Brewers hire Randolph as bench coach

Nov 8, 2008 - 8:36 PM MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- The Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday hired former New York Mets manager Willie Randolph as their bench coach.

Randolph has been out of baseball since being fired by the Mets in June after three-plus seasons. He interviewed for the Brewers' vacant managerial job this offseason, but the club passed him over in favor of Ken Macha.

At a press conference to announce his hiring Saturday, Randolph said he spoke with Macha the day after the Brewers made their managerial choice to offer congratulations.

Macha apparently liked something he heard and offered Randolph the bench coach position later that day.

"It surprised me, too," Randolph said. "He had what you call a brainstorm, I guess."

The 54-year-old is the latest addition to Milwaukee's revamped coaching staff.

Randolph replaces former bench coach Dale Sveum, who finished last season as Milwaukee's interim manager after the firing of Ned Yost in September.

Sveum was named hitting coach Tuesday, and the shuffle continued Friday when the Brewers promoted Bill Castro from bullpen coach to pitching coach.

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin has told Randolph that he can pursue other managerial vacancies while with the club.

"If I get a job that will put me in the manager's seat any time in my tenure, I could do that," Randolph said. "It was nice that Doug left that as an option."

Randolph posted a 302-253 record with New York, having his best season in 2006 when the Mets reached the National League Championship Series.

Though the Mets were a disappointment under Randolph in recent years, the timing of his firing this past summer was widely panned by the media.

The announcement was made in the middle of the night, and it came just one day after the Mets allowed Randolph to accompany the team on a West Coast road trip.

The Mets' mediocre start to the season wasn't the only reason for Randolph's diminishing popularity in the Big Apple.

His job security had been unstable since September 2007, when the Mets suffered arguably the biggest regular-season collapse in baseball history, squandering a seven-game lead in the standings to the Philadelphia Phillies with 17 contests remaining.

Randolph also came under fire in May following an inflammatory newspaper interview, in which the usually mild-mannered manager criticized Mets fans and the New York media.

The first black manager in Mets franchise history, Randolph drew the organization's ire for particular comments in the interview that criticized Mets television network SNY for its portrayal of his behavior.

Randolph also hinted at a racial double standard regarding coaches, managers and team executives specifically in New York.

A former player with the New York Yankees from 1976-88, Randolph eventually apologized for the comments.

In addition to his managerial experience, Randolph spent 11 seasons on the coaching staff of the Yankees and was a part of four World Series championship teams.

A six-time All-Star second baseman, Randolph enjoyed an 18-year playing career spent primarily with the Yankees. He also played for the Mets, Brewers, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Oakland.