BuckeyeRedleg
06-19-2007, 12:26 PM
1. Tampa Bay...64-98
2. Baltimore...68-94
3. Cincinnati...69-93
3. Kansas City...69-93
3. Texas...69-93
6. Washington...70-92
7. Pittsburgh...71-91
7. Chicago Cubs...71-91
9. San Francisco...72-90
10. St. Louis...73-89
also....just two more days until the anniversary of a special date.....
06/21/2005 6:23 PM ET
Reds dismiss Miley, promote Narron
Ruhle replaces Gullett as pitching coach
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
CINCINNATI -- The sigh Dave Miley let out when he was informed he had been relieved of his duties as manager of the Reds wasn't one of frustration or sadness.
General manager Dan O'Brien described it as a sigh of relief.
The writing had been on the proverbial wall for this day to happen for much of the 2005 season, in which the Reds limped to a 27-43 record. And on Tuesday morning, O'Brien made it a reality.
Miley and pitching coach Don Gullett were dismissed and replaced, respectively, by bench coach Jerry Narron and Minor League pitching coordinator Vern Ruhle.
"This was a very difficult day," O'Brien said. "Both [Miley and Gullett] had been long-standing members of this organization. It was a very emotional decision, for that very reason. Given the way the Major League team has performed to date, we came to the realization that we need new leadership in the clubhouse."
Under Miley's leadership, the Reds, who entered this season with a payroll increase of $17 million and high expectations of competing in the National League Central, sunk to a season-high 16 games under .500 and 18 1/2 games back of the Cardinals.
Gullett's revamped pitching staff compiled an ERA of 5.66, second-highest in the National League, behind that of the Rockies. It's a staff that's on pace to give up a Major League-record 245 homers this season.
O'Brien simply wasn't seeing progress being made with the sagging club.
"This isn't a decision to be taken lightly," O'Brien said. "However, we felt a significant change in direction was in order. We still have expectations for the '05 season. It's important this team plays to its capabilities, whatever those may be. And to this point in time, it has not happened."
Neither Miley nor Gullett was available for comment in the wake of the moves.
Miley, 43, was the 57th manager in Reds' history, compiling a record of 125-164 (.433). He had been in the organization for 26 years as a player, coach or manager, including parts of four seasons at the helm of Triple-A Louisville.
When Miley's Reds held an unexpected lead in the NL Central standings as late as June 2004, he drew rave reviews. He was named Baseball America's NL Manager of the Year for the first half of '04, and the Reds renewed his contract through the '06 season.
But it didn't take long for Miley's job to come under intense scrutiny. When Chief Operating Officer John Allen paid an unexpected visit to Miley in Colorado on June 6, saying the team was playing at a level that was "unacceptable," the manager was visibly shaken.
The Reds didn't improve much after that well-documented day in Denver, and a particularly brutal stretch in which they dropped seven of eight games against the Red Sox, Braves and Cardinals sealed Miley's fate.
"We simply were not progressing," O'Brien said. "We were not doing the basic things every day that you have an expectation of when you're a fan and you walk into the ballpark and pay your dollars. We weren't doing that, and we hadn't been for some time. There were no signs of imminent progress on that front."
O'Brien is hoping that progress will come with Narron in charge. The 49-year-old Narron had been Miley's bench coach since 2003, and he managed the Rangers for the majority of 2001 and all of 2002, going 134-162 (.453).
"Jerry has been in professional baseball for 32 years," O'Brien said. "He's done just about everything you can do in this game. He's very well respected, and he's earned a reputation for his hard work, his integrity and his diligence. He knows the players, he knows the organization. That's very important that he hits the ground with his feet running."
Though they'll wear the "interim" tags, Narron and Ruhle will be on staff for the remainder of the '05 season, O'Brien said.
Miley, meanwhile, could be offered another role in the organization, though O'Brien said Tuesday was not the appropriate time to discuss that possibility.
A Reds official reported that Miley and Gullett were in good spirits afterward, though both wanted to take a couple days to themselves and declined to speak with reporters.
Gullett, 54, had served as the club's pitching coach since May 24, 1993. A member of the Reds Hall of Fame, he was in his 24th season in the organization as a player, instructor or coach.
O'Brien said a new approach to instruction might be beneficial to the pitching staff, and his thinking is that Ruhle, who has seven years of experience as a Major League pitching coach with the Astros, Phillies and Mets, will provide it.
"I think they're both extremely knowledgeable," O'Brien said. "Gully is very knowledgeable about pitching. But I think their methods of communicating the information are different. Vern is a little more technological in his approach, as a potential avenue. And I think that will help him with some of our pitchers."
The Reds are looking for help any way they can get it. O'Brien didn't want to throw out exact goals in terms of win totals or statistics, but he said he has high expectations for the remainder of the year.
"At the end of the year, we'll be able to look back and say, 'Did we maximize the talent that we had here over the last three-plus months of the season?'" O'Brien said.
The club wasn't maximizing its talent through the first two and a half months, and Monday's 6-1 loss to the Cardinals proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back.
"It was not a decision that we rushed to, by any means," O'Brien said. "We wanted it to work. We came to the realization that it wasn't going to."
And it was a realization that, according to O'Brien, brought a sense of relief to a beleaguered Miley.
