John Fay says that Pete Mackanin will be the Reds manager in 2008. Let the discussion begin.
I don’t know whether Mackanin is the best available manager for this team. If he is, then he should be hired. Period. If he isn’t the best candidate available, then why would you keep him around just because he was manager when the team reverted to the mean in the second half? Hire the best candidate!
I do know this: the Reds have had spectacularly bad results in removing the “interim” tag from their managers. I also know that Mackanin’s record looks pretty good right now.
I just hope the Reds aren’t bullied into hiring Mackanin by articles like this one and by pressure from fans, if another (better) candidate for the job is available. (And I don’t mean LaRussa; I’ll vomit if they hire him.)