McKeon Signs Deal to Manage for 3 Years

Jack McKeon was signed to the best of both worlds Wednesday amid the chaos that is the world of the Padres.

McKeon, who has led the Padres to a 56-42 record since adding the managerial job to his general manager’s duties May 28, was given a three-year contract to continue managing while retaining most of his general managing responsibilities. He will earn about $450,000 a year.

Although McKeon will relinquish his title of vice president for baseball operations, he will continue to handle most baseball personnel decisions and do almost everything he used to do except negotiate contracts.

“I’ll be doing a lot of the same things--just not with the title,” McKeon said Wednesday afternoon. “I’ll have a lot of the same input I have now. I’m very pleased with that. I feel with the three years they have given me, we have a chance to win it all before that time is up. Shoot, I’m hoping we’ll have a shot at winning it next year.”

In all, quite an announcement. But the Padres didn’t make the first announcement. Much to the embarrassment of the front office, it was made for them Wednesday morning in a story by a local newspaper columnist who was tipped by one of four high-ranking members of that front office.

When the Padres did hastily make the announcement, they issued a five-paragraph statement. Team sources said the Padres decided not to hold a news conference to avoid dealing with the question of Padre President Chub Feeney’s status with the club, which team sources say might end any day.

The signing of McKeon almost overshadowed another important sighing, that of infielder Tim Flannery.

Flannery’s one-year, $400,000 option was picked up by the club Wednesday. Unless he fails to make the team in spring training, he is ensured of being on the roster through 1988, giving him parts of 10 years with the team.

“Fooled ‘em again,” Flannery said, smiling.

The handling of the McKeon announcement also fooled and upset several players. “It was really a nice way to announce Jack coming back,” said one veteran player. “Really bush.”

McKeon had met with team owner Joan Kroc and Feeney on Monday, and agreed to the contract Tuesday afternoon. Sources say only four people knew of the rehiring--Kroc, Feeney, McKeon and executive vice president Dick Freeman. All but Kroc vehemently denied leaking the story. As she has been since mid-summer, Kroc was unavailable for comment.

Once the story appeared and the publicity staff sent out the release, then there were questions about the lack of a news conference.

Said Feeney: “It was a three-way decision that the best way to do it was to release, and not a press conference. Since the release, we have all been asked plenty of questions about it, and that is tantamount to a press conference.”

McKeon, 57, didn’t seem too concerned with any of this. After being worried for several weeks about being forced by Feeney to choose between the general manager and manager’s job, he was thrilled to be coming away with essentially both jobs intact. According to McKeon, he will formally keep his front office title, “Until the end of the year, whenever that is.”

Nobody said his strong point was dates. From the time he took over a 16-30 team from Larry Bowa on May 28, his strong point has been people.

“There are several reasons for re-signing him,” Feeney said. “No. 1 is performance. No. 2, his players are in love with him. Well, maybe not in love with him, but they like him a lot.”

You could tell that much when McKeon entered the clubhouse Wednesday afternoon as usual to shed his general manager’s suit for his uniform. Players surrounded him and shook his hand.

“Just looking at that reaction, you know how we feel,” Tony Gwynn said. “We’ve finally got a manager who, it looks like, the front office really believes in. They wouldn’t give him a three-year deal if they didn’t. And that means something to us, because we believe in him too.

“Hopefully this time next year we won’t be talking about this, we’ll be talking about the playoffs.”

McKeon said that with the security of the contract came a promise from Kroc of an open purse for free agents. He noted that once you have that promise, a pennant race cannot be far behind.

“Joan told me she would help me make any effort to put this club back to where it was in 1984,” McKeon said. “We secure the right player or two, maybe a couple of free agents, and we are there.”

McKeon will be negotiating with potential free agents, at least until the end of this year. After that, he might help close a deal, but in the area of contracts, he will do little else. “I don’t want him sitting across from guys who will be playing for him and telling them ‘No,’ ” Feeney said. “That’s a separate job, I want somebody else doing that.”

That person could be in the organization now, in the form of Freeman, who runs the club’s business operations. There is already speculation that if Feeney chooses to retire, as many feel will happen soon, Freeman could become the club president and do the negotiating from that position.

“We have one of the best businessmen in the game, Dick Freeman,” Feeney said, concerning the role of negotiator. “There are a lot of ways we could go with that position.”

“I’m flattered to hear that, and I’d be interested ,” Freeman said. “But with all the duties I have now, I honestly don’t know if it’s in the cards.”

One thing McKeon won’t have to bother with is re-signing his five coaches. That was also done Wednesday. All five were given one-year deals, but with generous raises, placing them in the $40,000-$60,000 range.

The coaches are Pat Dobson (pitching), Denny Sommers (bullpen), Greg Riddoch (first base), Sandy Alomar (third base) and Amos Otis (hitting).

“They showed us something,” Dobson said. “They weren’t offering two-year deals, which I would have liked, but they’ve been good to me here, and gave me a nice raise, and I’m very happy. It’s going to be easier for us to start working now on next year.”

Probably the happiest person Tuesday was Flannery, who put on an unprecedented salary drive in recent weeks, hitting .395 one 18-game stretch, which raised his average to .282 and included a club-record five straight pinch-hits.

“I may have forced them to bring me back,” said Flannery, who received the news from agent Steve Greenberg Wednesday morning.

“He called and told me, ‘You’re a Padre for life,’ ” said Flannery, 30. “I dropped to my knees and thanked the Lord. I think my wife (Donna) is still crying.

“I haven’t slept more than three hours a night lately. Every time I thought about going to a different club, I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’m a Padre. I never want to leave here.”

Said McKeon, who privately told Flannery last week that he had earned the right to another season: “With a utility player you can’t look at one year or the next, you’ve got to look at the whole picture. You have to look at what Tim means to the team. He’s a solid player, a professional, who gives every bit of energy he has. He’s a guy we need around here.”