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McRae an open-door manager

Ex-players say he's a fine communicator despite volatile image.

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 19, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG -- The reputation is of a man on the edge. Intense, combustible, always operating in high gear. The reality is less dramatic.

Hal McRae may have been fiery and hard-nosed as a player, but he is less so as a manager. Yes, he expects all-out effort. No, he is not overbearing.

"A team's personality often comes from the manager," said son Brian McRae, who played for his father with the Royals and now is an ESPN analyst. "What my father did the last two years in Kansas City was try to instill a calm, confident aura around the team. You couldn't tell if we had won five in a row or lost five in a row because he acted the same.

"Players feed off the manager's personality. They know if a manager is worried or stressing out. You can be fiery and all that, but your players need to feel everything is under control and that you know what you're doing. Players are not dumb. They watch how a manager relates to them at different times. They may be in your corner when you're going well, but where are they when you're 0-for-30? A player wants to know a manager will stick with him."

Much of McRae's reputation dates to his playing days in Cincinnati and Kansas City. He was intense at the plate and a terror on the bases, wiping out middle infielders on double plays. His volatile reputation was furthered, as a manager, by the infamous 1993 meltdown when he sent the contents of his desk airborne and a reporter was hit in the face with flying debris.

Yet those snapshots are at odds with the manager who won the respect of a veteran Kansas City team from 1991-94. He led the Royals to winning records in three of his four seasons. Since his dismissal, Kansas City has gone six straight seasons without a winning record.

"You know exactly where you stand with Hal. He's not afraid to step on toes," former Royals catcher and current ESPN analyst Mike Macfarlane said. "His goal is to win ballgames, and he expects everyone to arrive at the ballpark with that same goal in mind. He expects his veterans to police the clubhouse and make sure everyone stays in line.

"But he is also a guy who understands baseball is a game of failure. He understands the ups and downs. He'll take the time to walk around the outfield before a game and talk to players, say, 'How ya' doing?' ... This is not a knock on Larry Rothschild by any stretch, but Hal will treat everybody the same, from veterans to rookies. He does not have different rules for stars. When you're at the ballpark, he expects you to act responsibly."

Although he was a designated hitter for most of his career in Kansas City, McRae was known as a player who was closely attuned to the game. He sat on the bench and studied pitchers and tendencies, skills that have served him well in his post-playing career.

"He was a throwback player, whatever you want to call them, old-school guys," said Red Sox pitcher Bret Saberhagen, who played for McRae in Kansas City. "He loves the game, he loves to talk about the game. Whether he's sitting on the bench or sitting in the clubhouse, he's usually one of the first guys in and one of the last to leave. He'll talk baseball until there's nobody else to talk to."

McRae, now 55, was just a few years removed from playing when he took the job in Kansas City. Now, although it has been six years between managing jobs, he said he feels better prepared for the challenge.

"He's a player's manager. He relates to players," said Rays reliever Rusty Meacham, who played for McRae for two years in Kansas City. "If you want to say anything to him, his door is always wide open for you to walk in. If you struggle as a pitcher, you're right back in there the next day. He believes in you. He brings a good attitude with him. I'm looking forward to playing for him again."

The first change was evident from the moment players walked in the clubhouse Wednesday. Music, which had been banned this season, was blaring in the room.

"He doesn't ask a lot. Show up on time, be prepared to play, play hard and give it all you've got," Saberhagen said. "Don't embarrass the team, don't embarrass yourself, don't embarrass the manager and you'll get along great with him."

- Staff writer Mike Readling contributed to this report.

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