DDN on gm's

[NewEraReds]

from the ddn:

Brad Kullman, Wayne Krivsky, Gary Hughes, Jack McKeon and Michael Hill

krivsky said he would take the job if offered.

Hill, an African-American and a Harvard graduate, is assistant general manager with the Marlins. He is a native of Cincinnati, where he was a three-sport star at Cincinnati Country Day School.

Hughes, a personable baseball lifer, is assistant general manager of the Chicago Cubs

also love some of the things ive been hearing out of bcast.

"I'm not going to get more involved operationally," he said. "We're going to hire a general manager and he's going to assess his personnel."

[NewEraReds]

thats music to my ears. instead of guys going over guys to do things. ala lindner hiring obrien. cast wants to get the right people in the right positions and let them do their job. have a great organization first. then winning will happen, imo. more important than how much money you spend. having the right guys spend it the right way.

i love it

[NewEraReds]

also, i hope kullman doesnt get the job. 1 reason, i dont think he is the best for it. but also cause he said he wants to stay here even if he doesnt get it. so go after a better guy and keep kullman. that brings 2 good minds instead of one

[Team Clark]

They need to add Ricky Bennett to that list. He's the Asst. GM in Houston and widely respected. He worked his way up from being a scout, to baseball admin, Director of Baseball Ops and now Asst GM. He has worked for 3 or 4 organizations and has a great rep.

[dfs]

I read that list this morning and it struck me as unrealistic. The new owner's given reason for getting rid of O'Brien was quite clearly that he wanted his own man in the job, but I look over that list and it's almost exactly the same list of suspects used in the last GM search. I don't mean to cast asperations on the journalistic integrety of Hal McCoy, but I think he dusted off the list of candidates from the last GM search and went to them all for quotes. I don't think ANY of those guys are on the new owners radar and I suspect he knows exactly who he wants in the slot.

[Phil in BG]

Originally Posted by dfs

I read that list this morning and it struck me as unrealistic. The new owner's given reason for getting rid of O'Brien was quite clearly that he wanted his own man in the job, but I look over that list and it's almost exactly the same list of suspects used in the last GM search. I don't mean to cast asperations on the journalistic integrety of Hal McCoy, but I think he dusted off the list of candidates from the last GM search and went to them all for quotes. I don't think ANY of those guys are on the new owners radar and I suspect he knows exactly who he wants in the slot.

You make a very good point. Why the retreads? Although, just the fact Castellini hires the next one makes him his man.

[TeamBoone]

IMHO, McKeon would be a horrible choice. Nice guy but never liked his managing style (if there was one); never will. To me, he just filled a position and that was about it.

Back when he was here before, not too many on this board liked him all that much either.

[NewEraReds]

but we won

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by TeamBoone

IMHO, McKeon would be a horrible choice. Nice guy but never liked his managing style (if there was one); never will. To me, he just filled a position and that was about it.

I know it's a long shot that he becomes the GM here but if he does, unless the manager is Harry Dunlop, he better watch his back cause ol' Jack may wind up back in uniform again.

[cincyinco]

Originally Posted by TeamBoone

IMHO, McKeon would be a horrible choice. Nice guy but never liked his managing style (if there was one); never will. To me, he just filled a position and that was about it.

Back when he was here before, not too many on this board liked him all that much either.

Like it or not, trader Jack got results. I loved him. He didn't take no BS from any of his players, and commanded respect - unless your name was Griffey. I wouldn't have any problems bringing the ol' man back. Not too familiar with his tenure as GM in San Diego, but know thats where i gets his nickname from - and lord knows this team could use a shake up.. haha.

If I had my choice of who to be the manager, it would be good ol' Davey Johnson.

[RedsIn07]

Here's the article:

Castellini opens door for new Reds GM
Candidates include interim Kullman, Krivsky, Hill
By Hal McCoy

Dayton Daily News

CINCINNATI | Owner/CEO Bob Castellini has a list of candidates to become general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and plans to send out invitations for interviews.

The invitations are not gold-embossed, but several candidates consider the job a golden opportunity and emerged quickly after general manager Dan O'Brien was fired Monday morning.

Names surfacing immediately included Brad Kullman, Wayne Krivsky, Gary Hughes, Jack McKeon and Michael Hill, among others.

Kullman was named as interim general manager, a spot he filled for the last half of the 2004 season after Jim Bowden was fired.

