I am interested in Trey Hillman, less so in Terry Collins.  Collins has been a winner at the MLB level but he was driven out of two organizations after three years each because of his personality.  Apparently he is (or at least was) kinda a jerk.  Both in Houston and Anaheim players went public about wanting him fired due to hate.  That happening once is pretty unusual.  Happening twice in a row, there probably is something more going on there than bruised egos.  Still, teams under him always won more games...  

There is something to be said about liking the guys for which you are cheering.  Barry Bonds might help the Royals win more games but seeing him in a Royals uniform would gut the joy.

I'm glad its not a manager who ignores and hates his own players. (Macha)

I'm glad it isn't some retread. (insert favorite one here)

I like the fact he doesn't have ballplaying experience. He won't be as brainwashed by so many baseless platitudes that seem to exist in former players. (Everything that buddy said or did)

I am excited.

HILLMAN FOR MOY 2008!

Just look at Pleasant Royals Cheerleader Lady and send out double plus optimistic vibes.

"Oh my gosh!  I have never been so happy in my life!  How did the Royals get so lucky!  The future is just one big shiny smile!  Up with life!  Joy and, .. oh my!

1. He prefers to play for big innings.  He likes walks and extra base hits.
2. He can manage small ball well when it suits his roster.  He has demonstrated intellectual flexibility.
3. He seems a decent and thoughtful guy.  It appears he was well liked in Japan and is leaving on his own terms.
4. He was on the radar screen of several other clubs.  It wasn't like only the Royals thought he had the potential to be a good MLB manager.
5. He turned a traditional dog franchise into a winner in Japan.  A small market team which lived in the cellar rose to a champion during his tenure.
6. He may make the Royals more attractive to Japanese players.  And there are at least two Japanese free agents out there right now that would help the club.

i will greet the whole thing with a yawn

And of course, the already busted Neifi Perez (that was "uppers" though wasn't it?)

ESPN.com news services

Paul Byrd, who pitched the Cleveland Indians to the brink of the World Series with a victory in Game 4 of the ALCS on Tuesday, bought nearly $25,000 worth of human growth hormone and syringes, according to a published report.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday that Byrd's purchase was from the Florida anti-aging clinic that was the focus of law enforcement for illegally distributing performance-enhancing drugs, according to business records.

The paper reported that the purchases were made via credit card from the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center between August 2002 and January 2005. In that time frame, Byrd pitched for the Kansas City Royals, the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Angels.

Byrd, who is 2-0 this postseason with a 3.60 ERA as a starter for Cleveland, did not comment after The Chronicle attempted to reach him through his agent via phone and e-mail. The Indians declined comment as well.

The paper said Byrd spent $24,850 to buy more than 1,000 vials of growth hormone as well as hundreds of syringes. The records reviewed by The Chronicle included such items as purchase and shipping orders, Byrd's birth date and his Social Security number. The source that provided the records said the orders placed were consistent with personal use of HGH.

During his 13-year career in which he has played for seven different teams, Byrd is 97-81 with a 4.35 ERA. This season, he started 31 games and had a 15-8 record with a 4.59 ERA.

Just me, I find evangelicalism to almost always be a very unattractive quality in a person.  After watching this interview Hillman clearly thinks about his faith often and talks to people about it, but not in a way which I think would likely cause disruptions in a workplace.

Hillman sees part of his life's work to be a "soldier for Christ" spreading the religion.  He prefers to evangelize by witness not by being pushy.  He gave out Bibles to his coaching staff which I find an inappropriate gift for a boss to give out to his employees.  

In the second part he shows some impatience with Japanese people not being as interested in Christianity as he thinks they should be.  At the same time he is not at all curious about Japanese religious beliefs.  When asked about an aspect of Christianity by a group of Japanese men he asked them if they knew what happened after death, and before they could answer he told them he was pretty sure they did not know the truth.  This was the only part of the interview that made me think poorly of Hillman.

He seems like a low keyed decent guy with humility.  He makes fun of his CD.  If I worked for the Royals I would not be spending my Sunday mornings with Hillman but I do think I would like him.  He does have a slow calm way of talking which I think is always a plus in a high pressure work place.

One last note, his wife was there for the 40 minute interview.  She said five words.

Hey 390, nice find!  Thanks for posting the link.

In a workplace setting a boss giving a Bible to an employee is as inappropriate as a boss giving an employee a ticket to a political rally or a DVD explaining that 9/11 was just a U.S. government conspiracy.

I worked in Human Resources for five years.  If a boss gave an employee a Bible and the employee complained Human Resources would have instructed the boss that his or her actions were not appropriate.  If he or she continued to give out Bibles they would have faced disciplinary actions.  If these steps were not taken by HR than the boss and the organization they worked for would be open to a civil suit by any employee who believed their employment status was affected by how they reacted to the boss' workplace evangelicalism.

If you are Christian, turn the situation around.  How would you feel if your boss gave you a copy of the Koran?  Presumably Hillman was giving out Bibles to Japanese coaches who he hoped would convert to Christianity.

I do not expect Hillman wanted to make any of his empolyees uncomfortable, or discriminate based on religion, but just the act of giving the Bible as a gift does create a situation best avoided.