Many people (including myself) never liked Jack's style as a manager. The front office evidently didn't want him to return and I don't believe they wanted him to manage after his interim stint in 1997. The team performed better than expected and Jack came cheap (a major requirement of the Reds) so they decided to bring him back for 1998 where there were no expectations to meet. There has been speculation that Reds' G.M. Jim Bowden made McKeon manager so McKeon wouldn't take his job as G.M. Expectations were higher in 1999 but nothing really was expected of the Reds so McKeon was kept on. It would have been difficult to fire him then because McKeon is very tight with the media. If you don't believe me, see how many writers/broadcasters are mourning his firing. After 1999 was over the Reds surely had higher expectations in 2000 but there was the problem of the manager. They couldn't fire the Manager of the Year with a 96 win season under his belt so they low-balled him on a contract hoping Jack would tell them what to do with it. Obviously Jack had no better offers so he swallowed his pride and came back in 2000. Now the front office had a reason to fire McKeon - as lame as the reason might be. But Jack's gone and he's not coming back. So who are the most likely candidates to succeed McKeon and what are their pros and cons in regards to their being the next Reds' manager?
Let's start with the most obvious ones:
Ken Griffey, Sr: He was the most obvious choice to take over in mid-season. His son is the Reds' best player and he was a member of the Big Red Machine. He wouldn't have a problem getting along with the players and has served as the Reds' bench coach for the last couple of years. Since he's an African-American that would satisfy King Bud's quest to consider - much less hire - more minorities. Sr. also has his liabilities. He may not want the Reds' job since it could be seen as gravy-training off his son. If he were to get the job and then be fired, how would Jr. react? Sr. has had conflicts in the past with management both here and last winter in Puerto Rico where he resigned as manager in mid-season over a personnel dispute with management. He has no minor league managerial experience - save for a few months in an instructional league and may want to manage elsewhere to escape his son's long shadow.
Ron Oester: Ron is a native Cincinnatian and has played and coached for the Reds for most of his career. For the past few years he has been Reds' 3rd base coach - usually a training ground for future managers. He has experience as a manager in the minor leagues, although I'm not sure how much experience he does have. It is assumed he will work cheap - a huge point in his favor. His fiery personality is popular among fans and the media who feel that Oester will not hesitate to call a player out who he feels is slacking off. However that last quality could be a deficit for Oester. Some people see him as a clone of Ray Knight and a team who has veteran leadership might see a manager who is a martinet as a detriment to the team. Oester's judgment at 3rd base has been called into question. There have been times where Oester has been too aggressive and sent runners home who had little if any chance of scoring. In my opinion it shows poor judgment and good judgment is a key ingredient in being a successful manager.
Bob Boone: Bob is a former manager who either is or has been under contract with Kansas City so he too would work cheap. He is very familiar with Reds' personnel and was one of the best catchers in the game in the 1980s. Most fans would not like to see him as manager of the Reds primarily because of his reputation in K.C. as a Ray Knight clone. Bob also openly lobbied for a chance to return to the dugout as a manager around mid-season according to an article in Baseball Weekly. Many people saw this as an attempt to take McKeon's job during a time when the Reds were struggling. His won loss record in K.C. was not very good and he was rumored to have fought with management. His son, Aaron, is the Reds' 3rd baseman, which would be another situation similar to the Griffeys and could raise cries of nepotism if Aaron struggles and isn't benched.
Lou Piniella: It would be a sweet homecoming for Sweet Lou if he were to return to manage the Reds. Many fans still remember when he led the Reds to a World Championship in 1990. Lou brings an infinite amount of respect with him and got along well with Jr. while they were in Seattle. Lou is also not afraid to play "little ball". He is also known as a very good hitting coach who might help some of the younger players improve. Marge Schott is no longer principal owner, which was the major reason for Lou leaving after 1993. Unfortunately Lou won't work cheap. He is also rumored to be in the hunt for the job in Toronto - if it opens up - or he might decide to stay put. Either could be more interesting than a return to Cincinnati. Lou also may not decide to come back because he might not want to damage his reputation here as a great manager if he doesn't have as much success the second time around.
