5 candidates to take over the Braves after Bobby Cox
Earlier today we offered 5 reasons Bobby Cox should step aside. Some of you then asked the logical follow-up: OK, genius, who would you hire to replace him? Here, presented in order of preference, is my short list:
1. Brad Mills, Red Sox bench coach: He has apprenticed beside Terry Francona, who’s the second-best manager in baseball — Minnesota’s Ron Gardenhire is the best — and who was Mills’ college roommate. He’s steeped in the Sox system of numbers-crunching, which would surely delight the stat geeks on DOB’s blog, and has been known to use the word “sabermetrics” in conversation.
2. Jose Oquendo, Cardinals third base coach: He’s considered the first choice to succeed Tony La Russa in St. Louis, but nobody’s sure when La Russa will leave. Oquendo is a key player liaison, having built an alliance with the taciturn Albert Pujols. (Ah, but you’re asking: Could he get along with Yunel Escobar? Probably.)
3. Dave Duncan, Cardinals pitching coach: There’s a spotty history for pitching coaches as managers. Roger Craig was a good one, Ray Miller less good. (And Leo Mazzone, the best pitching coach ever, never got a managerial sniff.) But the belief in St. Louis is that Duncan, La Russa’s longtime No. 2, wants out: He’s said to be angry at the local media over the treatment of his son Chris, whom the Cardinals traded to Boston last month. And it’s worth noting that Duncan wasn’t actually a pitcher himself. He was a catcher for the Oakland A’s of the early ’70s.
Loading ...4. Terry Pendleton, Braves hitting coach: If the Braves stay in-house, he’s the guy. He’s respected by the players — Jeff Francoeur’s flight to Texas for instruction shouldn’t be viewed as a consensus opinion — and beloved by the brass. He’s a hard worker who played under two of the best managers ever in Cox and Whitey Herzog, and he’s also a bit of a hard nose. (He rides a Harley!) Which, coming after the gentle ways of Bobby Cox, might not be a bad thing.
5. Scott Ullger, Twins third base coach: If Gardenhire is the best — and he is — why not grab his chief lieutenant? Ullger is a lifer in the Twins’ system and has managed in the minors. Plus, you have to admire a guy whose official bio reads: “Experience: A lot.”
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553 comments Add your comment
Old Dawg
September 23rd, 2009
5:09 pm
As far as I’m concerned you can take Pendleton off the list. His history of trying to change every hitter is a matter of record at failure. He ruined Francoeur and Kelly Johnson, Andrew Jones and countless others. No, no Pendleton.
Eddie
September 23rd, 2009
5:12 pm
Enter your comments here Will this change make Wren known as the “Cox sacker”?
hydee
September 23rd, 2009
5:15 pm
You’re listing the wrong Red Sox coach-pitching coach John Farrel did a great job in personnel in Cleveland and has been outstanding in Boston, he is going to make an excellent manager for whatever teams snaps him up.
JJ
September 23rd, 2009
5:19 pm
If the Braves don’t at least make a call to Fredi Gonzalez, I’ll be upset.
Dat Dude
September 23rd, 2009
5:20 pm
Ned Yost or Eddie Perez would be the two best candidates. Why would you want Pendelton? He has proven to be a terrible hitting coach, look at Andruw and Frenchy, I know he won an MVP here and was a gret player for us, but we need something better than him.
lrw
September 23rd, 2009
5:21 pm
Don Sutton or Lemke.
Really, TP would be more “hard nosed” than Bobby and that is a good thing. What about Yogi? probably makes too much money with AFLAC.
Tewks
September 23rd, 2009
5:24 pm
If we can get past the Marlins issue, Fredi is a no-brainer. Seriously.
JJ
September 23rd, 2009
5:26 pm
Gardenhire is the best manager in baseball? Did he say hello to you once at an airport or something? I can think of 5 guys that I’d put at least on par with Gardenhire, and probably ahead of him. Fredi Gonzalez, Mike Scoscia, Tony LaRussa, Joe Madden, and maybe Ron Washington.
Ronald Millsaps
September 23rd, 2009
5:28 pm
“UGA”– Actually, Terry Pendleton did deserve the MVP in 1991.
If you want to talk about bad management, look at the guy running your team over in Athens. He had the best quarterback and the best runningback all season, and I never saw a sense of urgency. The team looked apathetic and complacent all year, especially Knowshon Moreno, who got hit with a dose of reality when Alabama steamrolled him and his teammates.
