Ken He Lead Us Back To the Playoffs?

The Brewers have officially announced Ken Macha is their newest manager, signing Macha to a two year deal.

I like the move on the surface, but there are a few interesting back stories to keep in mind.

I like the move because during his time in Oakland, Macha never finished lower than second place, and twice he won the AL West. By no means were those A's teams chalked full of All-Stars, but he did have a very good starting rotation.

Macha is a low key guy who has a reputation for being a good bullpen manager, something desperately needed here - although it should be noted that having a rotation of Mulder, Zito and Hudson all in their prime makes anyone look like a genius when it comes to handling bullpens.

I like his ability to handle a pitching staff (something the team will especially need if Maddux is indeed headed to Texas) and his ability to win with low budget talent, but a few things concern me.

1. Macha supposedly didn't communicate well with his players. Sound familiar? Caughnedyostcaugh. That could be a major setback going from a guy like Svuem, who the players loved, to another Yost type.

2. While all the fans are clamoring for small ball, that's not what Macha does. Macha is a product of "Moneyball" so if you thought they didn't bunt or steal enough last year, just wait till you see how often Macha does it. Also, a few have argued that Macha didn't have much of an impact on the game in Oakland, rather it was A's GM - Mr. Moneyball - Billy Beane who instructed Macha on where to bat players in the order, when to used guys in the bullpen, etc.

3. There are some rumors, which tie into #1, that Jason Kendall doesn't much care for Ken Macha. The story goes he and Macha had a falling out in Oakland because Kendall is a baseball guy, and Macha...not as much. The two allegedly didn't get along because of that and Macha's inability to effectively communicate with his players, and Kendall left Oakland.

Overall, I like the move. i especially like that it's a two year deal, this leaves the team with the ability to move on, even if it's just after a year, if this isn't working out with Macha at the helm. One interesting thing to pass along as well, Doug Melvin noted at the introductory press conference that Dale Svuem would return to the staff. Quite frankly, I'm stunned to hear this. I would expect he'll return to the third base role rather than bench coach so Macha can bring in his own guy and doesn't have a threat like Dale in such a close role.

Because of Macha's value on OBP, I now wouldn't be totally shocked to see Mike Cameron's option picked up, and expect to see a lot of OBP guys brought in.