Evers: Being let go "hurts deeply"

Bench coach Bill Evers was hurt and disappointed by the Rays' decision to let him go.

"It hurts deeply,'' Evers said. "I gave them those years, saw all those kids grow up, saw the whole organization grow up. They're definitely headed in the right direction. I just wish I could be part of it.''

Evers, 53, spent 10 seasons as a successful and popular minor-league manager in the Rays system before joining Joe Maddon's staff last season as what amounts to assistant manager. But Evers said he was told he wasn't "filling the needs" for Maddon and that there wasn't "any bond" between them, so his contract was not renewed.

Maddon said Evers was not to blame: "Primarily the biggest thing I told him was that I didn't feel that he and I connected well enough. And that's my fault. I'm not blaming him at all. Having said that more than anything I'm just lookin for somebody who I probably just feel more comfortable bouncing stuff off of I guess. I guess that's the best way to describe it without getting technical."

Evers said he would explore options with other teams; the Rays are offering him a scouting job, but he prefers to stay on the field.

The Rays announced Tuesday they planned to bring back coaches Tom Foley (3B), Steve Henderson (hitting), George Hendrick (1B) and Bobby Ramos (bullpen), through it's possible some of their responsibilities could be shuffled, perhaps depending on how they fill Evers' spot.

There was no decision yet on the status of pitching coach Jim Hickey, who was arrested on DUI and other charges late Sunday after returning from the season finale in Toronto, and told the Times on Monday he knew he put his job in jeopardy.

Comments

[Tampabaysportsfanatic]

WOW. That is a terrible decision to not bring Evers back.

[Bill]

Too bad the guy lost his job, but to be honest, how do any of us know whether he did a good job, didnt do a good job or maybe even wanted to leave.
Maybe his job was to keep an eye on Hickey!

[Tampabaysportsfanatic]

Maddon said he wanted someone he meshed better with.

Evers had been with the Rays for a long time and had been loyal to this franchise. He also gave them 2 IL championships as head coach of the Bulls

[Terry]

I'm very pleased that George Hendrick will be back. Good baseball guy, class act, always played hard.

[Tampabaysportsfanatic]

I would like to see Foley move to bench coach and Dave Martinez come into coach the bases.

[kronos]

In all probability, Stu will save about $5,000 by letting this longtime, hardworking, beloved coach go.

[DR]

Gotta have a scapegoat, whether he admits to it or not, thats why this decision was made.

[Joe]

Management's plan is becoming clearer. When they renewed Maddon they stated "It isn't about winning". Evers has been a winning since day 1, so we can't possibly keep him. Gotta have more lackey's and excuse makers, aka Maddon. Stu, Andrew, get back to me when you think it IS about winning. I'll be interested in buying the next ticket then. Until then you waste my time and money.

[Steve]

It stinks letting Evers go, and INSANE to keep Hickey!! Actually most of us fans would rather see Evers as the manager over Maddoning and Xavier Hernandez over Hickey as pitching coach.

[Anthony]

So Bill Evers is the scapegoat for 2007. I wonder if all those great prospects he managed in the minor leagues who are now big leagues really didn't listen to Maddon because they were tired of Bill Evers. I think Sternberg and his boys of blunder in the front office don't care about Bill Evers and what he did previously. If Maddon says there was a communication problem, and Maddon blames himself, maybe Bill Evers was a threat to Maddon. I know Bill Evers will be back in baseball whether the Rays give him another job in the organization or another team give him a chance to work again. If Evers doesn't return to the Rays, or they pick one of Maddon friends to be his bench coach, it show how this front office is content with fifth place finishes.

[John]

What? You mean we have a Major League baseball team in the Tampa/St. Pete area? Surely you're talking about our minor league team, the Devil Rays...

[John]

What? You mean we have a Major League baseball team in the Tampa/St. Pete area? Surely you're talking about our minor league team, the Devil Rays...

[John]

What? You mean we have a Major League baseball team in the Tampa/St. Pete area? Surely you're talking about our minor league team, the Devil Rays...

