Lopes out as Brewers manager

MILWAUKEE -- General manager Dean Taylor had his very own turn-back-the-clock night at Miller Park on Thursday.

With the Milwaukee Brewers off to their worst start in franchise history, Taylor fired manager Davey Lopes and replaced him with bench coach Jerry Royster on an interim basis.

Taylor told the slumping Brewers they had a clean slate now.

"You can take your batting average, your earned run average, whatever it is prior to today, it's gone, it's history, it's done," Taylor said. "Today is Opening Day II. We're turning a new page and starting a new chapter in the book.

"And I believe that's the message that we send to the fans, as well. We are committed to winning, regardless of the economic circumstance that's out there."

Taylor said the Brewers should be a .500 ballclub even though the franchise hasn't had a winning season in a decade and owns the 21st highest payroll in baseball, about $50 million.

Instead, they lost 12 of their first 15 games and crowds were beginning to dwindle at the $400 million Miller Park, site of this summer's All-Star game.

But Taylor said what really sealed Lopes' fate was the club's 33-72 mark since last June 24.

"I believe that this club did make progress in spring training," Taylor said. "For whatever reason, that did not carry over into the regular season."

Earlier this week, Lopes said not even New York Yankees manager Joe Torre could have done a better job with the Brewers. But on Thursday, he refused to criticize the club or characterize himself as a scapegoat.

"I came into this job and into professional baseball and I always carried myself a certain way, with a lot of pride and a lot of dignity," Lopes said.

And a red-eyed Lopes managed to find a bright spot to his dismissal.

"At least one good thing came out of it," Lopes said. "One of my best friends gets the opportunity to manage."

At least for a little while.

Even before Royster had finished signing his first lineup card, Taylor was talking about beginning an immediate search for a full-time replacement for Lopes.

Taylor said Royster was a candidate for the job, although he'd prefer someone who's managed in the major leagues, something Royster did for the first time Thursday night against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Lopes, 56, took Royster, 49, under his wing during their playing days in the Dodgers organization in the early 1970s and brought him to Milwaukee when in 2000.

"I just hope it works out for him," Lopes said. "I don't know how much of a shot he has, to be honest with you. But at least he gets an opportunity for whatever period of time it is."

Royster called it a bittersweet day.

"I knew that I was going to be a manager at the expense of someone," he said. "I just didn't think it would be at the expense at the guy who's probably been most instrumental in me being who I am today.

"He's been taking care of me for a lot longer than you can imagine. My first day as a professional baseball player, Davey Lopes has been helping me since then."

Royster said he wanted the job full-time but "I'm not going to campaign for anything."

"I'm going to do the best I can -- if that's for five days or 500 days," he said.

He said he would lean on Cecil Cooper, the Brewers' five-time All-Star who was added to the coaching staff Thursday and could also be a candidate for the full-time manager's job.

Lopes was in the final season of his three-year contract and had a record of 144-195, including 68-94 last year, the club's worst in 17 seasons.

"I know nobody worked harder and nobody wanted to win any more than Davey did," Taylor said. "Unfortunately, that just didn't happen. ... We feel with some different direction and different leadership in the dugout and in the clubhouse that this club will play better."

While the mood in the clubhouse wasn't melancholy, several players said they felt they had let down Lopes.

"I'm frustrated for Davey because we really didn't give him a fighting chance with the start we had," outfielder Geoff Jenkins said.

Last weekend, Brewers president Wendy Selig-Prieb had indicated she was not ready to give up on Lopes, saying it was too early for such a drastic change and urging patience from fans because of a tough early schedule.

On Thursday, Selig-Prieb said she wholeheartedly endorsed Taylor's decision to start over.

"It's early. Let's start with a clean slate," she said. "We can't replay any of those games. We need to focus on being successful from this day forward."

Lopes, who said he hopes to manage again, said he spoke with management about a contract extension in the offseason because he didn't want to enter 2002 as a lame duck manager.

Looking back, Taylor said he had no regrets about not firing Lopes in the offseason and starting fresh in 2002.

"We wanted to give Davey Lopes every chance to succeed, we really did," Taylor said.

If Royster doesn't get the full-time job, Taylor knows he'll be turning back the clock again.

"Our hopes is that the club plays well from Opening Day II until Opening Day III and then plays better after that, if there is an Opening Day III."