Davey Johnson: Another former Reds' manager may be on his way back. Davey has had teams go to the playoffs - and won a World Championship in 1986 with the Mets - everywhere he's managed except in L.A. He's got a year left on his deal with L.A. so he'd work cheap - for a year. His private life would not threaten his job security as it did the last time around with the Reds. In my opinion, he is one of the best managers at handling pitchers. Davey has had problems with the front office everywhere he's went. His problems here stemmed from his personal life and there were no public problems with Jim Bowden. I have heard that Davey and Bowden disagreed over the usage of replacement players in 1995 but that could be water under the bridge. As I previously mentioned, Davey did not go to the playoffs in L.A. He has a tendency to rub people the wrong way and can be perceived as arrogant. Again, as with Lou, coming back here could damage his reputation. Would the Reds keep him on after his deal with L.A. ran out? They aren't exactly known for breaking the bank when it comes to hiring managers.
Dusty Baker: Dusty is the premier free agent manager after guiding the Giants to a division championship this year. He has also managed the Giants to a wild card and lost out to the Cubs another year for the wild card. Dusty is very well respected and guys love to play for him. Since Dusty's services will be in great demand, do not look for the Reds to get involved in a bidding war for his services. Dusty has also been criticized for leaving his starting pitchers - especially the younger ones - in too long. He's also a bit laid back in his managerial style, which wouldn't be a big change from McKeon.
The field:
Don Gullett: Don has been a coach here for several years and is one of the best pitching coaches around. Like Oester, he's a former Red and lives in N. Kentucky. He would probably work cheap and I think he would have the respect of the players. Don has basically had the run of the pitching staff and since pitching is so important, it might be best to have a manager who knows how to run a pitching staff. Don has had some health problems in the past. He underwent bypass surgery about 10 years ago and had a problem this year with irregular heartbeats. Don has been loyal to McKeon and that might cost him some points with players who aren't McKeon's biggest fans. Don has never stated publicly that he wanted to manage and might resign after Jack gets the ax. He has had no minor league experience managing either.
Terry Francona: Francona is in the same situation as Jack: Unemployed. Players love to play for him and he has managed in the Reds' minor league system. I'm not sure of his contract situation but he would probably work relatively cheap. On the other hand, the Phillies had high expectations this year and they tanked. Would the Reds' players respect a guy who was neither a great player nor had success as a manager? Would the fans take to a guy who hasn't had that success as a manager?
Gene Lamont: In 1997 he almost pulled off a miracle by coming close to winning a division title with the financially strapped Pirates. He did win division titles in 1993 and 1994 with the White Sox. He coached under Jim Leyland when Leyland managed in Pittsburgh. The last 3 years haven't been quite as successful, though. He finished 6th in 1998 and 3rd in 1999. Like Francona, he was not a great player. He has had success as a manager but probably not enough to command the total respect of the players.
Johnny Bench: Bench is one of the all-time greats as a player. As a catcher he commanded respect and was a manager on the field. He is very good with the media and said this summer that he might like to try his hand at managing. I'm sure he would work relatively cheap as this is his first go-round at managing. The motivational factor could make this job a challenge for him i.e. his rivalry with Pete Rose. In his 4 full seasons as Reds' manager, Rose finished 2nd each year. The motivation is for Bench to do better than Rose. On a personal note, Bench was my favorite player growing up and I have no doubt he could do a great job as manager, if motivated. Therein lies the larger question: would Bench be motivated enough to be a manager? He would have to realize managing comes first, not golf. He has no experience managing but hiring a good bench coach could offset that. There are a certain amount of Reds' fans that aren't too fond of Bench because of his public feud with Rose and his dustup with Reds' announcer Marty Brennaman. I think winning would convert most of those fans back to Bench's corner, however. The flagship station of the Reds' radio network is WLW and the station's attitude towards Bench is the main reason he has stopped doing baseball segments on that station. It'd be interesting to see if that would be a roadblock to Bench returning as manager.
