azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Ed Price, Tribune
On Oct. 4, just before announcing he was firing manager Bob Melvin, Seattle Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi called his Diamondbacks counterpart, who also had a managerial opening.
"This is a great guy," Joe Garagiola Jr. recalled Bavasi saying. "We just felt we had to make a change up here and I can’t recommend him highly enough."
Bavasi’s words were welcome but not necessary. The D-Backs knew Melvin from his two seasons as bench coach under Bob Brenly and hoped to interview him all along.
Melvin wound up a finalist and, when Arizona on Friday decided not to hire Wally Backman, the team’s manager.
"Now, with the perspective we have on everything," Garagiola said, "we want Bob to be the manager of this team."
Melvin agreed to a twoyear contract with team options for 2007 and 2008 — the same structure Backman was to get. Melvin’s deal guarantees him slightly more than the approximately $1 million the team planned to pay Backman (the Mariners will have to pay Melvin the difference between his 2005 Diamondbacks salary and the $625,000 owed him on the 2005 option picked up in May).
Jay Bell, who played for the Diamondbacks from 1998 to 2002, was named Melvin’s bench coach.
"This guy is a great fit for me, a great fit for the organization," Melvin said.
"After having spent a year off, I was contacted about the potential of being a bench coach," said Bell, who retired after spending 2003 with the New York Mets. "(Wife Laura) was all for it. Certainly I was very pleased to have the opportunity to get back with this organization."
Three other coaches who were likely to be part of Backman’s staff — Al Pedrique at third base, Glenn Sherlock in the bullpen and Mark Davis as pitching coach — may still keep those positions.
Mike Aldrete, who was Melvin’s first-base coach in Seattle this year and spent 2001-03 with Arizona as a minor league coach and manager, could come aboard as first-base coach or hitting coach.
Melvin said upon being asked to interview for the vacancy he called Brenly, a close friend who was fired July 2 as D-Backs manager.
"Would you have a problem with that?" Melvin asked Brenly.
"Not only do I not have a problem with it," Brenly responded, "I want you to get it."
Luis Gonzalez — one of four players from the 2003 playoff roster still under contract (along with Alex Cintron, Randy Johnson and Mike Koplove) — also endorsed the choice of Melvin.
"It’s a good fit," Gonzalez said. "A lot of players always loved Bob Melvin when he was here.
"He was my first choice anyway because I was very familiar with him."
Unlike Backman, who brashly declared the team would not rebuild in 2005, Melvin was cautious in his outlook.
"Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward," he said. "That’s where this organization is right now, and that’s going to be the process here to get back to our glory days and winning the way everybody is used to seeing the Diamondbacks win,"
Scouts criticized Melvin as being too passive in Seattle, which of course was not a concern with Backman.
"They are different personalities to be sure," said Ken Kendrick, one of Arizona’s controlling investors, "but I don’t think there’s going to be any lack of fire in his belly to go out there and win."
Melvin said he learned from his experience with the Mariners, specifically in communicating with players: "Holding your players accountable yet letting them know from the outset that you’re behind them. If you get that point across right away, you have individual meetings before you even have one game . . . it’s not a surprise to them when you come to them about some things that they’re not currently doing."
Melvin said he felt the Mariners overachieved in 2003, his first season, when they went 93-69 and missed the playoffs by two games. Seattle dropped to 63-99 this year.
"There are some things that come up as a (first-time) manager that you just aren’t prepared for," he said. "I feel like the two years I had there set me up perfectly to come in here."
Bob Melvin Born:
Oct. 28, 1961, in Palo Alto, Calif.
Ht., Wt.: 6-foot-4, 210 pounds
Playing career: Hit .233 with 35 home runs in 692 games for seven teams. . . . Drafted by Detroit in first round of secondary phase of 1981 January draft. . . . Debuted with Tigers May 25, 1985. . . . Traded to San Francisco in October 1995 with Juan Berenguer for Dave LaPoint, Eric King, and Matt Nokes. . . . Traded to Baltimore in January 1989 for Terry Kennedy. . . . Traded to Kansas City in December 1991 for Storm Davis. . . . Signed with Boston after 1992 season. . . . Signed with New York Yankees in April 1994. . . . Claimed off waivers by California and traded to Chicago White Sox in July 1994. . . . Hit .429 in playing three games of 1987 NL championship series (San Francisco vs. St. Louis).
Management career: Scouted for Milwaukee in 1996. . . . Roving instructor for Brewers in 1997, then special assistant to the general manager in 1998. . . . Bench coach under manager Phil Garner with Milwaukee (1999) and Detroit (2000). . . . Managed Maryvale of the Arizona Fall League in 1999. . . . Bench coach for Diamondbacks in 2001-02 as they won the World Series and two division titles. . . . Managed Seattle in 2003-04, with team going 93-69 and 63-99.