Now he’s showing one but doesn’t have the talent.
Speaking of overrated coaching, Urban Meyer is overrated, and Tim Tebow is the most-overrated athlete I’ve ever seen in any sport. The best college player ever?! You’ve got to be kidding me!! He literally isn’t 25% the player Herschel Walker was, and Danny Wuerffel was a LOT better than him.
Ronald Millsaps
September 23rd, 2009
5:32 pm
The best manager in the game today is not Ron Gardenhire but instead a toss-up between Mike Scioscia, Charlie Manuel, Fredi Gonzalez, and Joe Torre.
Bobby can out-manage anyone, but he has shot himself in the foot a lot. His misuse of the hot hand and overuse of R-L matchups hurts him, as does his willingness to use his top relievers basically only when he has the lead. His going to Kris Medlen and Vladimir Nunez the other night was inexcusable.
itpdude
September 23rd, 2009
5:35 pm
I’d like to see a wildcard pick firebrand type like Terry Bevington.
Ronald Millsaps
September 23rd, 2009
5:38 pm
“Bob Horner”–Wow.That post was worth four home runs.
Yeah, AOL is garbage as ownership. As I’ve said before, they’re trying to do to to Braves what they did to TBS.
Ned Yost or Bob Brenly would be an excellent choice.
Elbow Room
September 23rd, 2009
5:44 pm
Brad Komminsk, it has to be Brad Komminsk. Why? Because Brad Komminsk is AWESOME!
Just Pat
September 23rd, 2009
5:51 pm
N8…..I was SO glad to see you at least mention Glenn Hubbard. He’d be one of my choices….
Just Pat
September 23rd, 2009
5:58 pm
MB…..re: your 4:08 post regarding Bobby Valentine…..the SAME can b said of Joe Torre.
Dan Faber
September 23rd, 2009
6:14 pm
Enter your comments hereWhere’s Fredi Gonzales?
Just Pat
September 23rd, 2009
6:20 pm
Joe Morgan??????? He couldn’t shut his mouth long enough to manage a team!!!!!!
Chopdawg
September 23rd, 2009
6:22 pm
Luv the idea about Phil Wellman–hey anybody who’d crawl up behind the pitcher’s mound and lob a grenade at home plate has gotta be your man! And it might as well be somebody like him, because whoever follows Cox has a tuff act to follow, like the guy who followed Bear Bryant at Alabama.
Just occured to me–there are probably a lot of fans blogging right now who don’t remember any Atlanta Braves manager other than Bobby Cox, in their entire lifetimes.
BehindEnemyLines
September 23rd, 2009
6:28 pm
Any of the above as long as it isn’t Pendleton.
Ronald Millsaps
September 23rd, 2009
6:29 pm
Joe Simpson wouldn’t be a bad option, as the man is VERY insightful.
Don Sutton and this new guy calling radio games are very misleading oftentimes when delivering a call. The former will say, “OUTSIDE…” on a full count, which suggests a walk, and then will follow with, “…corner! Called strike three!” He also gives excessive detail. (Not bashing the guy as a person or as a pitcher, just not crazy about his commentary.)
The other guy is so stoic that he’s hard to read.
Sid Breem's leg
September 23rd, 2009
6:30 pm
I’d like to see Chipper become a player/manager, then retire at the end of his current contract and become full time manager.
j prince
September 23rd, 2009
6:30 pm
Freddy Gonzalez
redneckbluedog
September 23rd, 2009
6:34 pm
Terry Pendleton head coach. Chipper Jones hitting coach. Evan Longoria 3B.
Just Pat
September 23rd, 2009
6:35 pm
Chopdawg……WRONG…..I was here through the Chuck Tanner, Joe Torre, years and can tell you that Torre was one of the RUDEST people I’ve ever met.
Larrry
September 23rd, 2009
6:37 pm
I loved TP as a player; but as a coach, he has been terrible. The Braves’ hitting has been abysmal and a major reason for their collapse from prominence. **Go with Ullger or Mills.**
Just Pat
September 23rd, 2009
6:41 pm
Larry……if we’re gonna downgrade TP for Francouer, then we have to UPGADE him for Matt Diaz, right??????
Glynn
September 23rd, 2009
6:41 pm
Chipper Jones Manager!!
Brown
September 23rd, 2009
7:11 pm
If this is a done deal, and turns out to be someone other than Pendleton (who I DO like), why not bring him on board for the 2010 season as a scout and coach, let him get to know the players and vice versa and get a big head start on looking within the system for new talent.