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050621&content_id=1098472&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin
2. Baltimore...68-94
3. Cincinnati...69-93
3. Kansas City...69-93
3. Texas...69-93
6. Washington...70-92
7. Pittsburgh...71-91
7. Chicago Cubs...71-91
9. San Francisco...72-90
10. St. Louis...73-89
also....just two more days until the anniversary of a special date.....
06/21/2005 6:23 PM ET
Reds dismiss Miley, promote Narron
Ruhle replaces Gullett as pitching coach
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
CINCINNATI -- The sigh Dave Miley let out when he was informed he had been relieved of his duties as manager of the Reds wasn't one of frustration or sadness.
General manager Dan O'Brien described it as a sigh of relief.
The writing had been on the proverbial wall for this day to happen for much of the 2005 season, in which the Reds limped to a 27-43 record. And on Tuesday morning, O'Brien made it a reality.
Miley and pitching coach Don Gullett were dismissed and replaced, respectively, by bench coach Jerry Narron and Minor League pitching coordinator Vern Ruhle.
"This was a very difficult day," O'Brien said. "Both [Miley and Gullett] had been long-standing members of this organization. It was a very emotional decision, for that very reason. Given the way the Major League team has performed to date, we came to the realization that we need new leadership in the clubhouse."
Under Miley's leadership, the Reds, who entered this season with a payroll increase of $17 million and high expectations of competing in the National League Central, sunk to a season-high 16 games under .500 and 18 1/2 games back of the Cardinals.
Gullett's revamped pitching staff compiled an ERA of 5.66, second-highest in the National League, behind that of the Rockies. It's a staff that's on pace to give up a Major League-record 245 homers this season.
O'Brien simply wasn't seeing progress being made with the sagging club.
"This isn't a decision to be taken lightly," O'Brien said. "However, we felt a significant change in direction was in order. We still have expectations for the '05 season. It's important this team plays to its capabilities, whatever those may be. And to this point in time, it has not happened."
Neither Miley nor Gullett was available for comment in the wake of the moves.
Miley, 43, was the 57th manager in Reds' history, compiling a record of 125-164 (.433). He had been in the organization for 26 years as a player, coach or manager, including parts of four seasons at the helm of Triple-A Louisville.
When Miley's Reds held an unexpected lead in the NL Central standings as late as June 2004, he drew rave reviews. He was named Baseball America's NL Manager of the Year for the first half of '04, and the Reds renewed his contract through the '06 season.
But it didn't take long for Miley's job to come under intense scrutiny. When Chief Operating Officer John Allen paid an unexpected visit to Miley in Colorado on June 6, saying the team was playing at a level that was "unacceptable," the manager was visibly shaken.
The Reds didn't improve much after that well-documented day in Denver, and a particularly brutal stretch in which they dropped seven of eight games against the Red Sox, Braves and Cardinals sealed Miley's fate.
"We simply were not progressing," O'Brien said. "We were not doing the basic things every day that you have an expectation of when you're a fan and you walk into the ballpark and pay your dollars. We weren't doing that, and we hadn't been for some time. There were no signs of imminent progress on that front."
O'Brien is hoping that progress will come with Narron in charge. The 49-year-old Narron had been Miley's bench coach since 2003, and he managed the Rangers for the majority of 2001 and all of 2002, going 134-162 (.453).
"Jerry has been in professional baseball for 32 years," O'Brien said. "He's done just about everything you can do in this game. He's very well respected, and he's earned a reputation for his hard work, his integrity and his diligence. He knows the players, he knows the organization. That's very important that he hits the ground with his feet running."
Though they'll wear the "interim" tags, Narron and Ruhle will be on staff for the remainder of the '05 season, O'Brien said.
Miley, meanwhile, could be offered another role in the organization, though O'Brien said Tuesday was not the appropriate time to discuss that possibility.
A Reds official reported that Miley and Gullett were in good spirits afterward, though both wanted to take a couple days to themselves and declined to speak with reporters.
Gullett, 54, had served as the club's pitching coach since May 24, 1993. A member of the Reds Hall of Fame, he was in his 24th season in the organization as a player, instructor or coach.
O'Brien said a new approach to instruction might be beneficial to the pitching staff, and his thinking is that Ruhle, who has seven years of experience as a Major League pitching coach with the Astros, Phillies and Mets, will provide it.
"I think they're both extremely knowledgeable," O'Brien said. "Gully is very knowledgeable about pitching. But I think their methods of communicating the information are different. Vern is a little more technological in his approach, as a potential avenue. And I think that will help him with some of our pitchers."
The Reds are looking for help any way they can get it. O'Brien didn't want to throw out exact goals in terms of win totals or statistics, but he said he has high expectations for the remainder of the year.
"At the end of the year, we'll be able to look back and say, 'Did we maximize the talent that we had here over the last three-plus months of the season?'" O'Brien said.
The club wasn't maximizing its talent through the first two and a half months, and Monday's 6-1 loss to the Cardinals proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back.
"It was not a decision that we rushed to, by any means," O'Brien said. "We wanted it to work. We came to the realization that it wasn't going to."
And it was a realization that, according to O'Brien, brought a sense of relief to a beleaguered Miley.
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050621&content_id=1098472&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin