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Is it safe to say AJ is the 'Hinch'-pin of the team going forward?

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This afternoon saw the press conferences to announce the departure of Bob Melvin and arrival of AJ Hinch as the team's manager. It seems somewhat unusual to give the fired employee a press conference, but Melvin was his usual classy self, saying he bore the franchise no ill-will. Safe to say, I don't think I would be quite so kind, if I got fired and got to speak to the press! Though another reason to question his judgment is Melvin's apparent preference for the Barney Purple uniforms over the Sedona Red ones!

Moving on to the Hinch signing, the big news is that this is not the temporary appointment we expected it to be, with AJ getting a contract through the 2012 season. That is definitely a surprise, with most people expecting this to be a temporary appointment, to see us through the season until a more measured decision could be made during the winter. Not the case: it's clear that Hinch is "the" guy, and in particular, seems he's Josh Byrnes' guy, in a way Bob Melvin perhaps wasn't. However, usimg phrases like "It's been a grind," he's maybe not fallen so far from the BoMel tree...

Overall, Hinch came over a bit nervous, which is understandable given I doubt he's appeared in front of a media swarm very often - before today, "two" probably counted as a swarm! However, he did also seem smart and well-spoken, which is likely also what you'd expect from a Stanford graduate. There seems to be a lot of doubt out there, mostly based around Hinch's lack of experience in the role, but personally, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for the moment. That'll last right up until he brings in Jon Rauch when it's a one-run game... Anyway, here are the conferences for Melvin and Hinch, along with Josh Byrnes talking afterwards to Gambo and Ash

Audio courtesy of KTAR 620