Hayes & Herr: Will it work?

Is it a dream team or a problem waiting to happen? The Barnstormers’ decision to hire Tom Herr as Von Hayes’ bench coach could go in either direction at this point. It will all depend on how well these two strong-willed men work together.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of this intriguing turn of events …

THE POSITIVES:

Herr is back in the organization. It always seemed strange — and a little silly — to see him sitting in the stands at Clipper Magazine Stadium while his hometown team flopped around like a fish out of water for most of last season.

The Barnstormers desperately needed another astute baseball person. One of the fundamental problems with Year 1 of the Hayes Era was the absence of checks and balances. Hayes had control over everything. He didn’t seem to defer much to his coaches and he had autonomy over roster decisions. Head of baseball operations Keith Lupton essentially did what Hayes wanted.

That’s seldom a good arrangement. Everyone needs a sounding board. If decisions seemed impulsive last season, it was because there was no one strong enough to challenge Hayes’ thinking.

Herr could be that guy. During his two-year stint as manager, he showed a keen ability to find players who fit together well. The Barnstormers have lacked that skill ever since Herr left. Even on the rare occasions when they’ve had an abundance of talent, they’ve had gaping holes in certain areas — such as the bullpen at the start of 2008 — or redundant parts — such as the long list of high-strikeout hitters last season.

It’s one thing to find players. It’s another to put together a cohesive unit. After going 27-43 during the first half of 2005, Herr won 57 percent of his games here. He figured out how to succeed in the Atlantic League.

“For me, the most important thing is we give ourselves the best chance to win,” Hayes said. “I think Tommy does that for us. He’s a teammate of mine. I think we see things clearly in the type of team we like to present. We agree on a lot of things when it comes to baseball and that’s one reason it’s a good fit.”

Hayes deserves some credit. It takes self-confidence, and maybe even courage, to bring someone like Herr into the fold.

But it also leads to …

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THE NEGATIVES

All of the things that make Herr an asset also make this a potentially volatile situation. Let’s face it. This is awkward. You have a former manager who won a championship serving under a current manager who had the worst record in the league during his first tour of duty.

Hayes may ultimately win here. He may have a second season like Herr produced. But he hasn’t proven himself in this league yet and he has been elevated over the man who excelled in the job. That’s seems backwards.

The Barnstormers look like they’re trying to have it both ways. After all, they could have replaced Hayes with Herr and handed the reins of the organization back to the one manager who has succeeded here. They weren’t ready to do that because they felt Hayes deserved another chance. And, perhaps, because they would be admitting they should have rehired Herr prior to the 2008 season.

The PR savvy (and middle ground) move was to bring Herr back in a secondary role. It could be a master stroke. If Herr helps find players, helps keep the guys happy and helps the organization win, everyone looks like a genius. But all of this depends on Herr having some authority, which is uncommon for a coach.

As it stands, Herr is third in command behind Lupton and Hayes. The Lupton-Hayes combo produced a 64-76 team that pushed 65 players through the revolving clubhouse door last season. Clearly, a change was needed because last year was a mess.

Herr is that change.

“I’m happy to be back because I felt like I was a big part of the Barnstormers from the very beginning,” Herr said. “The challenge for me is to try to get the club back to being competitive and being a playoff contender again. Whatever way I can help in that regard is the motivation for me at this point.”

Ultimately, how much Herr’s return alters the Barnstormers’ future will depend on how much input he is actually given. Hayes indicated he wants his new coach to have a strong say, but that is contrary to the way things worked last season. It remains to be seen how well Hayes can relinquish control and how well Herr can handle being second fiddle. It’s no secret he really wants to be the manager.

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THE CONCLUSION:

The Barnstormers have a lot at stake in 2009. They’ve lost all of the goodwill they built with the championship season by putting a terrible product on the field for two consecutive summers.

If Herr’s return works out and the team makes the playoffs, 2007 and 2008 will be forgiven and forgotten. If the dream coaching team turns out to be ineffective, it will be another example of how the Barnstormers haven’t fared well lately when it comes to their baseball decisions.