European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 10, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse S r i yanks strike out positively r by Michael Martinez new York times m yarn Success has t spoiled stump Merrill he still Chews tobacco still enjoys Light Beer still jogs despite his doctor s orders and still manages every game As if he were in West Haven or Albany instead of the Bronx. Nothing about Merrill a ways or methods has changed since he became the latest in George Steinbrenner a mad Parade of Yankee managers. But it is precisely because of Merrill a approach since he took Over on june 6 that the new York Yankees seem like a distinctly different Are still in last place of course but the effects of losing Don t last so Long or Hurt so much ,. Quot everything is a lot More positive a lot looser Quot said Dave Lapoint the Yankee Pitcher who has travelled As Many Miles As Merrill Quot everybody feels like coming to the Park again because we think we have a Chance of winning no matter who we re playing Quot stump gets Here at 12 of clock every Day he can t wait for the game to Start. Its just another reminder of How Happy he is to be in the major leagues Quot. It took Merrill 25 years from the time he began his minor league career in Portsmouth. Maine to reach the big leagues As a manager. He spent 14 years in the Yankee organization a from coach to scout to minor league coordinator a never really certain if he would get a Chance to manage the team that Billy Martin Lou Piniella and Yogi Berra had managed before him. Quot in be always been a positive person Quot Merrill said. The never been one to Deal in the negative. If i had i would be been out of this game several years since the 46-year-old Merrill replaced Bucky Dent with the Yankees wallowing in last in the american league East the Yankees have improved Only slightly but their attitude has improved immeasurably. Quot he a been positive Quot Steve sax said. Quot he s a totally a positive person. No matter what he Doorn t get Down. He always has something Good to say and he believes in the team. Any time you make a change it creates a different chemistry without saying that i to chemistry under Bucky was wrong this one is working Quot if this chemistry is indeed working than this much is Clear a team is a reflection of its manager. Under the impassive Dent the Yankees seemed to accept their Fate quietly. Under Merrill who punctuates every moment by clapping his hands they Are far less. Uncertain. A a a we re relaxed a said Roberto Kelly. Quot we believe we can still do something this season. We Haven to quit and that comes from the manager. He always tells keep our Heads up and that gels us up for the next a . A a a even if his style is one of a kind Merrill seems to fit every fans image of a manager. The wad of tobacco in his Cheek a and the nonstop spitting in the dugout a is one reason. He said he has received a number of letters from fans advising him to Stop but it is one vice he enjoys. With the team he has there Are new moments of. Relaxation. Merrill said that losses Are no less difficult to accept in the big leagues than they were in any of the six minor league cities in which he managed he is reluctant to concede that he has infused the Yankees with some of his own personality even though it is obvious that something Good has rubbed Oil. Quot i d like to think it s my positive attitude Quot lie said,."but they can judge far better than i Quot mets manager Bud Harrelson left and second baseman regg Jefferies applaud the red hot Metsy Success. By Joseph Durso new York times of can t rehearse for this Job a Bud Harrelson was saying. Quot they give it to you and there it they offer edit to Bud Harrelson at 10 30 in the morning tuesday May 29, 30 minutes before they took it from Davey Johnson. Quot i said yes Quot he remembered. Quot then i said to myself a what do i do now a Quot it was a Good question especially after the mets lost four of their first five games after Harrelson took charge but then apparently responding to his firm but reasoned style of Quot hands on Quot tutoring they began to hit and win and then rocketed Forward into one of the Best stretches in the club s 29 years in baseball. They won 21 of their next 24 games including 11 straight they gained eight games in the standings and they zoomed from fourth place to Battle the Pittsburgh pirates for first. None of that Success was envisioned one month earlier when Harrelson was offered the Job. For 13 years Harrelson had been the Spunky Quot Littie Quot shortstop of the mets in Good times and bad. For six years he had been a coach with the mets. For one year he had been their manager in the new York Penn league. For one month he had been their manager in the South Atlantic league. Now Here he was saying Quot yes Quot to he offer to replace Johnson who had just completed the Best six years of any manager in the big leagues but Johnson also was completing two of the worst months in his reign with the mets who stood fourth in the National league s East with 20 victories 22 defeats and Many unanswered questions. The contrasts went deeper than that Johnson was aggressive Blunt commanding even confrontational he had swagger and self Assurance Derrel Mckinley Harrelson of Niles Calif one year younger than Johnson at 46, is mind in manner Light in touch soft in voice he played shortstop for the mets when they were last and. He played Lor ii of Woon they Ware first. A a. Davey Johnson commanded. Bud Han Elmi orchestrates. Davey Johnson carried a big Bud a Harrelson Speaks softly. But Harrelson quickly instil used change4, m Altitude and work practices talking to the players nne Al a Lime. And defining their roles. He told them to be on tune and quit playing cards in the locker room no More Golf on Road trips Lear i to bunt and run and squeeze and above All catch the Ball and throw it to the right base the new manager of the mels brought them Hack into style even while the sceptics were asking if that was the whole act. Somehow suddenly spectacular to the mets began to Maul opponents. The tame hitting erupted with 69 hits and 48 runs in a four game series in Chicago where they won three of four from the cubs in Wrigley Field. They i Hen won five of seven against the pirates Quot i Call it r reproach Quot Harrelson said. Quot what is your game plan do you just go out there and see what happens or have you a game plan71 just asked them to be More professional. I Asker whom to think does that Guy throw me sliders or in and out strategically Harrelson stabilized the pitching rotation the main resource of the team he Kepi Bob Ojeda in the rotation and kept Ron Darling in the bullpen he made the Tough decision to end the Keith Miller audition in Center Field and covered Ihu Job with a platoon of Daryl Boston and Mark Carreon to made the equally Tough decision to play Dave Magadan at first base in place of Mike Marshall he also stressed the beauties of single runs even though the mets were leading the league in Homo runs it might sound corny but in worked Darling who chafed when Johnson demoted him to the bullpen got the message when Harrelson told him head slay there Wuh Davey he said a you did no to know your role with Bud you May not like it but you know it arid you know the reasons Quot after Harrelson met turn face to face Darling still did t like it but he sued you can t argue with Success Quot 1390 the stars and stripes a Page 15
