Tigers won't bring back Joe Coleman as Lakeland pitching coach

Tigers won't bring back Joe Coleman as Lakeland pitching coach
1:33 AM, Sep. 1, 2011

BY JOHN LOWE

DETROIT FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Joe Coleman, the former star right-hander with the Tigers, said Wednesday that he has been let go as the pitching coach of Class A Lakeland in the Florida State League.

"The organization has been very good to me," Coleman said in a telephone interview. "I was just totally caught off-guard when this happened the other day."

Coleman said that he learned of his firing in a meeting with Tigers assistant general manager Al Avila on Saturday in Lakeland.

Asked Wednesday night about Coleman's departure, Avila said, "We're going in a different direction. We have philosophical differences and different ideas of how to get things done. We felt this was the time to make a change and have a new outlook going into the future."

Jon Matlack, the Tigers' long-time minor-league pitching coordinator, also was let go last weekend. Coleman referred to Matlack as he discussed his own dismissal.

"It was a pretty good punch," Coleman said, "because with the help of Jon and the help of the kids, I felt we did a very good job at the Lakeland affiliate."

Coleman pitched in six seasons (1971-76) for the Tigers. After many more stops, he launched the coaching career that brought him back to the Tigers in 2007 as the Lakeland pitching coach.

Coleman, 64, said he'd like to stay in the game. He has spent 46 years in pro ball. His ties with the Tigers go back even farther. His father, Joe Coleman Sr., finished his own big-league pitching career with the Tigers in 1955.

"My best years as a pitcher were with the Tigers," Coleman said. "My father played with Al Kaline, and I played with Al Kaline."

Contact JOHN LOWE: 313-223-4053 or jlowe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @freeptigers.

This sure is sad news. I hate to see these long time past Tiger players and employees let go. I always have loved Joe.

Matlack joins Astros as Minor League coach
Three-time All-Star will serve as club's pitching coordinator
By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com | 10/24/11 5:22 PM ET

HOUSTON -- The Astros on Monday named former National League Rookie of the Year Jon Matlack as their Minor League pitching coordinator. He joins the club after 15 seasons in the same role with the Tigers.

Matlack was a three-time All-Star hurler in a playing career that spanned 13 seasons. He also served as Detroit's Major League pitching coach in 1996 and spent eight seasons as a Minor League pitching coach with the White Sox and Padres.

"We are very fortunate to land someone of Jon's caliber," Astros director of player development Fred Nelson said. "His knowledge and experience as a coordinator was very impressive to us. We look forward to his leadership and fresh ideas as he oversees our Minor League pitching program."

Matlack, 61, made his Major League debut with the Mets (1971-77), then played for the Rangers ('78-83). He won NL Rookie of the Year honors in 1972 (15-10, 2.32 ERA) and made three straight NL All-Star squads ('74-76), sharing MVP honors with Bill Madlock in the '75 All-Star Game.

In the 1973 World Series against Oakland, Matlack posted a 2.16 ERA in three starts. He also holds the distinction of allowing Roberto Clemente's 3,000th and final hit on Sept. 30, 1972.

The Astros also announced Monday they had hired Bryan Lambe as a professional scout, assigning him coverage of the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets.

Lambe, who has been in baseball since 1970 as a Minor League player, coach and scout, most recently had served as a special assistant to the general manager for the Mets (2006-11). He played in the Minor Leagues with the Tigers and later served in various scouting roles with the Tigers, Rangers, Diamondbacks and Mets.

Brian McTaggart is reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, Tag's Lines. Follow @brianmctaggart on Twitter.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.