Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 20, 1994 TAG: 9410200074
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ARLINGTON, TEXAS LENGTH: Medium
``I think Texas is very close to being a winner,'' Oates said Wednesday after being hired as manager and signing a two-year contract. ``I know I was certainly intimidated at times by their offense. But there is more to baseball than just offense.''
Oates, fired as manager of the Baltimore Orioles in September, replaces Kevin Kennedy, who was fired by new general manager Doug Melvin last week. Kennedy then beat out Oates for the Boston Red Sox manager's job.
Melvin replaced Tom Grieve, who transformed the Rangers into a power-hitting team that was last in the major leagues in defense. The pitching staff gave up more than five runs a game.
``What this ballclub needed was a manager that had experience and also had a winning percentage of managing in the big leagues,'' Melvin said at a news conference. ``The man to my right here, Johnny Oates, brings both of those qualities to the ballclub.''
Oates, 48, becomes the fourth Rangers manager in 29 months and the 14th full-time manager in club history. He is the first with previous major-league experience since Darrell Johnson served as interim manager for Don Zimmer at the end of the 1982 season.
``I think one of the big reasons I was hired was because of my experience,'' Oates said. ``I learned a lot at Baltimore. I was driven to be better and I developed a thick skin. I'm thankful for my new start. The atmosphere here is great.''
Oates says the Rangers are ready to go after a title, not rebuild.
``Our goal is to win the World Series next year,'' he said. ``There is a great deal of talent here, enough to win.''
Oates said he wasn't overly concerned by Texas' poor pitching staff.
``What is important is attitude,'' he said. ``The better defense you have, the better pitching you will have and the less offense you will need. We can learn to play defense and to pitch. We have a chance to be very good.''
Oates, a former catcher at Virginia Tech, was fired as Orioles manager after Baltimore came in second in the AL East at 63-49. Oates finished at Baltimore with three consecutive winning seasons and a 291-270 record.
Oates' 237-199 record for the last three seasons is third-best in the American League for that span. Chicago's Gene Lamont (247-190) and Toronto's Cito Gaston (246-193) rank ahead of Oates.
Oates wouldn't comment on his dispute with Orioles management other than to say ``there was no problem. It turned out to be one of my best years in baseball. I grew a lot.''
by CNB