Moloney to be Biscuits' new pitching coach

Bill Moloney, who spent the 2009 season with the high-Class A Charlotte Stone Crabs, will be the pitching coach for the Montgomery Biscuits next year.

Manager Billy Gardner returns for his fourth season and hitting coach Ozzie Timmons and trainer Lee Slagle will spend their second years with the team.

"I'm excited about it," Moloney (right) said. "It's a very challenging level for the players. To me, it's a make-or-break level.

"If you can hold your own or excel at Double-A, the sky is the limit."

Moloney replaces Neil Allen, who was Montgomery's pitching coach the last three years. Allen will coach for the Stone Crabs next year, which will allow him to live at home.

Allen lives in Sarasota, a 25-minute drive from the Stone Crabs' stadium.

"I don't think my wife is going to look forward to seeing me year-round for the first time," Allen joked. "Bobby (their son) will like it, but momma won't.

"She can't stand me six months out of the year. What will she do about 12?"

Next year will be Moloney's 26th as a professional coach and his fourth in the Tampa Bay system.

Before his one year at Charlotte, Moloney worked for two seasons at low-Class A Columbus. He spent the previous six seasons in the Cincinnati organization, including four years with Chattanooga, a Southern League rival of Montgomery's.

"He's a solid pitching guy and has a real good bedside manner," Gardner said. "He's a patient person, which is key."

The Tampa Bay Rays announced their minor-league coaching staffs for the 2010 season today.

The Rays did not renew the contract of former Biscuits coach Ben Oglivie. Oglivie was Montgomery's hitting coach in 2008 and worked with the Gulf Coast League Rays this year.