So, Ken Macha is coming back. We never hated Macha although we don't love him either. We like his accent, and the way he mispronounces all the players' names, and the weird Comcast on demand commercial where he tries to be funny. We also appreciate that he is dignified, maybe somewhat cerebral and apparently loyal. We don't like that he is so resistant to changing the lineup and we hope that he might argue a little more next season. In any event, we still wish him the best and are mostly just sad that the A's didn't choose Ron Washington to be his replacement.
October 14, 2005
Wash is so class, so great! Damn, he would have been a great manager.
Washington said, "It's not like they fired Macha (initially), you know what I mean? They just couldn't come together on the money, and I guess they worked that out.
"I still hope I made a good showing when I talked to them. I hope I impressed them.''
here's the link: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/14/MNGJHF8I0U2.DTL
Posted by: oaklander | October 14, 2005 at 01:48 PM
That sad thing is that Wash WILL make a great manager, but now it might not be with the A's.
Posted by: dtz | October 14, 2005 at 01:55 PM
I am beyond reasonably upset about this. I guess I got really attached to the idea that this was going to be a new era (hopefully with Wash at the helm) so going back to same old same old (for three years!) is pretty disappointing. And it will only be so much worse if Wash goes somewhere else.
Posted by: KetchupMustard | October 14, 2005 at 02:03 PM
You impress us, Wash!
Anyone know where i could find a list of this year's Washie Awards? I heard them awarded on the radio; I would love to see them in print.
Posted by: td | October 14, 2005 at 03:04 PM
As of this morning, I was actually warming up to the prospect of Orel "you almost ruined 4th grade for me in 1988" Hershiser as our Manager...I was hoping to see maybe Wash as Manager and Geren as bench coach/Beane middle-man. Two things suggest that Macha was not worth re-signing: #1) Even the Pittsburgh Pirates thought he wasn't good enough to be their Manager, and #2) Even the PITTSBURGH PIRATES thought he wasn't good enough to be their Manager.
Posted by: YabuDabuDoo | October 14, 2005 at 03:23 PM
If we go by the assumption that Beane is looking for the cheapest, most reliable candidate for Manager, and that Macha's rate is definitely higher than $1 Mil per year...............................then Wash and Geren must have made a pretty bad impression on Beane. They must have stunk up their interviews....maybe this means Wash might stay as the infield coach for '06?
Posted by: Blanton: More Dreamy Than Mulder | October 14, 2005 at 03:45 PM
What is the world coming to? From: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2191370
"Kenny's a fine manager. He was my vote for manager of the year," Angels skipper Mike Scioscia said.
This rash of classy behavior is making me mad! I want the old, whiney, pathetic Scioscia back!
Posted by: AngelHater | October 14, 2005 at 05:22 PM
Now I can breathe a sigh of relief, and listen to the comforting sounds of Macha lending his vocal talents to those Nations Hamburger ads for another season. Whew! That was close! While were bringing back the old guard maybe we can create a new post for supremely dissed BoSawx GM Theo Epstein. Can you believe that offer they put on the table for him? That's @#$%&! up! And the coupe de gras? Bring Rickey back for a game and force him to retire for good. A Rickey Day would be great! Why the hell not?
Posted by: Steve-O | October 14, 2005 at 08:30 PM
what are oakland a's days thoughts on the departure of dave hudgens?
http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051003&content_id=1236992&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak
Posted by: spatman | October 15, 2005 at 10:03 AM
Dear Spatman,
We liked Hudge's moustache, but we have to admit that the offensive struggles of the 2005 A's made us absolutely crazy. And while it may not be fair that Hudgens alone paid the price for the A's many insufferable batting slumps of last season -- we aren't so sure that letting him go was a bad idea. Plus, the people we have heard as potential replacements are totally awesome . . . Carney Lansford, Larry Bowa, Scott Hatteberg, and perhaps, even -- dare we say it -- Tony Gwynn. So we wish Hudge the best and hope that the A's get an amazing and exciting new hitting coach for next year.
Sincerely,
Oakland A's Days
Posted by: Oakland A's Days | October 17, 2005 at 09:27 AM