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TUCSON, Ariz. -- Jerry Colangelo wants to put this story to rest. Bob Brenly is the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks and should fulfill the final year of his contract, which expires at the end of the season. And there are no plans right now to open up talks to extend the deal before then.
"A change is the farthest thing from my mind," Colangelo, the managing general partner of the Diamondbacks and the NBA's Phoenix Suns, said while speaking to the media on Friday. "I think there's been way too much focus on the fact that he's in the last year of a contract. I would suggest we focus on the players and Bob's going to be just fine."
Under a gray sky and in drizzly conditions, the Diamondbacks had their first full squad workout of the spring on the complex of fields across the way from Tucson Electric Park. Colangelo addressed the players before the practice.
Afterward, he stood on one of the practice fields watching Brenly implement many of the fundamental drills that were mandated this spring after the team did not make the playoffs for only the second time in the last five seasons.
Brenly said on Friday that his contract status "is not a factor for me right now."
"We've got a lot of things we want to accomplish down here in Spring Training and carry it right into the regular season," he added. "The less we talk about my situation the more we can focus on the players and what we have to do with those guys. That's the way I'd like it."
Colangelo said he intended to have some patience this year with the Diamondbacks, who are searching for a starter to replace the departed Curt Schilling and have a completely different infield than the one that opened last Spring Training.
With his NBA team, Colangelo has changed coaches six times in the last eight seasons. The Diamondbacks have been relatively stable with only two managers since the expansion team joined the NL in 1998. The fact that Brenly is working on a one-year deal should not alter that stability.
"Most people go to work every day (without the luxury of a long-term contract)," Colangelo said. "It's a day-to-day, month-to-month, week-to-week kind of a thing. Sometimes you're in the first year of a contract and sometime you're in the last year. And at the right time, there's usually a conversation about extinguishing it or extending it.
"The focus here should be on this team, not necessarily Bob Brenly because everything will take care of itself."
According to Colangelo and general manager Joe Garagiola Jr., Brenly had the opportunity to secure an additional year on his current contract after the 2002 season when the Diamondbacks won the NL West with a 98-62 record. That followed their 92-70 season of 2001 and World Series championship over the New York Yankees.
Under Brenly, the six-year-old Diamondbacks are 274-210. Brenly replaced Buck Showalter after the 2000 season and signed a three-year contract with a club option for 2004.
Garagiola said that during the 2002 offseason Brenly was advised that the Diamondbacks would exercise that option clause or he could sign a new two-year deal to carry him through 2005. Brenly decided not to extend the contract beyond 2004.
"So we took the position that we would wait until the end of this year," Colangelo said. "We made it clear that it was a closed case and he was fine with that."
Brenly said Friday that he stands by that decision.
"The offer was made, but at the time I felt a lot more comfortable moving in the direction we already were, fulfilling the option year and seeing the direction the team was going in at that point," Brenly said. "I'm satisfied with my decision. Hopefully we'll take it up again at some point in the future. I have no doubt that if and when that time comes we'll be able to work something out."
Brenly isn't the only manager in baseball working on a contract that expires at the end of the season. Joe Torre of the Yankees, Jack McKeon of the Florida Marlins and Jim Tracy of the Los Angeles Dodgers are also among that group.
And Colangelo doesn't think that state of affairs is necessarily detrimental, particularly on his team.
"Nobody here is on the hot seat," Colangelo said. "Nobody has a noose around his neck. (Bob and I) have a good relationship. I have a lot of respect for the job he's done. And we'll address it at the appropriate time. We always have in the past."
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Jerry Colangelo wants to put this story to rest. Bob Brenly is the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks and should fulfill the final year of his contract, which expires at the end of the season. And there are no plans right now to open up talks to extend the deal before then.
"A change is the farthest thing from my mind," Colangelo, the managing general partner of the Diamondbacks and the NBA's Phoenix Suns, said while speaking to the media on Friday. "I think there's been way too much focus on the fact that he's in the last year of a contract. I would suggest we focus on the players and Bob's going to be just fine."
Under a gray sky and in drizzly conditions, the Diamondbacks had their first full squad workout of the spring on the complex of fields across the way from Tucson Electric Park. Colangelo addressed the players before the practice.
Afterward, he stood on one of the practice fields watching Brenly implement many of the fundamental drills that were mandated this spring after the team did not make the playoffs for only the second time in the last five seasons.
Brenly said on Friday that his contract status "is not a factor for me right now."
"We've got a lot of things we want to accomplish down here in Spring Training and carry it right into the regular season," he added. "The less we talk about my situation the more we can focus on the players and what we have to do with those guys. That's the way I'd like it."
Colangelo said he intended to have some patience this year with the Diamondbacks, who are searching for a starter to replace the departed Curt Schilling and have a completely different infield than the one that opened last Spring Training.
With his NBA team, Colangelo has changed coaches six times in the last eight seasons. The Diamondbacks have been relatively stable with only two managers since the expansion team joined the NL in 1998. The fact that Brenly is working on a one-year deal should not alter that stability.
"Most people go to work every day (without the luxury of a long-term contract)," Colangelo said. "It's a day-to-day, month-to-month, week-to-week kind of a thing. Sometimes you're in the first year of a contract and sometime you're in the last year. And at the right time, there's usually a conversation about extinguishing it or extending it.
"The focus here should be on this team, not necessarily Bob Brenly because everything will take care of itself."
According to Colangelo and general manager Joe Garagiola Jr., Brenly had the opportunity to secure an additional year on his current contract after the 2002 season when the Diamondbacks won the NL West with a 98-62 record. That followed their 92-70 season of 2001 and World Series championship over the New York Yankees.
Under Brenly, the six-year-old Diamondbacks are 274-210. Brenly replaced Buck Showalter after the 2000 season and signed a three-year contract with a club option for 2004.
Garagiola said that during the 2002 offseason Brenly was advised that the Diamondbacks would exercise that option clause or he could sign a new two-year deal to carry him through 2005. Brenly decided not to extend the contract beyond 2004.
"So we took the position that we would wait until the end of this year," Colangelo said. "We made it clear that it was a closed case and he was fine with that."
Brenly said Friday that he stands by that decision.
"The offer was made, but at the time I felt a lot more comfortable moving in the direction we already were, fulfilling the option year and seeing the direction the team was going in at that point," Brenly said. "I'm satisfied with my decision. Hopefully we'll take it up again at some point in the future. I have no doubt that if and when that time comes we'll be able to work something out."
Brenly isn't the only manager in baseball working on a contract that expires at the end of the season. Joe Torre of the Yankees, Jack McKeon of the Florida Marlins and Jim Tracy of the Los Angeles Dodgers are also among that group.
And Colangelo doesn't think that state of affairs is necessarily detrimental, particularly on his team.
"Nobody here is on the hot seat," Colangelo said. "Nobody has a noose around his neck. (Bob and I) have a good relationship. I have a lot of respect for the job he's done. And we'll address it at the appropriate time. We always have in the past."
