Ken Macha gets to manage again. That's because Brewers general manager Doug Melvin is a big believer in second chances.

Macha, 58, was hired yesterday as the manager of the Brewers, taking over the role from Dale Sveum following the team's first postseason appearance since 1982.

"One of the things I'm going to enjoy here I think is the relationship with Doug," said Macha, a Monroeville native who spent the past two years as a television analyst.

"He's been very honest with me, straightforward. He's more of a delegator. He's going to let me go out and do my job as a manager and I'm going to be very grateful for that."

That's a far cry from Oakland, where Macha took the A's to two AL West titles but had an odd relationship with general manager Billy Beane and lost his job after the 2005 season for a week only to return in 2006.

"The four years in Oakland I learned a tremendous amount of baseball, don't get me wrong," Macha said. "I can be nothing but a better manager now that I come here to Milwaukee."

Macha replaces Sveum, who became interim manager when Ned Yost was fired with 12 games left in the regular season. Sveum is expected to return to the coaching staff in some capacity.

Macha led Oakland to a 368-260 record. He was fired two days after the Athletics were swept by Detroit in the 2006 ALCS, a result that frustrated players.

White Sox

Ken Griffey Jr.'s $16.5 million option was declined by Chicago, making the No. 5 home run hitter in major league history eligible for free agency. Griffey is owed a $4 million buyout, which completes a $116.5 million, nine-year contract that he agreed to with the Cincinnati Reds before the 2000 season.

Marlins/Royals

Florida traded power-hitting first baseman Mike Jacobs on to the Kansas City Royals for relief pitcher Leo Nunez. The Marlins were shopping Jacobs because he was due a big raise in arbitration and have plenty of options at first base. In exchange, they got a right-hander who throws in the mid-90s.

Tigers

Detroit declined the option on shortstop Edgar Renteria's contact, choosing to give him $3 million instead of $11 million to return. Detroit acquired the five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove shortstop shortly after the 2007 season from Atlanta for pitcher Jair Jurrjens and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez.

Elsewhere

Tens of thousands of horn-honking, high-fiving Phillies fans streamed into the streets Wednesday night after Philadelphia won the World Series, celebrating the championship by knocking down traffic signals, spraying beer and shooting off fireworks. Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey said officers made 76 arrests, adding 10 businesses were damaged during the raucous citywide celebration. The city will have a championship parade today. ... The Phillies' five-game victory against the Rays on Fox drew record-low ratings. The series averaged an 8.4 rating and 14 share, the network said. That's down 17 percent from the previous low, a 10.1 for the five-game Cardinals-Tigers series in 2006. ... Infielders Chris Gomez and Doug Mientkiewicz of the Pirates filed for free agency.