Welcome Back Obie- Glad You Never Left!!!!

On January 11th, we pleaded with the Mets to retain Ken Oberkfell as manager of the Tides, or, at worst, have him become a coach on the major league roster. Today, we got our wish, as Obie is going to be back with the Tides as manager this year, on the heals of his 79-65 mark with the Tides, as well as winning the International League South Division Title in 2005, in addition to winning the Minor League Manager of the Year award. Obie will be rejoined by hitting coach Howard Johnson, as like Obie, Hojo stays with us for his sixth year. They will be joined by ex-Met Randy Niemann as pitching coach, replacing Dan Warthen, who left to become bullpen coach with the Dodgers. Not only is Oberkfell an excellent manager and developer of talent, he also would be a great choice for major league manager if it doesn't work out with Willie The Kid, or for some other organization if it does.