Ed
September 23rd, 2009
7:21 pm
I think Lou Brown should be coaxed out of retirement. What he did with the Indians in ‘89 was nothing short of remarkable, considering the history of that club, the tight-fisted owner, and the cast of misfits and retreads he had to deal with.
UGA Student
September 23rd, 2009
7:22 pm
Milsap,
I never said that UGA didn’t have coaching issues. If I were the AD, I would fire everyone in the Richt Regime and hire Boise State’s Coach. Unfortunately, scietologists aren’t allowed in the bible belt. Additionally, how is a coach overrated if he won two National Championships in such a short time (Meyer)? Meyer has tremendous playcall, assistants, recruiting, and beautiful women at florida. Not sure that you know anything MILSAP. You CLOWN. You should leave the local public library in the hills of tennessee, and return to your backwoods shack in the middle of nowhere.
bill
September 23rd, 2009
7:33 pm
f***er needed to be fired about 3 years ago. GD another season with this senile POS.
hymie
September 23rd, 2009
7:36 pm
Oh, well, there’s always 2011.
noogie
September 23rd, 2009
7:37 pm
Unfortunately, scietologists aren’t allowed in the bible belt UGA MF can’t spell. GD, My tax dollars are wasted on this Moran. UGA=MF Idiot
a thought
September 23rd, 2009
8:32 pm
Why not go after Gardenhire?
a thought
September 23rd, 2009
8:33 pm
Noogie, your tax dollars are wasted on yourself…it’s moron and it’s not capitalized unless starting a sentence.
Lee
September 23rd, 2009
9:16 pm
I hope we say in house or at least a Brave alumni.
EdFJ
September 23rd, 2009
9:45 pm
John Smoltz
HAL
September 23rd, 2009
10:00 pm
Enter your comments here the people who ripped bobby here all year are probably dinning on crows feet tonight as they read the comments from every single braves past or present saying hes the best in the game mind ya all the idiots on this blog are short of booby is about 2400 wins and maybe 120 iq points lol
Alex
September 23rd, 2009
10:13 pm
As much as it pains me to side with a UGA fan, I have to agree, I actually got to have him as a batting coach several years ago at a baseball camp. He is a great guy, very knowledgeable, and I think he has what it takes to fill Bobby Cox’s shoes. Well maybe in every aspect except the whole record for the most ejections from a game.
drmondo
September 23rd, 2009
10:13 pm
Years ago, wasn’t Leo Mazzone being groomed to be the heir apparent? Why not him? He had a long history with the team and seemed to have the right mentality. I’m sure somebody here will tell me if/why he’s a bad choice or unavailable.
Dad of the Year
September 23rd, 2009
10:23 pm
Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux
HAL
September 23rd, 2009
10:23 pm
Enter your comments hereif youall want to replace bradley get loaf a type writer he hasnt moved since spring traing so shouldent be too many typos lol
kool$kat
September 23rd, 2009
10:26 pm
Braves management – step up and do the world a huge favor; hire a minority person, specifically Barack Obama! with Joe Biden as 3b coach, Harry Reid at 1b, Pelosi as pitching coach and Hillary as batting coach – with the understanding that all the above resign from their current jobs.
Bobby Cox announces season-long farewell tour for 2010 | Lancilo USA
September 23rd, 2009
10:52 pm
[...] who’s going to be the first Braves manager in over 20 years once Cox is gone? (Terry Pendleton is your early inhouse [...]
double d
September 23rd, 2009
10:55 pm
Joe Morgan he knows more than anyone,and stays at Holiday Inn Express.
NY Frenchy
September 23rd, 2009
11:22 pm
How about Joe Simpson? Hes a great announcer but Id give that up to put him in the dugout, hes a former player & seems very knowledgeable
Bill
September 23rd, 2009
11:39 pm
the list emphasizes how much the braves will miss cox
TVG
September 24th, 2009
12:14 am
I have it figured out, hire Danny Cox to be the new manager.He is an ex-Cardinal pitcher, this way the Cox tradition continues.
kool$kat
September 24th, 2009
12:21 am
Hire Mike Hampton! who knows if he can coach, but he should be willing to work for at least a couple of years for free, right?
Dan
September 24th, 2009
12:33 am
It does sound like a pick from the heart instead of the head, but Chipper seems to have a manager’s mind for baseball…and nobody can complain about his work ethic. Sure, he’s had injuries, but he’s played through plenty.
I’d pick him even without prior managerial experience.