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Winter Meetings Notebook for Sunday, December 12
Posted: Sun December 12, 1999 at 10:43 p.m. EST ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- If Jack McKeon were still a general manager somewhere, perhaps Ken Griffey would be traded by now.But "Trader Jack" now manages from the field and baseball operates under a vastly different set of economic rules, leaving the skipper of the Cincinnati Reds frustrated with the current state of affairs. The Reds have made some of the biggest news of the winter meetings by doing nothing -- namely pulling out of trade talks with the Seattle Mariners regarding Griffey. McKeon swears he has nothing to do with any of trade talks, leaving it all to current GM Jim Bowden. "That's not my department," said McKeon, who did say that he liked the current crop of Reds players that won 96 games last season. "I wasn't involved." A good portion of McKeon's baseball career was spent doing the wheeling and dealing. His stint as GM of the San Diego Padres saw him trade the likes of Rollie Fingers and Ozzie Smith. McKeon admits things were easier then, and not just because he was allowed to smoke his trademark cigars that are prohibited in many hotels today. "You traded players and you didn't worry about trading contracts," McKeon said. "It makes it much tougher. I would announce a trade at 10 p.m., tell the writers I'd be back at 2 (a.m.) and then I'd come back again at 5. "The only restrictions I had were I had to check for approval if I would significantly change the payroll or acquire a problem player." McKeon recalls that he once made a deal for a lesser player with another GM while the two were standing in line to check out at a hotel. One of his proudest moments came when he was able to dump Randy Jones, a former Cy Young Award winner whose career was in decline. Impatient Padres owner and McDonald's founder Ray Kroc told McKeon that he would give him one of his fast-food franchises if he could trade the pitcher. The New York Mets surprisingly offered a package for Jones, and Kroc, putting on a poker face, hesitated a moment before jumping at the offer. "(Kroc) was so thrilled I think he forgot about that McDonald's franchise," McKeon said. "I'm still waiting." ... Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox is not surprised that Griffey has not been traded considering the high price the Mariners seem to be asking for a player that will be a free agent after the 2000 season. "I think the price was a little steep," Cox said. "To have your team intact and to wait one more year makes a lot more sense to me." Cox said that slugging first baseman Andres Galarraga, who missed the entire season due to cancer, and catcher Javy Lopez, who went down with a knee injury in July, should be ready by the start of spring training. ... Quote of the Day goes to new Baltimore Orioles manager Mike Hargrove: "I'm basically an honest person unless it benefits me to lie." ... Hargrove's replacement in Cleveland is Charlie Manuel, one of his former coaches whose southern drawl often draws comparisons to Gomer Pyle. "Charlie is as dumb as a fox. Don't let that accent fool you," Hargrove said. Ironically, Manuel and the Indians open the 2000 season against the Orioles and Hargrove. "It's certainly different," Manuel admitted, "but a game is a game. The game is going to be between Baltimore and Cleveland, not Mike Hargrove and Charlie Manuel." ... Manuel has developed a close relationship with many players while serving as the Indians' hitting instructor, something he learned from the late Billy Martin, who coached and managed the Minnesota Twins while Manuel was a player. "Billy use to punch, hit us hard, but we were only playing," Manuel said. "Now, our catcher (Einar) Diaz, if I don't wrestle with him when he comes into the locker room, he thinks I'm mad at him. (Manny) Ramirez use to be the same way. But I haven't wrestled him in two years. He's gotten a lot stronger." Managers tend to be a bit more distant from players but Manuel doesn't worry about being too close. "One of my biggest things is I'm honest," Manuel said. "As long as I let the player know what I expect and stay consistent, the respect will increase." ... With Mike Jackson departed to Philadelphia, Manuel said that Paul Shuey has the inside track for the role of closer ahead of Steve Karsay. "If the season started today, Shuey would be the closer," Manuel said.
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