 

?He?s done an excellent job for us,? Milwaukee assistant general manager Gord Ash said. ?In Triple-A, the most difficult job is keeping everybody happy because the guys who have been up want to get back up and the guys who haven?t been up want to get there. Frank does a good job of keeping everybody happy. We?ve been in first place pretty much the last two years.?

 

Kremblas makes no bones about his top career goal of one day becoming a big-league manager or assistant coach. During his eight-year playing career he topped out at Triple A.

 

?I think in time he can,? Ash said. ?He?s well-rounded. He?s thorough in baseball knowledge and a thorough planner. He?s a great in-game strategist, an aggressive manager, all of the things you look for.?

 

The Brewers keep their minor league coaches on one-year contracts, which they typically renew after the season. Last year at this time, Kremblas was asked if he?d be back in Nashville in 2006 and he said ?yes? without hesitating. But when asked that same question earlier this week, Kremblas did not give a firm answer.

 

?It would be nice to be on a team that makes the playoffs in the major leagues as a coach,? Kremblas said. ?When you play any sport, you?re always trying to win. Anyone who plays sports is a little bit of an adrenaline junkie and the adrenaline you get when you?re in a playoff game is incomparable to any other.?

 

Photo by Mike Strasinger for The Nashville City Paper

Frank Kremblas talking with catcher Chad Moeller

 

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/frontpageimages/082406kremblas01.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1

 

Staff may return to Stars

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

 

The members of the Huntsville Stars' on-field staff know they have jobs next season. They just don't know where.

 

Manager Don Money, pitching coach Rich Sauveur, coach Sandy Guerrero and trainer David Yeager were informed last week their contracts would be renewed by the parent club Milwaukee Brewers. However, it has yet to be determined where they will be assigned in the 2007 season.

 

Some of that could hinge on any decisions involving ex-Stars manager Frank Kremblas. After taking a team to the playoffs in two of the last three years, the Brewers might choose to elevate him to the majors from Triple-A Nashville if a coaching position comes open, or he could be a hot commodity for another organization's Triple-A job, particularly one with deeper pockets.

 

However, the Brewers may also feel that Money and his staff are better suited in helping develop and groom the younger talent at the Double-A level rather than working on a Triple-A team where players are often disgruntled ex-major leaguers more resistant to teaching.

 

Money and Yeager (like Guerrero, an offseason resident in the Huntsville area) are leaving today to join the Brewers' staff for the remainder of the season; traditionally Milwaukee will bring some of its minor league personnel to assist in the last month of the season.

[Mass Haas]

As noted in the Hawaii Winter League thread, Mike Lum, hitting coach at West Virginia in 2006, replaces recently-promoted Jim Skaalen as roving minor league hitting coordinator.

 

I'm sure at some point the Brewers' site will begin making their own announcements on items such as this, but until then, Brewerfan's glad to be of service http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif .

[Mass Haas]

This is actually news for the "2007" coaching thread, but since it's still November 2006, we'll keep it here -- from Brevard County GM Buck Rogers:

 

Staff update: the Manatees will have John Tamargo return as Field Manager this season. JT was the Manatees Manager in 2005. Last season he skippered the AAA Durham Bulls (Tampa Devil Rays). Ramon Aviles, the Manatees Manager of 2006, is taking a year off from baseball for personal reasons. We'll announce the rest of the staff when it becomes assembled in 2007. Welcome back, JT.

 

Tamargo had a tumultuous season in 2006 managing the likes of bat-throwing Delmon Young and the always pleasant Elijah Dukes. Pretty sure he'll be thrilled to work with kids like Inman, Cain, Ford, Gamel, etc...

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/story/S...-Virginia/

 

Curtis returning to West Virginia

Jacob Messer

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

West Virginia Power Pitching Coach John Curtis and his wife recently read a newspaper story in which "We Are Marshall" director McG raved about West Virginia, particularly the kindness of its residents.

 

McG is so enamored with the place and the people that he told The Associated Press, "I would love to buy a house there and spend as much time there as I possibly can. The people are so kind -- just the generosity and the warmth, the extended hugs and the long handshakes and the eye contact and the sincerity. It's just very specific to West Virginia and I think the world could use a lot more of it."

