Ted Simmons new bench coach!

[endaround]

Yost credits Simmons for getting his start into thinking about baseball.

< Insert joke here>

I going with :"So who is the one who caused Yost to stop?"

 

[jodo23]

This is a potentially very good move for the Brewers. The only thing that concerns me is that Ted will be able to communicate with the current generation of players. Wisdom is only valuable if the players buy into it.

What are the chances that Rickie Weeks will give up #23? Probably 0%- looks like I may need to consider modifying my user name!

[Tbadder]

I love this move. I've admired Teddy for a long time. He just has a depth of knowledge and he's able to convey that knowledge in a very efficient way. When he was on radio this year he gave commentary for an inning or two, and I was blown away by his clarity of thought. I'm guessing he'll be a great coach at the major league level, someone players can respect and will listen to. Bravo Crew!

[RoseBowlMtg]

Yost admits that he was an idiot as a player and in two years Simmons had Yost's ear about the game. I appreciate your humor homer but have you ever heard of a player taking another player aside to display his knowledge over a two year span. That is the guy the Brewers just hired. This is about Simmons and the way he is, not Yost's intellect.

[don1481]

Since it's not been posted yet, here's a link to JSOnline's blog about it

 

EDIT:

 

I like this move. A lot. It came totally out of left field, but I really like it.

 

And I wonder if Ned's starting to watch over his shoulder now...

[billyhallfan]

i like it, except that Svuem is still around???

 

Why do they need him, he was bad as a third base coach, and he was bad as a bencgh coach. What gives, why is he here? Because he is a former player?

 

It makes no sense.

[don1481]

i like it, except that Svuem is still around???

 

Why do they need him, he was bad as a third base coach, and he was bad as a bencgh coach. What gives, why is he here? Because he is a former player?

 

It makes no sense.

 

 

I suspect Sveum's gone after this season and THEN Money/Kremblas takes over at third. Especially if Braun doesn't improve defensively, they'll want to try someone different. And as you said, BHF, it's not like he was that good of a third base coach.

 

And FTJ's math shows exactly why this is a good move. Yost and Sveum don't exactly strike me as "smart baseball people."

[fondybrewfan]

So what happens when Yost loses his job in June? Does Simmons have what it takes to lead this team to the promised land? Does Kremblas get the job? This just doesn't make sense to me.

Why does everyone want Yost to lose his job next year. That means we probably had a bad year!! Sorry didnt mean to revert this back to Yost, but come one guys everyone here wants yost to be gone next year and that can only mean the Brewers would be having a bad year. Would much rather have a good year and keep Yost than have a bad year and have an excuse to fire Yost.

 

But abck to Simmons, I like it

 

Isnt Svuem pretty much taking a demotion or is it really just a new role?

[Fatter than Joey]

Why does everyone want Yost to lose his job next year.

 

I wanted Ned fired at the end of 2006.

 

That means we probably had a bad year!

 

You may want to brace yourself and allow for that possibility.

 

My crystal ball foresees the Brewers 2008 marketing campaign -- "Your 2008 Milwaukee Brewers, Getting Yosted Prison Style"

 

Isnt Svuem pretty much taking a demotion or is it really just a new role?

 

It isn't a new role -- Just a different assignment

[JohnBriggs12]

"Why does everyone want Yost to lose his job next year."

 

I think most would prefer he had lost his job this year so our anticipation for the 2008 season wasn't so tempered by the reality of Yost returning as manager. Though I don't necessarily think his losing his job during the 08 season is a bad thing provided it's done early enough to recover. Buck Rodgers losing his job in 1982 propelled that team to the pennant. Jack McKeon took over in midseason and won a championship in Florida. Phil Garner took the Astros to the playoffs after taking over at the All Star break.

 

Simmons should be a good addition if Yost listens to him and he's not afraid to express himself. He does strike me as knowledgeable. Even though he's never managed, he certainly has the cache to command respect in the clubhouse if a change is made.

[billyhallfan]

I suspect Sveum's gone after this season and THEN Money/Kremblas takes over at third. Especially if Braun doesn't improve defensively, they'll want to try someone different. And as you said, BHF, it's not like he was that good of a third base coach.

 

But what is the point, he did bad there, why can't Melvin, or Mark A., or anyone step in, and say it isn't a good idea, why let Ned keep him around? I don't get what the point is.

[don1481]

But what is the point, he did bad there, why can't Melvin, or Mark A., or anyone step in, and say it isn't a good idea, why let Ned keep him around? I don't get what the point is.

I guess it's a "wait and see" thing. Maybe they wanted to fire Dale as well when they hired Simmons but Ned fought for him and they went with it.

[billyhallfan]

then they should get rid of Ned because that is unacceptable. The object of this team should be winning, keeping a guy around because he is a former player who hit a homerun on a holiday and is a good freind of the manager is ridiculous. He is a bad coach, even Boston would tell you that...

[Mass Haas]

Rick Braun of the JS to open that blog:

 

In a move that most definitely qualifies as a shocker, Ted Simmons will return to the Milwaukee Brewers as their bench coach for the 2008 season.

 

Un no, not a shock, Rick, not if you had read any number of posts here at Brewerfan hinting that it was a done deal. When will they learn?