Under his interim tenure, he acquired pitchers Aaron Harang, Brandon Claussen and traded Kent Mercker to Atlanta for Matt Belisle, then helped Mercker come back to the Reds as a free agent.

"The qualities Bob threw out as to what he is looking for, I feel I fit all the criteria," said Kullman. "I just have to prove it to him."

As for now, Kullman said the club had no trade prospects on the horizon under O'Brien, "But we'll try to re-open some talks and maybe a different voice and a different approach will make a difference.

"We want to win in 2006 but we can be in the mix by 2007," he said. "We'll do what we can right now for '06 and we do have a good nucleus."

Krivsky, assistant general manager of the Minnesota Twins, thought he had the job in the winter of 2004. He was told by Chief Operating Officer John Allen that he was Allen's choice and was preparing his acceptance speech on a flight from Cincinnati to Minneapolis.

When he got home, he received a call from Allen telling him, "We've decided to go in another direction." That direction was the direction CEO Carl Lindner wanted — the hiring of O'Brien.

Krivsky would bring a solid baseball background and serves as Twins GM Terry Ryan's right- and left-hand guy, a guy who not only works in the Minnesota front office dealing with personnel and contracts but still serves most of the season as a major league scout.

"It's a tough racket, but I'm certainly still interested in the Reds," said Krivsky. "There are a lot of things I'd do differently to put that great franchise back on track.

"It isn't going to be easy for (the Reds) at this late date to get permission from other teams to talk to people, but I'd take that job if they offered it to me the day before spring training begins."

Hughes, a personable baseball lifer, is assistant general manager of the Chicago Cubs and a close confidante to general manager Jim Hendry, both acknowledged as two of baseball's top minds.

Hughes served as a special adviser to Bowden before the Cubs hired him as their assistant general manager.

"I love that place, that city, that team, the people there and it's a shame what has happened," said Hughes.

McKeon, another baseball lifer, served as Reds manager from mid-1997 through the 2000 season and the Reds finished second his last two years. In 1999 the team came within one game of winning the National League Central title, then lost a one-game playoff with the New York Mets for the wild card spot.

"We had it going in 1999 and we were only a couple of pitchers away from being able to take it all," said McKeon.

"But they decided to go another way (trading for Ken Griffey Jr.)."

McKeon left after 2000 over a salary dispute, and the Reds haven't had a winning season since. The 76-year-old McKeon managed the Florida Marlins to the 2003 World Series championship.

And he has general manager credentials, too, serving in that capacity with the San Diego Padres, where he earned his nickname, "Trader Jack."

Castellini said the club will follow Major League Baseball's directive to interview minorities, and there is a strong candidate in Florida.

Hill, an African-American and a Harvard graduate, is assistant general manager with the Marlins. He is a native of Cincinnati, where he was a three-sport star at Cincinnati Country Day School.

Lou Piniella is not a candidate. Castellini wanted Piniella to serve this year as a special adviser, but his contractual agreement as manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays specifies that he must stay out of Major League baseball this year.

"I didn't realize that when we talked about him coming here, so it isn't going to happen this year and I would expect Lou to go back to managing," said Castellini.

"I'd like to have a man in place for spring training, but it is going to take three or four weeks of interviewing six or eight candidates," he said.

If Castellini wants to dip into his recent background as 10 percent owner of the St. Louis Cardinals, he could be interested in St. Louis vice president of personnel Jerry Walker or special assistant to the general manager Bob Gebhard, who served as the first general manager when the Colorado Rockies came into existence.

[TeamBoone]

There's no way that Castellini gave his confidential list to a reporter. As Chip alluded to in either this thread or another, it's more like Hal's wish list.

[MartyFan]

Mr. C said he would release the list as soon as it was put together and as long as the candidates did not mind their names being published...so, I agree...this is not from Mr. C to HAL.

[oregonred]

"Hill, an African-American and a Harvard graduate, is assistant general manager with the Marlins. He is a native of Cincinnati, where he was a three-sport star at Cincinnati Country Day School."

Interesting local connection...

[Redsland]

Originally Posted by TeamBoone

There's no way that Castellini gave his confidential list to a reporter. As Chip alluded to in either this thread or another, it's more like Hal's wish list.

Hey! That was me!

No respect, I tell ya!