Seattle’s Jimmy Snyder Is a Manager on the Hot Seat

At first glance, Jimmy Snyder appears to be perfect for his latest role in baseball--interim-manager-to- be-fired-later.

Then again, could it be interim-manager-to-be-hired-permanent- later.

The Seattle Mariners’ interim-manager spent 36 years dreaming of becoming a major-league manager. He’s played 41 games as an infielder with the Minnesota Twins, spent 14 years in the minors and managed 18 years in the bushes.

Now, Snyder replaces Dick Williams and takes over a team that in its 11 years has never won more than 78 games in a season. The Mariners, true to form, lost 12 of the first 15 games he managed.

“I’m just happy to be here,” Snyder said the day after his team snapped a nine-game losing streak. “I’ve had one foot in and one foot out of every job I’ve had in this game. I’ve always been under scrutiny.”

Snyder, 56, has a master’s degree in administration from Eastern Michigan. He taught elementary physical education for five years after his playing career ended.

“If you are confident and competent you don’t worry about getting fired,” he said. “I know I have to win--that’s the nature of the game. But I go about my job with a long-term outlook, with the thought I’ll be here a long time.”

Snyder knows all about job security. He spent nine years in the Cincinnati organization, working his way up from the rookie league to Class AA, where his team won two consecutive championships. Two years later, he was fired.

He labored five years in the Phillies’ farm, managing at the Class A, AA and AAA levels with teams that never finished under .500. Then he was fired.

He spent six years with the Chicago Cubs as a minor-league instructor, director of player development and as a coach with the Cubs last year--when he was fired.

But Snyder’s firings reflect the normal comings and goings of baseball more than his competency level. And it wasn’t long before the Mariners hired him as their first-base coach.

Team president Chuck Armstrong says the Mariners want to hire a manager for a “multi-year period. We don’t think it is beneficial to change managers every two years.”

Armstrong says Snyder and several others will be considered.

“But at this point, we have not interviewed anyone and have no plans in the near future,” Armstrong said. “Jimmy has done an outstanding job. We like the way he has communicated with the players and instructed them. He knows what it takes to win and he has the players’ confidence.”

Contrary to his predecessor, Snyder considers himself a communicator who is a player’s manager.

“I’m not buddy-buddy with them, but we all need to understand what is expected of us,” he said. “Of course, I also have to administrate, which means being a disciplinarian when necessary.”