 

"Those words could have come out of our mouths," Curtis said Monday during a telephone interview from Florida, "because that is exactly how we feel."

 

Curtis and his wife, Mary-Ann Petino, currently rent a Charleston apartment, but they plan to purchase a home here.

 

"We are interested in semi-settling there," Curtis said from Florida, where he is visiting his mother for the holidays. "We talked about it and we decided, ?Let's stay here this offseason and see what happens.' Well, nothing that has happened since then has dissuaded us from looking for a place to buy. It has just been wonderful. We are very taken by the place."

 

For Curtis and Petino, a move to Charleston would mean trading the beaches of California for the mountains of West Virginia. They own a home in Long Beach.

 

Some would say the baseball Curtis took to the head two years ago in a batting practice accident did permanent damage. Why else would he make such a move?

 

"No, no, no," Curtis said with a laugh. "This is clear thinking.

 

"It is so easy to overlook what you have in front of you. You have a yearning eye to the movie images of California. Believe me, at a younger age I fell in love with everything going on out there -- the beaches, the sunshine, the weather.

 

"But we have been so taken with how wonderful everybody is in Charleston. Everybody has been so friendly and so welcoming. (Then, there is) the natural beauty. We do not feel we are giving anything up."

 

The fact that Curtis will return to Charleston for another season as the Power's pitching coach this year helps, of course.

 

Curtis will join Manager Mike Guerrero and new hitting coach Corey D. Hart (Brevard County's hitting coach this past season) on the Power staff, according to Reid Nichols, the Milwaukee Brewers' director of player development and assistant to the general manager.

 

This season will be Curtis' third, Guerrero's second and Hart's first with the Power.

 

Mike Lum, who was West Virginia's hitting coach last season, will be Milwaukee's roving hitting instructor in 2007.

 

"Knowing I am coming back next year kind of takes a little bit of the rush off finding a place," Curtis said.

 

Although Milwaukee, West Virginia's parent club, ultimately will decide where Curtis coaches from year to year, he said he would love to remain with the Power for "the next five years or so."

 

"I have no desire to go anywhere else," said Curtis, a former first-round draft pick who spent 15 years in the Major Leagues with the Red Sox, Cardinals, Padres and Angels, compiling a 89-97 record and 3.96 ERA during his career.

 

Some coaches want to reach Major League Baseball, but that "is not the case with me," Curtis said. "I got my time in the Big Leagues. I got to play.

 

"In all honesty, I would go wherever the Brewers sent me. If they want me to go to Triple-A, I would not say no. They have their plans for me. I do not know what those plans are, but, as far as I am concerned, the thing I would enjoy most is staying here in Charleston. If that could be arranged, I would not be the least bit unhappy."

 

One of the reasons Curtis loves his job is Appalachian Power Park, the South Atlantic League club's two-year-old stadium.

 

The Power (60-78 in its first season and 74-62 in its second season) averaged 3,532 fans in 66 home games in 2005 and 3,746 fans in 64 home games in 2006.

 

"Coming to work there is a pleasure," Curtis said. "The community support is outstanding. A large part of our affection for this area is the people we have encountered at the ballpark -- the staff, the house moms, the fans. People have been so kind to us."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.newsargus.com/sports/...ndex.shtml

 

Johnny Narron named manager of Brewers affiliate

By Steve Roush

Goldsboro (North Carolina) News-Argus

 

The Milwaukee Brewers named Johnny Narron manager of their Pioneer League team in Helena (Mont.) on Friday.

 

Narron, a Goldsboro native and the brother of Cincinnati Reds manager Jerry Narron, served as the advanced rookie league team's hitting instructor this past season. He replaces Eddie Sedar, who will be Milwaukee's first base coach in 2007.

 

Narron, 55, who joined the Brewers organization in 2003 after serving six seasons as an associate scout with the Atlanta Braves sytem, also managed Helena in 2004 and was the team's hitting coach in 2003. He has also served as a hitting instructor for the West Virginia Power, Milwaukee's low class-A affiliate, and the Brevard County (Fla.) Manatees of the Florida State League.

