A week ago, Von Hayes wasn’t even on the Barnstormers’ radar. Now he could be a frontrunner for the managerial opening. Hayes wowed team president Jon Danos and head of baseball operations Keith Lupton during his interview at Clipper Magazine Stadium Wednesday.
Hayes is a candidate without an apparent flaw. He’s accomplished (.578 career winning percentage and two championships in four seasons). He’s personable. He has connections. He brings name recognition to a city that loves the Phillies.
“Based on what my colleagues throughout baseball told me about Von, based on his experiences, I really didn’t want to jump to a (decision) until I got him through the process,“ Danos said. “Today was a big day.
“I think he knows how to handle people. He’s got great experience. He’s played with Hall of Famers. I think he would do a fantastic job.”
Hayes impressed the Barnstormers with his thorough and thoughtful answers and his unassuming confidence. He has an ability to explain how he feels about managing and baseball in general without coming across as a know-it-all. I bet his players appreciate him for it.
“I’m very soft spoken but I’m certainly not one to be taken advantage of,” Hayes said. “I’m as intense as anybody. I treat my players as professionals. There’s a way to go about it. If you’re working hard every day, and working as a team, we’ll never have a problem.”
The Barnstormers have two more interviews: Tom Herr on Friday and Andy Etchebarren on Tuesday. They plan to make a decision either late next week or shortly before Thanksgiving.
Here are some other tidbits from the conversation with Danos …
Has Butch Hobson been offered a job with either Lancaster or Southern Maryland?
“I would say he remains a serious candidate and we have not signed him to a contract yet,” Danos said.
That non-denial/non-answer sounds like a yes to me. Since Hayes and Herr fit Lancaster so well, my hunch is Hobson ends up with the Blue Crabs, where he can help out with acquiring players.
What does Danos think of Hobson’s credentials?
“We think very highly of Butch,” the ODP president said. “We think he’s a terrific manager. He’s obviously proven in this league.”
The Barnstormers learned a lesson from their quick hire of Frank Klebe in December, which is why they’re being so thorough with this manager search.
“I don’t disparage Frank Klebe at all,” Danos said. “I think very highly of Frank as a coach and one day he may be back in this organization coaching somewhere. But we learned a lot about the characteristics, experiences and skills that are most important in this league and this market.”
Wally Backman’s candidacy has drifted to the background because he interviewed so long ago. Danos said this about Backman …
“If you talk to Wally for five minutes, you immediately conclude the guy is a leader. You read quotes from players who say he would take a bullet for them and that’s exactly what comes through. He’s a fiery guy with a bit of a temper, of course. In the past that has obviously been a problem. We also believe there are second chances in life and he has his side of the story. This is a man who is very relevant in the baseball world.”
If the other candidates weren’t so strong, I think the Barnstormers might give Backman a shot. But with Hayes, Herr, Hobson and Gary Carter available, my guess is they won’t take the risk.
I’ll transcribe the entire Von Hayes interview for the blog. It’ll be in two parts. It’s long but there’s some really interesting stuff in there. Also, I’m hoping to talk with Butch Hobson for a story next week.