Family: Wife, Kelly, and daughter, Alexi. . . . Resides in Cave Creek.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=31111
On Oct. 4, just before announcing he was firing manager Bob Melvin, Seattle Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi called his Diamondbacks counterpart, who also had a managerial opening.
"This is a great guy," Joe Garagiola Jr. recalled Bavasi saying. "We just felt we had to make a change up here and I can’t recommend him highly enough."
Bavasi’s words were welcome but not necessary. The D-Backs knew Melvin from his two seasons as bench coach under Bob Brenly and hoped to interview him all along.
Melvin wound up a finalist and, when Arizona on Friday decided not to hire Wally Backman, the team’s manager.
"Now, with the perspective we have on everything," Garagiola said, "we want Bob to be the manager of this team."
Melvin agreed to a twoyear contract with team options for 2007 and 2008 — the same structure Backman was to get. Melvin’s deal guarantees him slightly more than the approximately $1 million the team planned to pay Backman (the Mariners will have to pay Melvin the difference between his 2005 Diamondbacks salary and the $625,000 owed him on the 2005 option picked up in May).
Jay Bell, who played for the Diamondbacks from 1998 to 2002, was named Melvin’s bench coach.
"This guy is a great fit for me, a great fit for the organization," Melvin said.
"After having spent a year off, I was contacted about the potential of being a bench coach," said Bell, who retired after spending 2003 with the New York Mets. "(Wife Laura) was all for it. Certainly I was very pleased to have the opportunity to get back with this organization."
Three other coaches who were likely to be part of Backman’s staff — Al Pedrique at third base, Glenn Sherlock in the bullpen and Mark Davis as pitching coach — may still keep those positions.
Mike Aldrete, who was Melvin’s first-base coach in Seattle this year and spent 2001-03 with Arizona as a minor league coach and manager, could come aboard as first-base coach or hitting coach.
Melvin said upon being asked to interview for the vacancy he called Brenly, a close friend who was fired July 2 as D-Backs manager.
"Would you have a problem with that?" Melvin asked Brenly.
"Not only do I not have a problem with it," Brenly responded, "I want you to get it."
Luis Gonzalez — one of four players from the 2003 playoff roster still under contract (along with Alex Cintron, Randy Johnson and Mike Koplove) — also endorsed the choice of Melvin.
"It’s a good fit," Gonzalez said. "A lot of players always loved Bob Melvin when he was here.
"He was my first choice anyway because I was very familiar with him."
Unlike Backman, who brashly declared the team would not rebuild in 2005, Melvin was cautious in his outlook.
"Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward," he said. "That’s where this organization is right now, and that’s going to be the process here to get back to our glory days and winning the way everybody is used to seeing the Diamondbacks win,"
Scouts criticized Melvin as being too passive in Seattle, which of course was not a concern with Backman.
"They are different personalities to be sure," said Ken Kendrick, one of Arizona’s controlling investors, "but I don’t think there’s going to be any lack of fire in his belly to go out there and win."
Melvin said he learned from his experience with the Mariners, specifically in communicating with players: "Holding your players accountable yet letting them know from the outset that you’re behind them. If you get that point across right away, you have individual meetings before you even have one game . . . it’s not a surprise to them when you come to them about some things that they’re not currently doing."
Melvin said he felt the Mariners overachieved in 2003, his first season, when they went 93-69 and missed the playoffs by two games. Seattle dropped to 63-99 this year.
"There are some things that come up as a (first-time) manager that you just aren’t prepared for," he said. "I feel like the two years I had there set me up perfectly to come in here."
Bob Melvin Born:
Oct. 28, 1961, in Palo Alto, Calif.
Ht., Wt.: 6-foot-4, 210 pounds
Playing career: Hit .233 with 35 home runs in 692 games for seven teams. . . . Drafted by Detroit in first round of secondary phase of 1981 January draft. . . . Debuted with Tigers May 25, 1985. . . . Traded to San Francisco in October 1995 with Juan Berenguer for Dave LaPoint, Eric King, and Matt Nokes. . . . Traded to Baltimore in January 1989 for Terry Kennedy. . . . Traded to Kansas City in December 1991 for Storm Davis. . . . Signed with Boston after 1992 season. . . . Signed with New York Yankees in April 1994. . . . Claimed off waivers by California and traded to Chicago White Sox in July 1994. . . . Hit .429 in playing three games of 1987 NL championship series (San Francisco vs. St. Louis).
Management career: Scouted for Milwaukee in 1996. . . . Roving instructor for Brewers in 1997, then special assistant to the general manager in 1998. . . . Bench coach under manager Phil Garner with Milwaukee (1999) and Detroit (2000). . . . Managed Maryvale of the Arizona Fall League in 1999. . . . Bench coach for Diamondbacks in 2001-02 as they won the World Series and two division titles. . . . Managed Seattle in 2003-04, with team going 93-69 and 63-99.
Family: Wife, Kelly, and daughter, Alexi. . . . Resides in Cave Creek.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=31111
