Huge news.
First of all, let me pat myself on the back for being one of the first to predict that Hart would be gone.
That being said, I figured it would be Hershiser who took over. Daniels stepping in is a big surprise, although he's apparently got a very good reputation around baseball.
I got to talk with Jon Daniels at the Newberg Report Day at TBIA, and came away very impressed. Quite obviously a very intelligent person, and someone who came across as being pretty open-minded. From what I understand, he's a pretty saber-friendly guy, which is nice, as well.
I'm cautiously optimistic about this selection. He's one of the youngest g.m.s in pro sports history, which will probably be the story of this hire. But the more important thing is going to be, how firmly he strikes his own path.
As I've said before, my fear with Hart stepping down is that a Buck-proxy would end up as g.m. I could be wrong, but I don't think Daniels is the type who is going to just be a puppet for the manager. And hopefully, he'll become the strongest and most forceful voice in the organization.