Saturday, November 29, 2003
The former manager played for the Indians from 1979-85.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Former Indians manager Mike Hargrove was hired by Cleveland on Tuesday as a senior adviser to the team's baseball operations department.
Hargrove, the second-winningest manager in club history, spent 21 seasons with the Indians as a player and manager from 1991-99. He was fired as Baltimore's manager in September after four losing seasons with the Orioles and hopes to manage again.
Hargrove will help develop minor league staff members and mentor major league coaches.
Identity
"Mike Hargrove is and always will be a Cleveland Indian," said Mark Shapiro, the Indians' executive vice president and general manager.
Under Hargrove, the Indians won five division titles and went to the World Series twice. His 721 career victories are the second most in club history behind Lou Boudreau's 728.
Hargrove played for the Indians from 1979-85.
In a telephone conference call with reporters, Hargrove said he is excited about the job and does not believe it will be awkward to return to a team that fired him four years ago. He said he expressed those thoughts to Indians manager Eric Wedge.
"I still want to manage, but I don't want to manage the Indians right now," Hargrove said. "I'm not trying to get anyone's job."
Hargrove said he is still discussing specifics of his new duties with the team but knows he'll consult on player acquisitions and give the Indians a perspective "from the other dugout."
"I think that's a perspective that right now the Indians have not had and I can give that to them," he said.
Hargrove made it clear that coaching in the majors is what he wants to do but said he does not look at the Cleveland job as merely a stepping stone.
"I appreciated them offering me a job, but I didn't want it to be a job that was just a favor," he said.