Veteran coach has been a fixture
Sedar has seen, done it all in 28 years with team
They just don't get more friendly or entertaining in the game of baseball than Ed Sedar. Currently the Milwaukee Brewers third-base coach — a position he's held since the 2011 season — the 57year-old Waukegan, Ill., native has worn just about every hat possible since joining the organization in 1992. He's managed and coached in the minor leagues, joining the major-league staff as firstbase coach in the 2007 season, and has the rare perspective of having coached the Brewers' current manager, Craig Counsell, when Counsell was still a player. Sedar has developed something of a cult following among fans during his time in Milwaukee, and his legend only
grew back in 2014 when he helped bring Hank the Dog into the fold during spring training.
Sedar discussed all of this and more with the Journal Sentinel's Todd Rosiak recently:
Q. You started with the Brewers all the way back in 1992. Is it hard to believe this is your 28th year in the organization?
A. When you sit back and think about it, it’s kind of funny. I started out as the outfield and baserunning coach in the minor leagues, but my first year with the team they sent me to big-league camp and Robin (Yount) and all those guys were still there in ’92. So I’ve seen people from Robin until now. And I’ve gone through complete organization changes – Bud (Selig) was the owner when I started. I remember going to my first meeting having to go meet him because I lived in Waukegan, and I’d go home and take care of my dad and then I’d go back for meetings. My first day on the job we’re all sitting around the table and Wendy (Selig-Prieb) is there. Then that changed, and it changed again. GMs changed. Kind of weird.
Q. How did you get into coaching in the first place?
A. I had been banged up in ’84 with what now would probably require Tommy John surgery. But they didn’t know what it was back then or they’d just say, ‘Play through it.’ Then I did something to the patella in my knee, where it was never the same. Then some of the White Sox coaches kept asking back in ’88 to be a player-coach where I would travel all through the minor leagues – I could still play, but I would coach. That changed when Tim Dillard’s dad, Steve, said, ‘I want Eddie to coach third and then pinch-hit sometimes.’ I thought I was going to do that throughout the organization, but ended up just doing it for Steve. That was kind of weird. All of a sudden a pinch-hitter was needed and I would come from the third-base box, grab a helmet and grab a bat. I’m going, ‘Really?’ This is like, little-kid stuff.
Q. It would seem like a lot of players think initially that they’d like to get into coaching when their playing days are done in order to stay around the game. But don’t they learn quickly when they realize the hours you guys put in?
A. Yeah. Their job’s definitely not easy, and our job is to try and make it as easy as possible for them. Whether it’s a simple hello and pick me up, because baseball’s a grind and when you look at it, negative things can happen seven out of 10 at-bats and you’re an all-star. Or just to stay on the positive side, have something positive going on is a big thing that coaches need to realize. Because these guys go through a lot of negativity in everything they’re doing.
You’re trying to be a mind reader, trying to help them get through stuff on the field. Even something with the family arises and you try to reach out and try to do everything you can that way, as well. But all the time that’s put in – you see (Pat Murphy) here in the back room and all his files and stuff and all the time spent on watching video and having all the analytical and scouting people helping you out and still going to do your own research, as well. So yeah, it becomes long.
Q. And that doesn’t even include the physical side of what you do. How tough is that?
A. Every day, throwing batting practice. It’s a lot better in the big leagues because sometimes in the minor leagues I’d throw all three groups. Whether it was my team or when I would rove, I would go in and help the people that would do it every day. I’d go, ‘Hey, I’ve got this group or these two groups for you today. You guys take the day off.’ You’ve got to hit fungoes, throw batting practice. I throw long toss with Christian (Yelich) and Ben Gamel before batting practice if they want to long toss. It can be physically grueling as well.
Q. I’m not saying you’re old…
A. You can say I’m old.
Q. …but as the years advance and you’re doing this job it becomes even harder, doesn’t it?
A. Oh yeah. It does, for sure. But you know in the offseason I’ve got Camp Marsha, my lovely wife, and it’s like, ‘We’re walking to town today,’ or, ‘We’re taking the beach bikes.’ So she keeps me in pretty good shape as far as that goes. But as far as throwing and stuff, the hitting coaches know to kind of take it easy on me or Carlos (Subero) or whoever’s going to take the bulk of the throwing during the season. We kind of get help from the minor leagues during spring training to try and ease us into being able to throw every day.
Q. You’ve had your left knee replaced…
A. That was from the Carlos Gomez slide in a non-sliding drill. We were doing first-to-thirds and scoring from second, and Carlos was the last contestant of the day. He was one of them going first to third, so he was coming around and I usually stand on the bag so they have to hit the corner of the base – it’s just something I’ve always done to make sure. And Carlos thought, ‘I’m going to slide.’ But it was wet and it was early in the morning, so his slide ended up taking me out. I remember Rickie Weeks immediately running and getting the trainers because they knew something bad had happened. I went through the pain for two years before I did the surgery. So they made braces for me the first year and the next year and I actually didn’t get the replacement until the femur was splitting. That wasn’t a good thing. And unfortunately that’s the knee you land on when you throw and when you hit. So it wasn’t a very good two years.
