John F. Kennedy, it was once written, proved the only real job requirement for the Presidency of the United States was wanting it badly enough.

Apparently, becoming manger of the Milwaukee Brewers is no different. And while the job descriptions may vary, their to-do lists are equally daunting.

In addition to being the 14th manager in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history -- a total that translates to a little more than a two-year tenure per skipper -- Ned Yost has to be the most enthusiastic guy in the city. Saying this was the only job he ever wanted and describing his years as a backup catcher for the Brew Crew in the early '80s as the fondest of his career, Yost pushed all of new general manager Doug Melvin's buttons to land one of MLB's 30 plum jobs.

To new Oakland manager Ken Macha, however, it appeared to be little more than a lemon. And while baseball's flavor of the month mulled an offer from the Brewers and contemplated equal interest in his services from the Cubs, Lou Piniella decided to become a full-time Tampa resident, the lead domino in a string that ultimately shifted Yost's baseball fortunes from Atlanta back to Wisconsin.

Piniella took the Devil Rays job, so the Mets decided to snatch Art Howe from the A's rather than wait around on Dusty Baker's situation with the Giants. Macha then shifted up the bench from coach to manager in Oakland, while the Cubs turned their eyes toward Baker. That left a list of candidates including Bob Melvin, Cecil Cooper, Willie Randolph and Yost for the Brewers, and for Doug Melvin, there was no choice -- Yost's "work ethic, energy and enthusiasm" got him a two-year ticket to baseball's hinterlands.

In the week following, Yost hired a couple kindred souls. Ex-journeymen Mike Maddux and Butch Wynegar are now the team's pitching and hitting coaches, and considering accomplished players like Dave Stewart and Rod Carew have failed miserably before them, the junior varsity may as well get a chance to start a game or two.

Melvin gave Yost just a two-year deal (Macha turned down a three-year offer to sit tight with Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder, so maybe he's as smart as people say). Of course, barring a miraculous, Anaheim-proportioned turnaround, Yost will need more than two years to right a ship that not only sank this past season, but did so in April, with attempts to resurrect it for scrap abandoned in May.

The new GM knows this, and it's doubtful he'll relieve Yost of his duties in two winters if the Brewers have yet to contend. Instead, two seasons seem an adequate proving ground for a guy who asserts he'll do nothing more than get to work early, roll up his sleeves and work as hard as he humanly can, damn the results. And really, can they get any worse?

Yost purports that all players need leadership, and watching its absence under Davey Lopes and Jerry Royster, the claim appears to be true. But I'll trade in leadership for installing fundamentals, unless the former leads directly to things like moving runners over, getting them in from third with less than two out and protecting the plate with two strikes.

Whether or not the team can execute a sacrifice with men on first and second is a question that must wait for spring, however, so Yost's extreme enthusiasm is a good start. Milwaukee, fresh off its worst season ever, the concurrent All-Star Game embarrassment and the general hatred directed at ex-owner Bud Selig from the entire sporting world, is rapidly turning into a latter-day baseball Montreal. {INSERT_RELATED}

No one is suggesting that Yost can bull-rush a quarterback, but he'll need to pull a Reggie White in order to turn things around. Before the Packers landed the superstar defensive end via free agency in the early '90s, Green Bay had a major image problem among players around the league. And if good players won't come, good things can't happen.

Now, of course, it's not the small-city blues or the long, cold winters that are talked about in Green Bay, but the team's history and aura that make playing there an honor. White's signing and success changed those perceptions.

A new park is one thing, but it doesn't mean anyone actually has to go to it. Miller Park wasn't stopping the Brewers from becoming the sport's laughingstock, and no one wants to work for a laughingstock. If Yost can instill pride, discipline and the occasional two-out base hit, he may eventually lead them back to the glory days he once contributed to.

A good attitude is a good start. In fact, with this team, it's about the only place possible to start. And whether that's merely good public relations for a guy in search of a major-league managerial job or an honest-to-goodness personality trait, it's one Melvin is banking on to render his first major decision as Brewers GM a successful one.