 

"My strength is the hitting side, but I also enjoy the managing side," Narron said Monday. "My goal is to one day be a major league hitting coach or be a minor league hitting coordinator, but I want to do anything I can to help the Milwaukee Brewers organization."

 

Narron, a 1970 graduate of Goldsboro High, went on to play baseball at East Carolina before playing minor league baseball in the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox organizations from 1974-78.

 

In 2004, Narron led Helena to a 39-37 record as the Brewers won the first half of the Pioneer League's Northern Division, but lost in the first round of the playoffs.

 

"There's a lot of responsibility to managing and coaching in the minor leagues, a responsibility I take very seriously," said Narron, who still resides in the area and runs a hitting school in the offseason with his brother. "It is my duty to give the players what they need to grow and advance as ballplayers. My job is to help them succeed, which helps the organization succeed."

[Mass Haas]

Looks like no Mark Littell in 2007 -- hopefully not "Nutty Buddy" related:

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.helenair.com/articles...106_02.txt

 

Narron named Brewers manager

By the Helena Independent Record

 

Johnny Narron is once again the manager of the Helena Brewers.

 

Narron, who managed the club in 2004, was hired as the skipper for the 2007 season.

 

He is the brother of Cincinnati Reds manager Jerry Narron, served as the team?s hitting instructor this past season and in 2003. He replaces Eddie Sedar, who will be Milwaukee?s first base coach for 2007.

 

Narron, 55, joined the Brewers organization in 2003 after serving six seasons as an associate scout with the Atlanta Braves organization. Narron managed Helena in 2004 leading them to a 39-37 record.

 

?My strength is the hitting side, but I also enjoy the managing side,? Narron said from his hometown in Goldsboro, NC. ?My goal is to one day be a major league hitting coach or be a minor league hitting coordinator, but I want to do anything I can to help the Milwaukee Brewers organization.?

 

Narron played minor league ball in the Yankees and White Sox organizations from 1974-78.

 

?We look forward to working with Johnny again,? said Paul Fetz, General Manager of the Helena Brewers. ?He?s a true professional, has a solid record as a manager, and he?s someone our fans know and respect.?

 

Helena?s 2004 hitting coach, Norberto ?Paco? Martin, will rejoin Narron after spending the past two years as Milwaukee?s Minor League infield instructor. Martin spent four years playing with the White Sox (1993-1997), one year with the Angels (1998) and one with the Blue Jays (1999). Primarily a second baseman, Martin earned a career fielding percentage of .970, and a career batting average of .278.

 

Jose Nunez will replace Mark Littell as the pitching coach. Nunez, whose professional career spanned 17 years, played three years with Toronto (1987-1989), one year with the Cubs (1990) and three years in Seattle?s organization (1991-1993). From 1994-2005, Nunez played in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Mexico?s Professional baseball leagues. Nunez won nine games, pitched over 197 innings, and had a 5.05 career ERA while in the Majors.

 

?Fans will enjoy the staff in Helena this year,? said Reid Nichols, Milwaukee?s Director of Player Development. ?With Johnny and Paco returning in 2007, I believe they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that our players will find invaluable.?

[Mass Haas]

Buck Rogers, Brevard County GM:

 

I know you said John Tamargo and Fred Dabney will be back as Manager and Pitching Coach, who will be our Hitting Coach this season? (2006 Manatee Hitting Coach Corey D. Hart will be at West Virginia)

 

Ken Berry is slated to be the Brevard County Manatees Hitting Coach. here's some background on Ken's career:

 

From www.BaseballLibrary.com:

 

An extraordinary outfielder, Berry won two Gold Gloves. Leaping catches above the Comiskey Park fence became his trademark. An All-Star with the White Sox in 1967 when he had a 20-game hitting streak, Berry batted over .280 only twice, in 1972 and '73 with the Angels. From September 16, 1971 through July 27, 1973, he accepted a record 510 consecutive outfield chances without an error. (JCA)

 

From www.wikipedia.com

 

Allen Kent Berry (born May 10, 1941 in Kansas City, Missouri) is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. He was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1961 season. He played for the White Sox from 1962 until he was traded in 1970 to the California Angels. He also played for the Milwaukee Brewers and finished his career with the Cleveland Indians. Ken won the Gold Glove Award for his play in the outfield in 1970 and 1972. He played his final major league baseball game on May 31, 1975.

