Ken Macha fired - WOW

[Ramzavail]

Updated: Oct. 16, 2006, 4:26 PM ET
After quick ALCS exit, A's fire manager MachaESPN.com news services


Two days after getting swept out of the ALCS by Detroit, the Oakland A's fired manager Ken Macha, the team announced Monday.

The San Francisco Chronicle, citing team sources, reported earlier Monday that Macha's job was in jeopardy due to his trouble communicating with his players and his "callous attitude" toward injured players.

"The end of the year is the time for evaluation, not only players, but staff as well," A's general manager Billy Beane told the Chronicle. "It's a matter of routine this time of year."

There is $2.025 million remaining on Macha's contract.

Macha's relationships with a number of players have been the source of Bay Area stories for several seasons. Macha almost didn't return to the A's after last season, but was later rehired.

"For the last two years, our relationship has deteriorated to nothing," back-up catcher Adam Melhuse said, according to the Chronicle. "He didn't even speak to me for well over the last month. For me, as a backup, all I want is communication. Every other coach, I get along with great, but with Macha, it is not an exaggeration to say he doesn't speak to me -- not 'Hi,' not anything.

"It's tough to go to work every day knowing you're working for someone who doesn't think much of you as a player and on top of that, doesn't even acknowledge you."

Earlier this season, Macha refered to disabled players Joe Kennedy and Rich Harden as "non-entities."

During the playoffs, he responded to an injury to second baseman Mark Ellis' broken finger with: "It's part of the game. A lot of people get hurt."




Seriously, if I hit .219, I wouldn't expect the manager to talk to me either.

first series win in what, 16 years? and they fire him?

stupid.

[stevew]

They heard Dusty Baker was free and were looking to bring back a bay area legend.

[Pumpy Tudors]

They fired him, and I never did learn how to pronounce his name. Well, doggone it.

[panerd]

Fire me once, shame on them. Fire me once, rehire me when nobody else will do the job, and then fire me again shame on me. Why the hell did he go back there in the first place? Fuck BillyBall.

[MikeVic]

Think the Jays would want him? I don't like that trouble-maker Gibbons or whatever his name is... and with J.P. there as GM, you think he'd bring along Macha?

[TroyF]

Disagree with much of what Ramz wrote above. Being a manager in this day and age is as much about being a psychologist as it is a great x's and o's manager. If he had a problem communicating with the players, that's the kiss of death.

I don't think it would have taken a lot out of his day to acknowledge a player and say "hello" once in awhile. It's not that hard to have and show some human traits every now and again.

[McSweeny]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Disagree with much of what Ramz wrote above. Being a manager in this day and age is as much about being a psychologist as it is a great x's and o's manager. If he had a problem communicating with the players, that's the kiss of death.

I don't think it would have taken a lot out of his day to acknowledge a player and say "hello" once in awhile. It's not that hard to have and show some human traits every now and again.

bingo

lose control of/respect of the clubhouse and you're done.

[dawgfan]

Doesn't shock me at all. Billy Beane is well-known to not place a tremendous amount of value in managers in terms of strategy and whatnot - pretty much the biggest and most important job of a baseball manager is how he handles the clubhouse and the personalities, and if the reports are to be believed, Macha wasn't so hot at that.

[Tekneek]

I thought the word was that he put Macha in that role because he was a bit of a "yes man" for Billy Beane. That he bought into the philosophy and wasn't going to rock the boat. I haven't followed the team closely, though, so I don't know if that theory panned out or not.

[Gary Gorski]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

pretty much the biggest and most important job of a baseball manager is how he handles the clubhouse and the personalities,

And if the Tigers aren't an example of that I don't know what would be. A guy like Leyland knows exactly what buttons to push and when to push them and that's why Detroit turned it around this year as opposed to when Trammell was managing and he never really had control of the clubhouse and personalities on the team. You need talent to win obviously but there are some managers who can get that little bit extra out of each guy that gets the team to the next level and some who can't. I don't really think it's that much of a surprise he got canned. They looked terrible for most of the Detroit series and sure they make the playoffs frequently and finally advanced past the first round but unless you make it to the world series then who gives a damn if you got past the ALDS or not - you're still not in the big game and at some point if you keep making the playoffs but not getting to the world series you need something else for that final push and many times its the coach/manager - worked for the Tigers this year, worked for Miami and Detroit in the NBA with Riley and Brown respectively etc...

[Rizon]

Wash for manager. Please.

[Ksyrup]

He was pretty much let go last year, so you had to figure he was on the bubble this year. They were everyone's preseason pick to win the West, so it's not like he pulled a Girardi with this team.

[ISiddiqui]

They were everyone's preseason pick to win the West?! I'm sure that was the Angels, not the A's.

[oykib]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

They were everyone's preseason pick to win the West?! I'm sure that was the Angels, not the A's.

I saw the A's in bunch of places. Many analysts realized the Halos couldn't hit.

[stevew]

Ken Macha was fired for playing too much World of Warcraft?

[Ksyrup]

The A's were pretty much everyone's pick, yes.

hxxp://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview06/news/story?page=06expertpicks

hxxp://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4921

hxxp://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9692246

[johnnyshaka]

Glad to see Macha go...despite being a supposed puppet of Billy's, he still screwed up a lot of the decsions he did have to make. Also, saw this article about how the players felt over the past couple of seasons...I'm rather surprised at how candid they are:

hxxp://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/17/AS.TMP&type=as

[Swaggs]

So, will they promote from within or hire a familiar name?

[cartman]

This whole saga is playing out like a game of FM2006, with everyone communicating through the media...

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by stevew

Ken Macha was fired for playing too much World of Warcraft?

gg

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Disagree with much of what Ramz wrote above.

Good thing for him that most of it was written by ESPN

SI