The Pirates have told former Brewers and Athletics manager Ken Macha that he won’t be their next manager. Many Pirates fans like Macha, who is from the area, but he was known in Milwaukee as a very calm manager, just as John Russell was. If Russell was actually fired for a reason, that reason would be that he was too calm, and the Pirates might be hoping for someone a little more fiery. Here’s an excerpt from a discussion I had with Brewers blogger Kyle Lobner about Macha:
What really got Macha in trouble was his personality (or lack thereof) and his inability at times to communicate effectively with his players. Macha will rarely argue calls or get ejected from games, and at times it was reported that the players didn’t feel like he had their back when they needed him. The Brewers also led the league in hit by pitches this season (Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks almost reached 50 by themselves) but rarely retaliated. Macha’s strained relationship with two of his highest-profile stars (Fielder and Ryan Braun) was widely reported. Macha went out of his way to stress his “open door” policy, but it was clear that a large portion of the team wasn’t interested in using it.