When beginning the process of hiring the third manager of his seven-year stint as Brewers general manager, Doug Melvin expressed a desire to find an experienced manager.
So why, then, did longtime Los Angeles Angels coach Ron Roenicke emerge as the leading and eventual final candidate?
"One thing he said to me is 'I'm not experienced but I've experienced a lot,'" Melvin said. "I don't know where he got that line from but it was pretty good."
Roenicke was formally introduced Thursday during a press conference at Miller Park. The 54-year-old becomes the 18th manager in franchise history and will have his work cut out for him trying to get a team back on track after following a 2008 playoff appearance with two sub-.500 seasons.
Considered the least likely of the four finalists for the job (Bobby Valentine, Joey Cora and Bob Melvin are believed to be the others), Roenicke won over the Brewers' top baseball people during a number of interviews that took place over the last few weeks.
"The process probably took a little longer than we anticipated," Melvin said. "In the end, Ron was the right person for this club and this organization at this time."
Melvin was impressed by Roenicke's personality, his passion for the game and the aggressive style he learned during 11 years – the last five as bench coach -- under Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia.
Scioscia's teams were known for playing an aggressive, running style of baseball, one that would be well suited in the National League. Roenicke plans to bring that approach to the game with him to Milwaukee, where young speedsters like Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Rickie Weeks surround a powerful heart of the batting order.
"At times, you're going to say why are you running so much? That's the style I like to play," Roenicke said. "I've seen it win a lot of games over the years. At times we're going to get thrown out. But over the course of the season we're going to score more runs by being aggressive."
The new manager also addressed his ability to relate with players, something his predecessor, Ken Macha, had a difficult time doing. Near the end of Macha's tenure, the rift between the manager and the team's top players; notably, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder.
Roenicke didn't mince words, saying he planned to establish lines of communication early with each of his players and expressed a desire to get to know each of them personally, beyond being ballplayers.
"I'm going to be honest with the players," Roenicke said. "I'm going to take care of these guys. I care about the players. Obviously, I want to win for me but I care about the players. I want them to succeed. That's what my focus is going to be."
Roenicke, along with the rest of the coaching staff, helped keep the Angels' focused on the task at hand, while assisting with the shock and grieving process with individual players in a close clubhouse.
"That was a tough time," Roenicke said. "Life sometimes doesn't seem to be fair. It was really hard. It was something that lasted a long time. It wasn't just a few days ... It was the entire year."
Roenicke has a fairly non-descript playing career, hitting .238 in 527 major league games with 17 home runs and 113 runs batted in. During his 10 years in the major leagues, he played for the Dodgers, Mariners, Padres, Giants, Phillies and Reds, bouncing back and forth between Class AAA and the bigs along the way.
It was during the later years of his career that the idea to become a coach started entering his mind. Managers looked to him to help with younger players.
"I played for eight different managers," Roenicke said. "I got to see what I liked and what I didn't like. It was a tough career. I wasn't in the big league for 10 years as a stud player but I learned how to do the little things that let you stick around."
After retiring as a player, began his coaching career in the Dodgers' minor league system. Roenicke first managed in 1994, with the Rookie League Great Falls Dodgers and moved up to the Class A California League the next year, winning Manager of the Year honors with the San Bernardino Spirit.
In 1996, Roenicke worked as a hitting instructor with Class AAA Albuquerque and returned to managing in 1997 with the Class AA San Antonio Missions, again winning Manager of the Year honors.
He was promoted to manage in Albuquerque late in 1998, after Isotopes manager Glenn Hoffman was named the Dodgers' interim manager. Roenicke managed the Giants' Class AAA affiliate in Fresno in 1999.
In 775 career games as a minor league manager, Roenicke's teams went 404-371.
He has yet to begin the process of hiring coaches, but plans to start soon. In the meantime, both Dale Sveum, who recently signed a two-year deal to return as hitting coach, and pitching coach Rick Peterson are under contract for next season.
Roenicke said he hasn't started contacting possible coaches, but has been in touch with Peterson, who has one year remaining on a deal signed last winter, and plans to speak with him further.
"The pitching coach job is really important to me," Roenicke said. "I want to make sure we get it right."
Roenicke is the Brewers' 18th manager overall, sixth in the last 10 years and third in the last three seasons. He has a two-year contract with a club option for 2013.
