Alright, it's been a while and there is lots to cover so I'll fly through some of this stuff quicker than it deserves.

• Ken Macha was hired to be the new manager of the Brewers. On the plus side, he has an impeccable record of winning as a manager in his time in Oakland. He shepherded young pitching staffs while keeping them relatively healthy and isn't a fan of giving up outs, which give me hope. On the downside, his departure in Oakland raised a lot of questions about his ability to connect with players. Oh, and if you're a fan of "Fire X" sites, here is Macha's from his time in Oakland. It's not flattering, obviously, and even gets a little "blue" at times. Interestingly, Macha only received a two year deal, which means that Melvin is hedging his bets and possibly trying to give Macha an incentive to get along with players. The next few years are big ones for the franchise, because they represent the culmination of the tenure for a lot of the homegrown "core" before many will have to leave to seek greener pastures. If Macha can push the team for a few years of big success before wearing out his welcome, then this will be good. If, however, the problems getting along with players surfaces in that time, a very valuable and possibly rare opportunity could be squandered. Cross your fingers.
  

• Former interim manager, bench and third base coach Dale Sveum will be the new hitting coach for manager Ken Macha. The job of hitting coach is generally overlooked until the team slumps offensively, so it's not an easy gig. Fortunately for Sveum, he built up some good will helping the team make the playoffs in the waning days of the 2008 season, so maybe he'll get a little pass from the fans for a while.

• Unfortunately, pitching coach Mike Maddux will not be back for a seventh season and will instead be taking the same job with the Rangers. On balance, his tenure with Milwaukee has to be considered a success. He rarely had a lot of depth or high priced talent, but he managed to squeeze many useful seasons out of modest and/or unrefined talents. Good luck to him, because he is going to need it working with that staff in that park. In related news, longtime bullpen coach Bill Castro will take over in that position. His 17 years in the pen saw far more good years than bad and he's earned the shot to see what he can do with the whole staff. The success of his tenure will almost certainly rest on how well he is able to develop the young talents at the big league level and currently in the minor leagues. 

• The final piece of coaching news just hit today, with the job of bench coach going to former Mets manager Willie Randolph. So manager Ken Macha will have two men passed over for his position (Randolph and hitting coach Dale Sveum) on his staff, though if that were likely to present a problem they probably wouldn't have been hired. Randolph had quite a bit of success as the Yankees bench coach under Joe Torre and almost certainly wasn't as bad a manager as Mets fans believe. He should be a valuable asset for Macha to draw on.

• Nearly as soon as the Brewers made the call to pick up Mike Cameron's 10 million dollar club option (a smart move) rumors started to swirl about a possible trade with the Yankees involving Cameron. It seems like a legitimate sort of rumor and clearly there have been talks between the teams. Cameron is someone that the Brewers should definitely consider trading if the offer is right, but that "right offer" almost certainly needs to include some young pitching. There isn't much to get excited about in Melky Cabrera or Wilson Betemit, both would be useful as role or platoon players but neither is likely to ever be a plus starter and that is what the Brewers would be giving up in Cameron at this point. If the Yankees are serious about getting Cameron, it should cost them a guy like Ian Kennedy. Granted, he hasn't been good thus far in the major leagues, but he is not yet 24 and has been mostly impressive in the minor leagues. He could probably benefit from a lower pressure atmosphere than New York to break into the major leagues and the Brewers could use a young potential mid rotation starter.

• The Brewers have apparently offered CC Sabathia something in the neighborhood of 100 million dollars for 5 years. This is probably no where near enough to actually get a deal done, which is fortunate because it is also probably too big a risk for the Brewers to take on one player, especially an overworked starting pitcher. Such is the life of a small market team.