 

Berry was named to the American League All-Star team in 1967, when his White Sox battled the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Minnesota Twins for the pennant all the way down to the last few days of the season. He led league outfielders in putouts once (1965) and in fielding percentage three times (1970, 1972, and 1973). He tied for the league lead once each in assists and double plays, both in 1972. Career batting totals for 1,383 games played include 1,053 hits, 58 home runs, 343 RBI, and a lifetime batting average of .255.

 

Career highlights include: a 20-consecutive-game hitting streak (May 28, 1967 - June 15, 1967), eight 4-hit games...the most impressive being three singles and a home run vs. the New York Yankees (June 7, 1970), thirty-nine 3-hit games, one 5-RBI game, including a grand slam against Detroit Tigers right-hander Joe Sparma (June 15, 1968), three 4-RBI games, including a pair of two-run homers vs. the Kansas City Royals (May 15, 1970), hit a combined .343 (102-for-297) against All-Stars Mike Cuellar, Tommy John, Mickey Lolich, Lindy McDaniel, Denny McLain, Dave McNally, Stu Miller, John O'Donoghue, and Dick Radatz, hit a combined .278 (22-for-79) against Hall of Famers Catfish Hunter, Gaylord Perry, and Nolan Ryan.

 

When you get down to it, the Manatees Coaching staff will be deep in experience again this season.

 

Buck's fun and detailed covering-all-bases press release:

 

www.oursportscentral.com/...id=3412692

[Mass Haas]

Frank Kremblas and Stan Kyles will once again be Manager and Pitching Coach in Nashville, and former Houston Astros Hitting Coach Harry Spilman replaces Gary Pettis, who was hired as the Texas Rangers? first base coach in November after spending two years with the Sounds.

 

All the details at the Sounds site:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2190

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1

 

Stars not losing Money in dugout

Manager back for third season with Double-A team

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com

 

Don Money, who shepherded the Stars through a worst-to-first season last summer, will return as Huntsville's manager in 2007.

 

Money, a 59-year-old former major league all-star infielder, will be in his third season with the Stars, he confirmed Monday.

 

"I'm happy to be coming back," Money said. "We had a good team late last year and we should have a lot of those same players. I'm looking forward to it."

 

The Stars' staff will remain intact, with pitching coach Rich Sauveur returning for the third year and hitting coach Sandy Guerrero, an offseason resident of Huntsville, back for a fourth year. Trainer Dave Yeager, also an offseason resident of the area, will return, too.

 

Tom Reynolds, who was strength and conditioning coach at Single-A West Virginia last season, will serve in that capacity in Huntsville this season.

 

"The nucleus of the staff has been together a while and they know each others' moves and work well together," Stars general manager Tom Van Schaack said. "The second half of last year, they showed all the hard work and patience from the first half paid off. The second half everyone could see that what the coaching staff was teaching and saying was working."

 

The staff will be in new surroundings. Bids have been submitted for construction on a new clubhouse for the Stars, with larger quarters for the staff. The old one was the oldest and smallest of any home clubhouse in the 10-team Southern League.

 

That's part of a renovation plan agreed to by the city of Huntsville, which owns the park, and team owner Miles Prentice.

 

Money, who played 16 seasons in the majors as an infielder with Philadelphia and Milwaukee, was the Brewers' MVP in 1974 and 1977, and still owns the major league record for most consecutive errorless games at third base. He was four times chosen to the All-Star team and is one of 12 members of the Brewers' "Walk of Fame." He previously managed six seasons with Milwaukee's Single-A team in Beloit, Wisc.

 

He guided the Stars to the Southern League North second half title in '06, and a sweep of Chattanooga in the playoffs. However, they were knocked out by Montgomery, three games to one, in the championship series.

 

It brought to close what Sauveur would call "an incredible run."