[bobbyray]

Obviously the decision on Evers was made long before the season ended. What is the hold-up on the Hickey decision? This is a no-brainer if Hickey isn't let go we will never be able to find a batboy again.

Well here's what the Rays organization looks like:

1) An owner who doesn't understand the game and won't spend enough money to field a competitive team.

2) A team vice president who doesn't understand the game and is the owner's Wall Street lackey.

3) A manager who doesn't have the temperament, leadership qualities, and smarts to function even adequately and who hasn't earned the respect of the players.

4) A pitching coach who celebrated his tutelage of one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball history by getting drunk, hitting another vehicle, and running from police.

5) A playing facility that is universally acknowledged to be the worst in the majors in every way, shape, and form.

6) A hometown newspaper that lionizes the team's overpaid, non-producer who is white and vilifies black players in its sports pages on a regular basis.

7) An anemic fan base responsible for giving the Rays a 29th home attendance ranking out of 30 teams.

8) A new uniform design so benign and non-threatening that it's being replicated in Clown College in Sarasota.

9) The bouncing of a dedicated coach who helped build the Rays by an insecure, clueless manager whose fiance better watch her back.

[LP]

Yet another poor decision on behalf of a poorly managed team...It is a joke to call Maddon a "manager", he has yet to do one ounce of "managing"...The Rays should can him and his stupid glasses...Bill Evers should be managing this team, he basically raised these guys!!

[g8rgrad]

Don't for a minute think Stu and his New York Crew aren't posturing for relocation in a few (3 - 5?) years. Taking "Tampa Bay" off the road jerseys (an insult to all of us - where's the outcry from our civic leaders?), deleting "Devil" from the team name, and unveiling a nice generic new logo ( a "Ray" of sun isn't exactly a major topic in marine biology books)are clear precursors. These guys are savvy businessmen with absolutely no ties to this area. They won't care how many kids cry when the team packs up and leaves. All they care about is making a huge profit when they sell the team in twenty years. Heck, the team is already criminally profitable. Just imagine what it will be worth in 2027 when they sell their beloved .... "Brooklyn Rays."

[DuBullsFan]

Bill Evers is a baseball man thru and thru. Letting him go sends a signal to the fans that mediocre is good enough and having more visiting team fans then Rays fans in Tampa is a good thing too. I have no question Bill Evers will be back in baseball soon and will be paid well and highly respected by the team. Go Bulls and good luck Rays players.

[agatha]

It will be the Jersey Rays as I mentioned on a previous Rays thread. The only obstacle is the long-term Tropicana Field lease. Maybe Sternberg figures if the Rays remain the worst team in baseball, the city will let him extricate himself from the lease. He can also pay off public officials to get the team out of town and make hundreds of millions. We know Pinellas officials will accept chump change. Smith snookered a paltry $150,000 in a land deal.

I think he's looking at Atlantic City. He can own a Jersey cable channel, cut travel costs drastically, and draw from a metropolitan area that stretches from NY to Philly. He can develop a profitable rivalry with the Yankees. The gambling aspect of AC is no hurdle because sports betting is illegal. The stadium is a short drive across the river from Wall Street.

A less profitable alternative that would require significantly less hassle would be to submit to contraction and be reimbursed (of course higher than the purchase price) by MLB. I don't think you can enforce the lease against an entity that ceases to exist.

[wiggy]

Well, with the off season less than 24 hours old, the Rays have released the coach who has contributed the most and, so far, retained the least effective coach who drove while intoxicated, left the scene of an accident, and resisted arrest. This on top of rehiring that punchline of a manager a couple of weeks before the season ended.

Anyone holding their breath for free agent signings, a helpful trade, or the hiring of a special conditioning coach for the perpetually-injured Baldelli needs their melon refitted.

[kb]

jeez, this is stupid. we should be saying ADIOS AMIGO to hickey and keeping evers. maddon can't connect with the young players (or any players for that matter) but it was clear that evers could. but no, this is the rays, and we don't have any need for anybody that was useful and a good influence in the clubhouse.

