Major League Baseball

SKIPPER MUST RUN TIGHT SHIP

Published Oct. 8, 2010 10:52 a.m. ET

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Whoever replaces Ken Macha in Milwaukee should practice tough love with the players.

So what should Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin look for in a new manager after he fired Ken Macha Monday?

Here's an idea: Let's ask the players.

"I think we'd like someone with more personality and enthusiasm," outfielder Corey Hart told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Mach was good in his own way, but we're a young team that kind of feeds off excitement and passion. ... We're an outgoing team that likes to have fun and be loud and obnoxious. (Macha) wasn't like that. He tried to change a little bit this year, but it just wasn't him. We all liked him, but he never really got the gist of our personality."

Translation: Give us a manager who won't make any demands on us and will let us do whatever we want. You know, like Ned Yost used to do.

Much has been made of Macha's stoic personality in the wake of his removal from the manager's office after two losing seasons, as if more back-slapping and rah-rah speeches in the clubhouse would have resulted in Jeff Suppan and Manny Parra consistently throwing strikes on the outside corner.

A lack of communication was clearly a problem for the Brewers, but communication is a two-way street. Macha never connected with the young-but-already-established core players, but they never connected with him, either.

There were reasons the players never embraced Macha, the most obvious being that the pitching-challenged Brewers didn't win. Winning cures everything in sports and Macha's lack of fire would have been seen as a steadying influence had the team won. Instead, it became a rallying cry for those trying to explain why it was losing.

Mostly, though, Macha didn't connect with Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and others because they preceded him to Milwaukee and he came in and asked them to change the way they did certain things. The second wave of young players, who didn't know any other style, and the veterans who had been on other teams didn't have nearly as much trouble playing for Macha as the Brewers' mid-20s core players did.

Some have fixated on Macha's age (60) and his attempts to tone down the Brewers' over-the-top postgame celebrations as the primary reasons for the disconnect. More likely, it had to do with him demanding that they alter their approach at the plate, that they be more selective hitters, that they take pitches, work counts and swing only at strikes. You know, like the really successful franchises do.

Yost protected and even coddled the core group of position players - Hart, Braun, Fielder, Rickie Weeks and since-departed J.J. Hardy - when they were youngsters trying to find their way in the big leagues. The players grew accustomed to that style and for the most part had the green light to do what they wanted to do.

Those same players failed to adjust when Macha arrived and started asking them to change the way they approached their jobs. Indeed, Braun and Fielder butted heads with Macha immediately, fighting him every step of the way.

In many ways, Macha was his own worst enemy. He is not a great communicator and often kept himself isolated from his players and coaches. But he knew the game and, had he been given better starting pitching by Melvin, the Brewers probably wouldn't be looking for a new manager as we speak.

So what kind of manager should Melvin hire?

First, he needs one who will embrace the running game more than Macha, who favored a home run-based, American League-style offense. Sure, Miller Park is a homer haven, but if Fielder is traded as expected, the Brewers will need a manager who can better utilize the speed of players such as Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar.

Second, whether the new manager is young or old, a first-timer or a veteran, Melvin needs one who will continue to make demands. Despite their resistance, Hart, Fielder and Weeks made strides as hitters under Macha. The last thing the Brewers need is a manager who will go soft on the players.

Finally, the Brewers need to implement an organization-wide approach to hitting and pitching. Since relationships can become strained when a manager tries to break years of bad habits at the major league level, the Brewers need to teach players how to do things the correct way right from the start of their careers. You know, like the Minnesota Twins do.

Contact Tom Oates at toates@madison.com or 608-252-6172.

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