 

The Stars were 24-45 in the first half, last in their division. The team was being compared to the worst in Huntsville's history. An 11-18 start in the second half left them 35-63.

 

Then came the run to first place, with some key on-field acquisitions to a club that the staff had somehow managed to at least keep barely afloat during the dismal start.

 

The Stars won 36 of their final 47 games (32 of 40 in the regular season) and reached the postseason for the fourth time since Huntsville's relationship with the Brewers began in 1999.

 

Money, Sauveur, Guerrero and Yeager had been offered 2007 contracts by the Milwaukee Brewers organization late last season, but were not assigned to specific clubs.

 

There were several situations that led to this fairly late finalization of the Stars' staff. Brewers manager Ned Yost reshuffled his coaching staff, bringing aboard minor league hitting coordinator Jim Skaalen to work with Milwaukee hitters and outfielder coordinator Ed Sedar as the first base coach.

 

Money and Nashville manager Frank Kremblas were also reportedly being considered for the third base coaching vacancy before Nick Leyva was hired.

 

Then Nashville lost its hitting coach, Gary Pettis, to Texas, forcing a move to find a replacement there. Harry Spilman will coach at Nashville alongside Kremblas and pitching coach Stan Kyles, the Sounds announced Monday.

[Mass Haas]

Voice of the Stars' Brett Pollock conducted an interview with Huntsville Hitting Coach Sandy Guerrero recently. Nice job with the questions, Brett. Support the Stars' site by visiting the link for the text of the interview:

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1053

[Mass Haas]

Helena will need a new manager now...

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.newsargus.com/sports/...ndex.shtml

 

Johnny Narron headed to Cincy

By Steve Roush, Goldsboro (N.C.) News-Argus

 

The last time the Narron brothers were teammates, Richard Nixon's presidency was about to come to an abrupt end. "Blazing Saddles" and "The Godfather Part II" were playing in the theaters, "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet," "Kung Fu Fighting," "Jungle Boogie" and "Seasons in the Sun" topped the charts, and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "M*A*S*H," "The Waltons" and "All in the Family" were watched on television sets across the country.

 

Fresh out of Goldsboro High, young Jerry Narron was hitting third in the lineup and playing catcher. Johnny, his big brother, was batting cleanup and playing first base for Johnson City (Tenn.) in the New York Yankees' farm system.

 

It was 1974, the year Hank Aaron passed Babe Ruth on the home run list and Reggie Jackson's Oakland A's repeated as World Series champions.

 

"One of the biggest thrills I ever had was playing with my brother Johnny in rookie ball with the Yankees," recalls Jerry Narron, now 51. "We signed the same year -- he signed out of East Carolina and I signed out of high school -- and one of the biggest reasons I signed was to play with my brother."

 

Now more than 30 years later, they're back together again for another season in the sun.

 

The Cincinnati Reds officially announced over the weekend that Johnny has been hired as the team's video-administrative coach. He will serve under Jerry, who is entering his second full season as the club's manager.

 

"I'm extremely excited," Johnny said. "We played together in the minors back in '74, but we haven't been together since. Now, to be in the big leagues at the same time with the same team, this will be a wonderful experience. Very few people ever get an opportunity to get to the big leagues in any capacity, and for me to be with Jerry and the Reds is a true blessing."

 

The elder Narron was under contract with the Milwaukee Brewers organization to serve as manager of their Pioneer League team in Helena (Mont.) this season, but the Brewers released him from his deal so he could take his first big league coaching job.

 

"Milwaukee was very cooperative," Johnny said. "They saw I had a chance to be at the big league level, and I'm very grateful that they allowed me to do this."

 

Johnny, 55, joined the Brewers organization in 2003 after serving six seasons as an associate scout with the Atlanta Braves system. He also managed Helena in 2004 and was the team's hitting coach in 2003. He has also served as a hitting instructor for the West Virginia Power, Milwaukee's low class-A affiliate, and the Brevard County (Fla.) Manatees of the Florida State League. A 1970 graduate of Goldsboro High, Johnny went on to play baseball at ECU before playing minor league baseball in the Yankees and Chicago White Sox organizations from 1974-78.

