Coaches on the hot seat

This may be a little premature, but at this point, we have a pretty good indicator of which coaches could be looking for new jobs come spring training 2010.

We'll break the seat down into two categories: Hot and mild


Hot
1) Adam - Sure, it was a nice season for the boys, but he'll miss the playoffs for a third straight year. It will also likely be his third straight losing season. We'll say he ends 10-12 this year, which would give him a career winning percentage of .323. The fans can only support the losing cause for so long. However, because of this year's playoff push, we think Adam could get a break from ownership and another chance.

2) Dave - Dave, like Adam, has yet to make the playoffs in his three seasons, and his midseason trade of Fielder for Bedard has fans ticked off. Sports radio talk hosts are calling for him to be fired, but this late season surge has ownership looking forward to next season.

Mild
1) Andy - If Andy doesn't make the playoffs this year, it will be the biggest collapse in league history. He was 10-3-2 and cruising toward the playoffs before the current 0-4-1 stretch. This will all be moot if he wins this week and in all likelihood locks up a playoff spot. But, a loss this week and next week could spell disaster and leave a lot of offseason questions.

2) Richie - You would think after this disastrous season he would be in the hot category, but Richie actually received a vote of confidence by ownership after his trade deadline deal of Holliday for Reyes. They appreciated his concern for fixing the dismal year. In fact, he may not have even been on this list at all, but two weeks ago, he coughed up a win to Ricky. It's weeks like that that have fans and supporters concerned.

3) Shea - We believe Shea is safe, but how can he not be on this list? A career winning percentage of .341 is awful. But he has a playoff win in his career, which is more than most coaches can say. Also, management was thrilled with his trade deadline moves, so we think Shea is OK - but if this continues next year, who knows?

4) Bob - Yes, this could shock you, but ownership is tired of first-game flameouts in the playoffs. The expectations are high, so Bob has a big burden to carry as coach. He's made the playoffs the first two years, but lost his first playoff game, including one as a No. 1 seed. Another first-game exit this year and we could hear some offseason chatter calling for his job.