Dave Miley: Miley has been managing in the Reds' farm system for the past several years. If he were to be considered by the Reds, it would be his first big league managing gig and he would probably be so grateful for the chance, he'd work for peanuts. Some people see him as another Sparky Anderson - a career minor league manager who just needs a break. Felipe Alou said he was one of the best managers around. Miley's lack of big league experience could be a detriment in dealing with the players. He has worked with a number of these guys but some of the veterans might not be too keen to be managed by a busher. The demands of a big league manager are greater than the demands on a minor league manager as far as dealing with the press and fans are concerned.
The also-rans:
Bobby Valentine: Valentine has led the Mets to the wild card two years in a row. No Mets manager has ever done that before. He is out of the Dodger system so he knows what fundamental baseball is all about. However Valentine hasn't lived up to expectations yet and his personality has been described charitably as smarmy. If the Mets don't reach the Series, Valentine could be given the old heave-ho. He didn't have much success at his other big league job in Texas but did have success managing in Japan. He definitely would not come cheap and he may be angling to get back to L.A. if Tommy Lasorda has anything to say about it.
Buck Showalter: Buck has had success in New York and Arizona. I would guess he has a year or two left on his deal so he would be cheap. However, his downfall this year was his reputation as a control freak. The veteran players on Arizona seemed to be growing tired of his act. He did have success in N.Y. and Arizona but if you have owners throwing around money like they did, you should win. Most importantly, he seems to have an ongoing feud with Jr. That would eliminate him from contention once and for all.
Whitey Herzog: He's in retirement right now but his credentials as a manager are without question. If his tenure in St. Louis and Kansas City were any indication, he would bring an exciting brand of baseball to Cincinnati. Herzog would be very respected by the players. He said in his latest book that he would love to manage somewhere in the Midwest on a team that is on the verge of breaking out. However, he also said he would want to be the highest paid manager in the game. I think he might clash with Bowden given the two have very strong personalities and Herzog would probably want to have some say about personnel. Bowden might see that as infringing on his turf. If the Reds won big, Herzog would probably get the majority of the credit which Bowden would probably not be too fond of.
Jim Leyland: Another retiree with outstanding credentials. The respect factor would be there and his mother lives in or near Toledo. However, he would also want to be paid top dollar. He has a reputation for leaving young starting pitchers throw too many pitches. He quit after a year in Colorado because he couldn't stand being away from his family for that long. He has said in the last day or two that he's not interested in managing anymore. Health issues could also come into play with Leyland. He's a chain smoker and looks like the poster boy for heart disease.
So there you have it. I would guess that the Reds would select their manager from the people that I have mentioned. Personally, I don't feel the Reds need to spend a fortune for a manager. However, hiring one because he will work cheap isn't the answer either. There are two reasons for this: 1.) If you hire someone on the cheap, you will usually get what you pay for. 2.) If the guy does turn out to be any good, he's not going to want to stick around here and work for minimum wage - so to speak - for very long. This is Bowden's most important hire yet. This manager will most likely be the manager when the Reds move into the new ballpark. Reds' fans - not to mention ownership - are going to expect this team to contend for a world's championship by then. If that doesn't happen the manager may not take the fall. Next time, it could be Bowden himself. In my opinion the most important qualification for this new manager has to be respect. He needs to have the respect of the players - namely Jr. and Larkin - in order to have the respect of the clubhouse. It's not necessary he be loved or even liked but respect is the key here. Respect is more important today than cost or experience. If a player has respect for a manager he is more willing to play hard for him than if he were to play for a manager whom he has no respect for. A manager needs to be an object of respect, not derision.