 

Now he's a Red, just like his brother.

 

"My brother is going to video our games when we're on the road, he's going to be an assistant coach with our coaching staff, he does a great job of teaching hitting, he's given lessons for quite a few years and he's coached at every level," Jerry said. "I look forward to this year, he's going to be in the big leagues and he's going to see some things he's never thought about seeing before."

[colbyjack]

One name popped out to me in the spring training roster thread that Jamie provided on the MLB forum: Garth Iorg.

 

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...3969.topic

 

He's listed as an instructor. I read and re-read the post Mass has made recently concerning the coaching changes, and didn't see Iorg's name mentioned. Mass also noted that Helena needs a new manager now, so I'm curious if Iorg may be the guy.

 

Garth has a couple of talented sons that play ball. Eli Iorg is a power-hitting corner OF prospect in the Astros system, while Cale Iorg is a draft-eligible sophomore this year, although I believe he is still on a 2-year church mission.

[Mass Haas]

I always assumed that all managers and coaches in the system worked all spring in Maryvale as well, but none of the Huntsville staff (Money, Sauveur, and Guerrero) are listed on the list Jamie provided, so I'm not so sure of its accuracy. I'm not sure where he copied that from.

[Mass Haas]

We've pretty much updated you on all the coaching staff names via earlier links and articles (Helena's manager's still pending), but here's the official Manatee press release, as we've been told the Brewers are now making what we had told you earlier "official":

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503

 

The Power released their update earlier this week (scroll down on their home page):

 

www.wvpower.com/

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers have made a unique hire, grabbing 34-year-old Jeff Isom (pronounced "eye-som") to manage the 2007 edition of the Helena Brewers.

 

Isom has six years of managing in the independent leagues under his belt (Northern League, more extensively and more recently in the Frontier League).

 

www.traversecitybeachbums.com/

 

Traverse City (Michigan) Beach Bums Field Manager Jeff Isom has accepted a job with the Milwaukee Brewers as the manager of the Helena Brewers in the Pioneer League. The move is only the third time in the Frontier League's thirteen year history a manager has moved from managing an independent team to managing an affiliated team (Theron Todd (Canton) with the Rockies and Chad Epperson (Windy City) with the Red Sox). Isom, who led the Beach Bums to a 57-39 mark in his one season at the helm, will report to the Brewers? spring training complex in Maryvale, Arizona, immediately. Isom?s promotion marks the second time a member of the Beach Bums has been picked up by a Major League Baseball team this off-season, joining LHP Ryan Ariail, who will be in camp with the Baltimore Orioles this spring.

 

Isom has had several successful years managing in professional baseball including several stints in the Frontier and Northern Leagues. Most notably, Isom managed the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League to back-to-back 50-win seasons in 2002 and 2003 including a then league record with 57 wins in the team?s inaugural season. Overall, Isom has a career record of 319-265 managing in parts of seven seasons in professional baseball.

 

After finishing his collegiate career at Purdue University, Isom was a 13th round draft pick in the 1993 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. A pitcher during his six-year professional career, he spent time in the Pirates and San Diego Padres organizations. His teams have taken on the mold of their manager as no Frontier League team he has ever guided for a full season has finished worse than second in the league in ERA.

 

This article provides some insights -- it came out when Traverse City hired him last spring:

 

www.record-eagle.com/2006...sports.htm

 

No doubt he'll need to immerse himself once again to familiarize himself with Brewer farmhands. Nice he's a pitching guy first...

 

www.record-eagle.com/2006...s-isom.htm

 

What are the keys to winning in the Frontier League?

 

Fundamental baseball. If you can make the plays, get good pitching and have adequate hitting, you're going to win a lot of games.

 

Describe your managerial style?

 

Wait for the home run (laughs). That's what I would like to do ... Look for us to hit and run and sacrifice guys into scoring position.

 

What will you tell your team before tonight's opener?

 

Go out there, put on a show, and give the fans a reason to come back. Just go out and play good baseball ? that's what they (fans) want to see.

 

http://www.traversecitybeachbums.com/images/players/Jeff%20Isom.jpg