Boomerang

Never seen anything like this before in baseball. A manager and a team part ways, then they re-hire him back immediately. The A's had interviewed candidates for the manager job. Now its a happy ending for everyone.

The Oakland Athletics rehired Ken Macha as manager Friday, just more than a week after they failed to reach terms to renew his contract after three years.

The A's announced that the club reached a three-year agreement that will keep Macha under contract through the 2008 season.

Macha led the A's to the AL West title in his first year as manager in 2003, the club's fourth straight playoff berth. But Oakland failed to reach the postseason the past two years despite a 91-win season in 2004 and 88 victories this year.

Macha, 55, called it one of several "massive disappointments" in his seven years with the team when the sides couldn't reach a deal Oct. 5.

The A's interviewed both bullpen coach Bob Geren, a close friend of general manager Billy Beane, and third-base coach Ron Washington for the opening, while Macha interviewed for the vacancy with the Pittsburgh Pirates that was filled with former Dodgers manager Jim Tracy.

Earlier this week, Rangers pitching coach Orel Hershiser was cleared to interview with Oakland for the manager job.

"It's good to have him back," right fielder Nick Swisher said in a phone interview from his home in West Virginia. "Macha's a great manager and he knows the game. I'm excited for next season to get started. Billy knows what he's doing. Just like everyone else in this organization, he's always going to push us in the right direction."

Messages left for Macha and his agent, Alan Nero, weren't immediately returned Friday.