[slamotto.u]

Does anyone else remember Simmons sitting in on the Brewers tv broadcast this season for an inning or two? I think it was him that said something along the lines of: "Baseball is easy...you get a leadoff double, a ground ball to the right side, and a sac fly to bring in the run".

 

Good to know we can count on having more leadoff doubles in 2008.

[BrewCrewForever]

Don't get me wrong, I love Ted Simmons. But did we really need to hire another ex=Brewer. Especially one from the 82' team?

[jodo23]

From Rob Neyer's chat on ESPN.com:

 

Jody (Milwaukee): Rob- Any thoughts on the Brewers picking up Ted Simmons as their bench coach? I think it's a great move. Listening to him talk, it's pretty obvious that he's forgotten more about baseball than I've ever known.

 

Rob Neyer: (12:57 PM ET ) Yeah, he's a sharp guy. And you have to wonder if he's the manager-in-waiting.

[RoseBowlMtg]

Does anyone else remember Simmons sitting in on the Brewers tv broadcast this season for an inning or two? I think it was him that said something along the lines of: "Baseball is easy...you get a leadoff double, a ground ball to the right side, and a sac fly to bring in the run".

Simmons learned it early from a St Louis coach who broke it down simply.

 

ABC: Get on, get him over and get him in.

 

A simple approach to hit the ball to the right side after a lead off double where you might just get a hit but at worst you moved the guy over. Way too many times the Brewers stranded a runner at second after a lead off double. This simple adjustment could make a two game difference.

[milwaukeesportsfan]

I don't want to have a bad year next year. I want to win. I hope Ned does well. I just don't see it happening, and when the team struggles in the middle of the season like it did last year, I think the owner is going to make an executive decision and force Melvin to dump Yost.

 

I hope I'm wrong. I really do. As far as Simmons, is this Ned's decision or Melvin's? Because if this was a Ned hire, I see it as Ned not wanting Kremblas for fear of being replaced by him mid-season.

[homer]

A simple approach to hit the ball to the right side after a lead off double where you might just get a hit but at worst you moved the guy over. Way too many times the Brewers stranded a runner at second after a lead off double. This simple adjustment could make a two game difference.

So does that also mean we'll be bunting more? Awesome

[jodo23]

BTW, I think that picking up Ted Simmons on this staff transcends any "'82 Brewers" stigma. A good organization surrounds itself with good baseball people, regardless of when or where they've played. He became the GM of the Pirates a mere 4 years after he retired from the Braves. How many players have done that? I think his track record speaks for itself.

 

I think most of the ML clubs would have loved to have Simmons in their fold. And I'm curious what Kevin Towers has to say about this.

 

Granted, I'm obviously biased, but even if he weren't one of my favorite players of all time, I think I'd feel the same way.

[valpocrewsader]

So, is Sveum once again the third base coach?

 

That's the plan.

One step forward, two steps back. It's great knowing we have a baseball intellect on the bench, I'm all for more of that, but I can't get too excited knowing it's second-in-command to a baseball dunce and is further negated by simultaneously worsening our 3B coach position.

[MNBrew]

Don't get me wrong, I love Ted Simmons. But did we really need to hire another ex=Brewer. Especially one from the 82' team?

No, we didn't need to hire another ex-Brewer. We needed to hire a good coach. And I strongly believe they've done that. Simmons understands the game and understands people.

 

By the way, what about Sveum made him a bad 3B coach and a bad bench coach? What evidence does anyone have to suggest this? It's put out there in this discussion like it's fact. You can like or dislike the guy. But the way this forum tends to work, support your assertions.

 

Incidentally, Robin Yount loved working with Sveum and thought he was an outstanding coach. I think he'd know better than anyone on this site.

[Thurston Fluff]

If you start with the premise that Ned sucks and the best we can hope for is he gets fired next year then this move is odd. Some of the comments I've read had more to do with the foregone conclusion that Yost is going to be fired and somehow management knows that and are preparing their staff for the inevitable move. To me that's about as far off the mark as one can get. If that is the senario they are working under it's time to fire a whole lot more people than just Yost. I think it's more along the lines that Melvin and Yost felt he needed help in certain areas that he wasn't getting.

 

If you start with the idea they felt Ned was a good manager whose weakness was game strategy this move looks good. Ned's future depends on him understanding he needs help in area that he wasn't getting with Sveum. This move looks to me to be one of him underatanding that and willing to do something about it. I think he will be successful next year because of his ability to address his weakness.

 

After the season I said our bench coach should be one of those older guys with a lot of baseball experience that may not want the pressures of the manager's job anymore. Jack McKeon or like Don Zimmer when he worked as bench coach for Torre. To me this sort of falls in that category.

 

On a side note. This might be heresy but I'm not sure what Yount brought to the table as a bench coach. I don't think former hall of fame type players make good coaches or managers in general and didn't see any major improvements anywhere when he came or any major drop off when he left. To me he was about the same as a bench coach as Sveum.

[Ando Calrissian]

So does that also mean we'll be bunting more? Awesome

 

I'm not sure that's the case, homer. Earlier in the thread someone posted a link on Simmons baseball background that included some nice insight to his approach to the game. In it he makes reference to needing to make effective use of both statistics and scouting in baseball. Seems open minded to me.