Viola

[Guest Edgy DC]

'Sweet Music' in Brooklyn January, 26, 2011 Jan 2610:10AM By Adam Rubin Ex-Met Frank Viola, who interviewed for the Brooklyn Cyclones pitching coach job during the winter meetings at Disney, has been hired for that role by the Mets, a Florida television station reported. It previously had been reported that former Brewers and Dodgers third base coach Rich Donnelly will join the organization and manage the Cyclones. The Mets have yet to officially announce any minor league staffs beyond Tim Teufel-managed Triple-A Buffalo and Wally Backman-managed Double-A Binghamton.

Last Met 20-game winner if I am not mistaken.

[Benjamin Grimm]

You are correct. (Gooden had a chance on the last day of the 1990 season to get his 20th win, which would have given the Mets two 20-game winners for the first time. Didn't happen.)

Hopefully, though, it's last in the sense of "most recent" and not in the sense of "final."

[Ceetar]

Viola was one of the cards i got in my 1989 pack yesterday.

http://www.ceetar.com/optimisticmetsfan/2011/01/26/1989-baseball-cards-and-spring-training-tickets/

[Guest Edgy DC]

HoJo is reported as being "still in the dark" about his role, but is expected to get one. He says he's still in regular touch with David Wright and Daniel Murphy, but isn't instructing them.

And I'm thinking that maybe they should move him away from hitting instruction and put him on down in the farm on the managerial track. In fact, as they haven't announced a Brooklyn manager yet, why not have him join Viola there? He's energetic and clearly relishes the opportunity to relate to young players.

[metirish]

Rubin

Sandy Alderson reiterated the former major league hitting coach Howard Johnson will have a role with the organization in 2011. Alderson did acknowledge it will not be as a minor league manager. �There have been a lot of conversations with Howard,� Alderson said. �For a lot of reasons the thing has just not closed at this point. He will be back with us, and I expect that�s going to get resolved in the next couple of days. It�s really not an issue. It�s just there�s been a lot of conversation and communication back and forth. So I hope it�s resolved in the next couple of days. "Again, it�s not a problem. It�s one of those things we haven�t gotten done yet. We still don�t have a strength and conditioning coach. So there are two or three things out there that we still need to complete over the next seven to 10 days.�

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, that shoots me down pretty fast. Maybe Howard can be a strength and conditioning coach.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

They did name the Clones manager the other day.

Some non-Met guy with a name you recognize but can't quite place (or remember). I wanna say Deron Johnson and I know that's 100% wrong. Deron Johnson was that guy in the 1970s.

Anyway the whole thing was sorta a minor shock for me, though perhaps the Viola thing makes up for it. Brooklyn's gotta be an attraction, baby.

Edit: Now that I've read the first post in thread I can report the new Clones manager is, uh ...

.. (looks it up again)..

[G-Fafif]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: They did name the Clones manager the other day. Some non-Met guy with a name you recognize but can't quite place (or remember). I wanna say Deron Johnson and I know that's 100% wrong. Deron Johnson was that guy in the 1970s. Anyway the whole thing was sorta a minor shock for me, though perhaps the Viola thing makes up for it. Brooklyn's gotta be an attraction, baby.

Rich Donnelly. The man who sent Jeff Kent and J.D. Drew to their watery deaths on the same play at the plate in Game One of the 2006 NLDS.