New York Guests

Art Howe apparently will not be guiding the New York Mets next season. Honestly, could you see Art holding up to the New York media for a solid season? He had a hard enough time in 2000 and 2001 during the week of the Division Series.


At a time when the search gets tough (teams are not allowed to announce hirings during the World Series) it seems everything will come out today or have to wait 10 days. Then they'll gte lost in the 2002 season awards.


Billy Beane has a fish or cut bait scenario and the next several days will be crucial to the 2003 A's. Beane told the Mets he would not expect compensation if the Mets hired Beane out from under his 2003 contract. If an AL team should request an audience with Howe, say the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, you could expect Beane to get the centerfielder (Randy Winn) he has been after for six months. Things become a little more difficult if the Seattle Mariners ask about Howe. Can the A's really afford to let Art go to its nearest division rival? Don't say Anaheim is closer because we still feel like 2002 is rather Bret Boone...flukey.

As we have said in the past, we like Art and think he is a good manager, especially bridging the gap between older and younger players for teams in transition. But, he is not a playoff or crunch time manager. In reality he is a tweener. Howe could be a vital asset to a superior manager like Lou Pinella (who usually handed Art his ass when they went head to head) in the mold of Don Zimmer to Joe Torre.

Art might be a better fit in Tampa Bay and could help a down and out team find its way to just plain awful, maybe even horrible.

The real issue is that both Ken Macha and Art Howe are Pittsburgh guys. If Pittsburgh decides that Lloyd McClendon is as stupid as he sounds, both Art and Ken would jump ship wherever they are at to get the job at PNC Park.


You can hear the rustling in the sound bites that Macha and Howe are waiting things out. Macha is in more precarious water, he might wait so long the sand bar might emerge and he'll be stuck without a home. Beane might try to talk Macha into staying as bench coach and becoming manager after Howe leaves following the 2003 season (come on, grow up, Art is headed for the door). Bob Geren, the Sacramento River Cats manager (the A's AAA team), is primed and ready for a job in the major leagues and he could do a lot worse than starting as bench coach for a team where he has managed most of ther players at the beginnings of their careers.