Competitive fire has Terry Kennedy back in baseball as new LV manager

Nick Christensen

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2004 | 9:50 a.m.

Terry Kennedy remembered very well what it was like being the child of a major leaguer, and he wasn't about to put his kids in the same position.

Kennedy's father, Bob, played for the White Sox, Indians and Orioles before going to the Brooklyn Dodgers in the final year of his playing career. Bob Kennedy then managed the Chicago Cubs for three seasons.

Terry Kennedy, whom the Dodgers announced Friday would manage the Las Vegas 51s in 2004, returns to the game after a two-year absence while he sold real estate in the Phoenix area.

"I grew up in that sort of thing, and I decided I was going to spend some time while I could with them... and be with them in their high school years," he said. So at 46, he stepped down from a minor-league coordinator position with the Chicago Cubs to work in real estate with his wife.

But the kids grew up, time went on, and the fire was still there for Kennedy.

"(Real estate) was interesting, I was doing pretty good at it," Kennedy said. "But it's not quite the competition I was looking for."

So Kennedy put out feelers to a few teams last year, and came into contact with then Dodgers farm director Bill Bavasi in the fall. Kennedy's family has long ties with the Bavasis, going back to his father's experience working with Bavasi's father in Brooklyn and brother in then Double-A Albuquerque.

"We know the Bavasis, and we were comfortable talking to each other. When he moved, I said, 'Uh-oh, there goes my shot,"' Kennedy said. "Terry Collins, who I knew when I was with the Cubs and I was the Triple-A manager, took over."

Collins said Kennedy's past record stood out. He had an overall 301-246 record in the minors, and was named the minor-league manager of the year in 1998 while with Triple-A Iowa.

"He's got a good feel for what it takes to blend a Triple-A team together, and he's got a good feel for the six-year free agents along with prospects that will come together," Collins said. "He's been a Triple-A manager before, he's got a real good idea of what it's going to take to keep guys on the same page."

Kennedy, who'd experienced being sent down before his tenure as an all-star catcher in San Diego, said he has a unique perspective on the varied personalities at Triple-A.

"I treated guys like I liked to be treated as players. I understand since I was sent back twice... what it feels like," Kennedy said. "I understand after being there for a couple years what the six-year free agent feels like when he doesn't get his chance. I know what it feels like for the new guys coming up, the prospects and rookies that first look at Triple-A and moving up the ladder."

Perhaps the biggest obstacle will be the roster moves that plague Triple-A ball.

"One year in Iowa, we had 160 roster moves. We had a very fluid lineup. One day we had 18 guys to play with who were eligible," Kennedy said. "That was the toughest part. My first couple months I was trying to control my fate, realize there are some things you can't do anything about."

But it's a challenge that Kennedy said he savors.

"I can remember talking to myself when I was a player, saying 'When I'm done with this I'm never going to do anything,' " Kennedy said. "I was off for a year going to school in 1992, but I had too much knowledge and love for the game and the baseball players that I can't not give something back. A lot of it was altruistic but a lot of it was I missed the game. I really liked being around the kids, I really liked developing and teaching, so I'm glad I got back in."