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Orioles, White Sox Fire Their Managers

Posted on: Monday, 29 September 2003, 06:00 CDT

Mike Hargrove was fired Monday as manager of the Baltimore Orioles, one day after the team finished its fourth consecutive losing season under his direction. Jerry Manuel was also fired Monday as manager of the Chicago White Sox.

Hargrove told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he met Monday with team officials and was told of his dismissal.

"They said they weren't going to offer me another contract," Hargrove said. "I guess they wanted a different personality."

Hargrove, 53, went 275-372 with the Orioles, including 71-91 this year. His departure did not come as a complete surprise, given that his contract ran through this season and the team never talked about an extension.

Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan, the vice presidents who oversee the team's baseball operations, are expected to quickly start the search for a new manager.

"On behalf of the Orioles organization, we want to thank Mike for his contributions to the ballclub and for the professional manner in which he handled the team," Beattie said in a statement.

Manuel was a casualty of unmet expectations after the team missed the playoffs for a third straight year. The talent-laden White Sox led the AL Central by two games on Sept. 9, but slumped and finished four games back.

Manuel was 500-471 in six seasons, the fourth-most wins for a White Sox manager. Chicago was .500 or better in each of the last four seasons, and finished below second place only once under Manuel, in 2001.

The White Sox won the AL Central in 2000, earning Manuel the AL Manager of the Year award. But Chicago was swept by Seattle in the playoffs and hasn't been back to the postseason since.

"I understand the industry. I understand the business," Manuel said after Chicago's home finale Wednesday. "I'm not in this thing blindfolded."

Manuel had one season left on the four-year extension he signed in 2001.

The White Sox were considered heavy favorites to win the AL Central this year after adding Bartolo Colon and Billy Koch in the offseason. They had a formidable pitching staff, and the most high-powered offense in the division with Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee and Paul Konerko.

But the White Sox got off to a dismal start and were 8 1/2 games back by the first week of June.

Konerko hit just .197 in the first half and had only 17 RBIs through June. Mark Buehrle, Chicago's most successful pitcher the previous two seasons, went 12 starts without a win, losing nine straight decisions from April 20 to June 11.

Colon had a career-best nine complete games, but he wasn't the 20-game winner he was last year. Koch lost his closer's job in July after blowing four saves and going 5-5 with a 5.55 ERA.

The White Sox rallied, though, enough to convince general manager Kenny Williams to trade for Roberto Alomar and Carl Everett. And by Aug. 20, Chicago was in first place.

"If you come back from (8 1/2) games, you start feeling like you can do anything," Thomas said last week. "Then you see your whole season fall apart in three games. It's a bad taste."

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