Brewers should look for a new hitting coach

Today was a very light news day in Milwaukee Brewers land.  The only real news is that, the Brewers organization asked the Brewers coaching staff if they want to go steady.  Luckily for the organization, the coaches said yes.  So, it seems that we can look forward to the spring, summer, and fall formal pictures (probably wallet sized).  There is just one problem…

Dale Sveum, Brewers hitting coach (at the moment), is in hot demand.  In the past few days, Dale has interviewed with two of the premier teams in all of Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox…hmmm…and the Chicago Cubs.  Sveum has a history with the Red Sox and was aided by former Brewers pitching coach, Mike Maddux, withdrawing his name from consideration in Boston.  That series of events leads me to believe that Maddux will end up as the Cubs skipper and Sveum will be the boss in Beantown.  Both of these assumptions effect Brewers fans.  Allow me to elaborate.

Dale Sveum was our manager once, remember?  Dale Sveum was the Brewers manager during the teams playoff run in 2008.  Ol’ Dale stepped in to replace Ned Yost, who got the ax for being…just terrible in general.  Then, after the Brewers were socked out of the playoffs by the Phillies, Sveum was passed over…in favor of Ken Macha.  Ken Macha, the keeper of all that is black and soul-less.  We wronged Dale, yet he continued to serve as our hitting coach for another 3 seasons.  Quite frankly, the guy deserves his chance to run a club.  And, if you are going to get a job, why not the Red Sox.  That roster is full of talent and Samuel Adams.  I mean, if that combination can work for my softball team, it should work in the pro’s right?

Well, this outcome will have two effects:

1) We lose Sveum and have to bring in a new hitting coach

2) Sveum takes over Boston and wins a World Series

Both outcomes are bad.  How much double-guessing would Mark Attanasio do if Sveum left and won a Series?  Probably much, much double-guessing.

Mike Maddux is a really good coach.  I was upset when they let him go to Texas.  Each of the last two World Series, I have had to look at his glorious mustache and long for the days of him lunging next to Ned Yost.  What do we know here at RtB?  The correct answer is, mustaches.  Mike Maddux has a very serious and powerful mustache.  It commands respect and earns it at the exact same time.  Maddux has worked with aces like Cliff Lee, C.C Sabathia, Yovani Gallardo, C.J Wilson, and Jeff Suppan.  Ok, obviously not Suppan, but the other guys.  The Cubs do not have much in the pitching department, aside from Carlos “I will murder your water coolers!” Zambrano.  Maddux is probably a good guy to try and level with Zambrano.  Pitching coaches and pitchers have a different language that they speak to each other, so maybe Zambrano would finally throw a full season without causing some sort of nonsensical locker room coup.  If Maddux comes to the Cubs, then we will have to see him 18 times a year, until he gets fired (I just assume this will happen, because it always happens).

This outcome really only has one effect:

1)  Mike Maddux is a good coach, who could actually make the Cubs respectable again

And we DO NOT want that.

Guess what?  There is a wild card in this coaching carousel that would impact the Brewers.  Do you know what it might be?  That’s right, Terry Francona is interviewing for the St. Louis Cardinals job.  This is almost a worst case scenario.  LaRussa leaves, and is replaced by a guy who has won two World Series titles since 2004.  This scenario could not possibly get worse.

This outcome has one major effect:

1)  I will continue to hate the Cardinals

And one minor effect:

2)  They still have the talent to win more World Series titles

The coaching carousel is a cruel mistress.  This time around it appears to have a vendetta against the boys of Brew City.  This will be interesting to keep an eye on, because as you can see these decisions will impact all of us.  Let’s just hope that the Cubs hire Henry Rowengartner, the Cards go after Ken Macha, and the Red Sox hire some guy named Mickey.  Then we get Sveum back, and the Cubs and Cards are doomed.  Sounds good to me, but I think what I outlined above is more likely.

Put an add in the classifieds on the MJS and lets get our own hiring process in swing.  I vote that we bring Robin Yount back and make him hitting coach, but I am a boy who loves to dream.