Q. So was Gomez apologetic?
A. He always was. Since the minute it happened he felt so bad. He was worried. I actually still threw my group (in batting practice) that day just because I knew he was really worried. I think Rickie was probably the one that was really (shaken up) because he couldn’t believe that it had just happened.
Q. Why is there a box painted on the grass near third base when none of the coaches ever stand in it?
A. No one does because if you stood in that box, you’d kind of be in a danger zone. So you kind of try to get outside of it. Or it makes it uncomfortable because you can’t get a good view if there’s a guy at second. And if nobody’s on base, I’m not going to stand there. I’m going to get as far back as I can to give me ample time to get out of the way of a rocket.
Q. You like to joke that “It’s just a suggestion” when you’re sending guys around third or holding them. But isn’t part of the whole organizational philosophy to be aggressive when possible on the bases?
A. Oh yeah. Even being an outfield coach for so long, you’ve seen it so many times. Perfect throws still have to take a nice little skip for the catchers and they can still clank it. Or they can skip and slide past with all different kinds of turf. But when people score, ‘Oh, that’s easy,’ and when they’re out, that’s when you hear it. So it’s better for me to not ever be brought up. But you just learn to deal with it. Dale Sveum told me when I first started doing it and he was our bench coach, ‘You’ll be really good. But just know that when someone’s out, it’s always your fault.’ It just comes with it. You take it with a grain of salt. Now I’ve been doing it for quite some time, but still, there are some times where it’s like, ‘What was I thinking?’ or ‘Oh man, I was caught up in the moment.’ But sometimes when people are like, ‘Why did he send him? He knew he was going to be out,’ but we’re taking the chance. It happened the other day when (Starling) Marte bobbled it and (Mike Moustakas) and he scored from second. Marte has one of the best and most accurate throwing arms, and I remember when we played them at home a ball was hit to center and I’m like, ‘I’ve got to send him because the pitcher’s on deck and the chances of us getting another hit aren’t very good,’ and (the runner) was out.
Q. That’s what people don’t always think about – you also have to know the tendencies and abilities of all the fielders in addition to reading the actual play…
A. Their accuracy, how close they are, if they’re moving side to side and they don’t throw very well. If he’s moving to his left, that’s when he gets off his most accurate throws. Or if he’s moving to his right, it’s a little inaccurate. I get a lot of help from our scouting and analytics departments as well. They give me sheets and I check on them. Fortunately for me, I’ve been in the league for a while and I know the arms, so I’ll just look at
them. Like, Melky Cabrera for the Pirates – I don’t need sheets. He’s high accuracy, high arm strength. Yeah, he’s older so maybe he doesn’t move as well but if the ball’s hit directly at him, I know he’s going to get off a good and accurate throw. Then sometimes with your baserunners, there might be injuries that aren’t really known and I can get a thumb’s down from a guy. Or I’ve got to tell him, ‘Hey, two outs, I’ve got to send you,’ and they’ll go, ‘I know, but just know that (I’m hurting).’
Q. There's a lot of communication that goes on between you and the runners, isn't there?
A. Oh yeah. Hand signals. Whether you can score is just a thumb's up or thumb's down with how they're feeling. As far as stealing third, it'll be voice command or eyes or just a nod or eye contact. Same with Carlos (Subero) at first base. He does a nice job over there. It's great to have him over there, because he's going to control that part just like when Dale (Sveum) was at third, he said, 'You control the running game from first base.' That's what I did, and there was a big turnaround back then on how we did stuff, which was really cool. Dale would go, 'That was awesome! Rickie (Weeks) taking on first pitch, J.J. (Hardy) swinging – that's old-school stuff !' Meanwhile, J.J., Rickie and I went over it in the on-deck circle where we knew, 'Hey, Rickie gets on, he goes first pitch because J.J., you're going to be taking anyway. And if it's right down the middle, you're still going to be taking 0-1. So swing a little late, keep the catcher back and then we've a runner on second for you to go to work.' Now, Carlos running the run game does great for us.
Q. You coached Craig Counsell when he was a player, and now you're on his staff. What's that been like?
A. I really didn't think that much about it, but I knew with how hard 'Couns' worked that he was going to be good. Just, sometimes you watch players play and you're going, 'This guy's going to be a good coach,' where with other guys you're going, 'OK, not only is he not interested in coaching, he might not be that good of a coach.' We've had one recently with HP (Hernán Pérez), if he ever decides to get into it. That's something I did – granted it was all in the minor leagues. But in Double-A I was coming from right field to pitch. I played first, short, third, caught, the outfield positions. It was something where I had a feel for almost everywhere on the field.
Q. So, 28 years in, how much longer do you want to keep doing this?
A. Until the Brewers tell me I've had enough. Because I will never tell them that. They'll have to tell me that.
Q. How's Hank the Dog?
A. I see him like once a year – Weather Day. He hung with me for a little bit. It's cool that he always remembers me. I mean, why wouldn't you remember a guy who gave you bacon and scrambled eggs?