[Steve]

Letting Evers go,yet another dumb move by Maddumb!I think Maddumb feels Evers was a threat to his job.Evers knows more about managing a game than Maddumb.The
Rays certainly cannot be that STUPID to bring back Hickey...can they? They have the perfect replacement,Xavier Hernandez.Most of the pitchers who worked with him,rave about him.

If the Rays don't fire Hickey, Mothers Against Drunk Driving will really turn up the heat on this organization. In Sternberg's f****d up world, a guy in a leadership position who performed horribly takes precedence over a performing player who hasn't matured.

[Doc]

It is truely unfortunate that the Rays have targeted Bill Evers as one of the answers for this franchise to go forward for a number of reasons.
1) He has been nothing but loyal to this organization for the past 12 years and this is how they repay that loyalty.
2) I would be willing to bet that he is the only manager in this franchise's history to have a winning record for his career (718 wins in 1342 career games).
3) He developed many of the current major league roster players and now that he has got them ready to play at the big league level, they kick him to the curb.
4) Every organization (whether baseball or otherwise) needs people who are solid citizens with a strong sense of right and wrong, who do their job without fanfare and really ask nothing in return.

The owners of the Devil Rays have made a big mistake in this move. They have taken their all-time winningest organizational coach and tossed him aside like yesterday's paper.
This franchise has had a hard time getting breaks and I believe that, in part, it is due to how they conduct their business. They just added fuel to the Karma fire and this too will come back and bite them.
I have to say that I am not really worried about Coach Evers though. He has proven himself over time. He has shown that he can win with talent that others have not been able to win with. He will get a job in baseball if he wants one. I hope he takes it. He deserves to be with a winning organization and a chance to get a ring.
My prediction that Bill evers ends up with the Mets, Cubs, or Tigers....and very soon. Good luck Coach Evers. You deserved better.

[bullsfan]

this is a bad thing to happen but if you ask me the bulls are a better team than TB i went too see them play on sep25 they played the NY and looked bad. bring the bulls team up and see what happens. evers hold you head this is a poor manger decision by maddon

[kronos]

Good point 6:14. Baseball appeals to children. It's not like Hickey is a stockbroker, landscape architect, or sous chef. MADD will be all over this one.

[Mel]

You guys make me sick - no not the DRO, but the whiny fans or so called fans. Evers may have been a nice guy, but his time has run out and DRO had to do what's best for the team. They offered him a scouting position - they didn't have to do that. If his style doesn't mash with the manager's then, one of them has to go and Maddon's stays in my book.

All I hear is complaints from you. Jersey Rays? No way - it'll never happen. The Rays are turning the corner - yes we've heard it before - and if they really do this time, all you whiny fans will be complaining that they only won a 100 games.

What bunch of cry babies!!

[kronos]

What a moron. "Turned the corner?" There's nothing to suggest the team with the worst record in baseball will improve to any degree given that the owner has announced he won't spend nearly enough $$$$ to be competitive. Stick to flipping burgers, Mel.

[Michael]

I wasnt big on either one of these guys,Hickey and evers both can find new places to preach. We have Young to deal with in 2008 and thats enough luggage. Good bye and Joe M will be gone by the allstar break in 2008. He is a real joke.

[Mark]

I think Dave Martinez should be brought in as the new bench coach. A young Latin guy not removed from the game for very long. He can help with all aspects of this game including helping our young outfielders and improve our horrific baserunning. Along with that he brings an attitude to the team similar to Ozzie Guillen because he will tell you exactly what he thinks with being afraid of hurting your feelings.

[Bob]

I think it is sad that the Rays Front Office let go a tremendous Coach in Bill Evers who has been with the Organization since the beginning. I guess there is no loyalty anymore. I am sure it was because he knows more baseball than Joe Maddon. If the Rays do not let go of Hickey after he drove drunk and tried to leave the scene after hitting the bat boys car then this ownership needs to really re-evaluate their priorities.