What's Next for the Padres After Firing Bud Black?

NBC 7's Derek Togerson offers commentary on what's next for the Padres

Well, Padres fans, you got your wish. The Friars fired manager Bud Black on Monday after a 32-33 start (six games out of first place) and a 649-713 mark after 8-plus seasons.

One thing a lot of you did during the last few months is compare Buddy to former Chargers coach Norv Turner because neither man could seem to lead his team to a championship and often wallowed in mediocrity (at best).

However, that was all wrong. Buddy is not Norv Turner. Buddy is Marty Schottenheimer, and this is where the old phrase "be careful what you wish for" comes in to play.

Think about it. Marty was fired because he couldn't win the big games, even though he obviously had the roster to do it. For years that was not the case for Black as he squeezed more wins than he should have out of inferior lineups. But in 2015 the Padres put enough talent on the field to win. Probably not enough to win a World Series but certainly enough to be better than .500 after 65 games.

So, like Marty, Buddy is gone because he didn't optimize his talent to produce enough wins. Now we enter the dangerous waters because the Padres have to avoid making the same mistake the Chargers did:

Replacing the well-liked head man with the wrong guy.

Norv (who, coincidentally, was hired the same year as Black) took the Chargers to one AFC title game then went downhill every year. He was not the right guy to replace Marty.

The talent is there. The Padres need to do what the Chargers did not do and find a man who can take it in the opposite direction.

I think I know who that man is.

Dave Roberts will take over the team in an interim basis but, as much as I love Doc and believe he'll make a great manager some day. I just don't see him being ready for a full-time managerial gig just yet.

Former Padres bench coach and Cubs manager Rick Renteria is available after Chicago released him after one year to pursue former Rays manager Joe Maddon. Well-respected inside and outside the organization, Renteria would be a solid choice.

However, a roster like this needs a man who has a proven track record, someone veterans like Matt Kemp and James Shields will look up to. So my gut tells me the next Padres manager will be Ron Gardenhire.

The leader of the Twins from 2002-2014, Gardenhire won six AL Central Division titles in Minnesota and finished with a career 1,068-1,039 record. After winning the AL Manager of the Year Award in 2010 (the same year Black won it in the NL) a string of injuries and ineffective free agent signings led to his dismissal in Minnesota.

Gardenhire says he's not in a hurry to take another job but is interested in managing again. Here's the REALLY interesting piece of the puzzle ...

Gardenhire recently hired agent John Boggs to keep an eye out for openings for him. Boggs is the former agent of the late Tony Gywnn, still lives in San Diego and has close ties to the Padres organization. How's that for timing?

One thing I can guarantee is Ron Gardenhire sure as heck is no Norv Turner.

So what do you think, Padres fans? Would you be happy with Gardenhire as your new skipper or do you have somebody else in mind?

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