The Milwaukee Brewers, fresh from a win over critics of a half-billion dollar stadium maintenance plan approved by the Wisconsin Legislature this week, have introduced two men they hope will lead the club to on-field victories.
A winning baseball record is usually key to good fan attendance at any ballpark — renovated or decaying.
The team's new Manager is Pat Murphy and the Associate Manager is Rickie Weeks.
Murphy moves up from bench coach — or chief assistant — to former manager Craig Counsell, who left last week to manage the Chicago Cubs. Weeks, in effect becoming Murphy's Number Two, is a former Brewers second baseman who has been working in player development.
Murphy, who news reports say decades ago as a college coach, could show a temper, says he now believes in balance.
"You know, I believe in love and discipline. In that order. Love. Discipline. Sometimes, it gets close, and not everybody understands it. I know my kids, sometimes don't understand it. But love and discipline. That's what this is about. With that, I think you can accomplish some things. But I still think it can be fun," Murphy told reporters at a Thursday news conference.
Murphy says he's counting on Weeks' to mold and shape the mindset of the players.
Weeks puts it this way: "I'm back, and I'm ready to help, wherever I need to be, behind Murph. I'm just ready to work, period.
Still to be determined is the skill level of the players they'll manage. Local baseball writers say the team has a lot of decisions to make, including about the status of star players like Willy Adames and Corbin Burnes.
Team General Manager Matt Arnold offers this assessment: "We have a lot of challenges ahead of us. But I know with these guys, we're going to be all right," referring to the new dugout management team of Murphy and Weeks.
