Posted September 26, 200519 yr The only coach in professional sports that actually wears the team's uniform is also the coach whose role is, in my opinion, very misunderstood. A manager's role, in my observations, has little to do with directly affecting baseball games, and more to do with determining a team's identity, personality and attitude and keeping the players motivated, energized and encouraged. The manager's role in directly affecting baseball games is minimal, in my opinion. A major league manager does not "teach." A major league manager does not draw up "schemes" or make "x's and o's," as in basketball, football and other sports. A major league manager's ON-FIELD ROLES THAT DIRECTLY AFFECT BASEBALL GAMES are: a. assigning players on the roster to positions on the field and making a lineup, b. making in-game lineup/pitching change decisions. Are there people that simply do these specific things better than others? Would Joe Torre, Mike Sciosca or Tony LaRussa do a better job than, for example, Jack McKeon, at hitting Miguel Cabrera third in a lineup, or putting Antonio Alfonseca in a game in a seventh inning? Managers are not hired and fired for their ability to directly affect baseball games, but rather, in my opinion, to, "determine a team's identity, personality and attitude and keep the players motivated, energized and encouraged." Jack McKeon vs Jeff Torborg in 2003, Phil Garner vs Jimy Williams and Grady Little vs Terry Francona in 2004... what was the difference? Were they better at directly affecting baseball games, or was it their uniforms that made the difference?
September 26, 200519 yr Great topic. A manager makes the ultimate decisions in when to rest players and who to put in at key spots at key times. I think you undervalue that in your post... I do think an overlooked part of the managers job is how he handles the clubhouse and some managers (usually the longest lasting ones) keep a good, lose, close-knit clubhouse.
September 26, 200519 yr 1. motivation or general handling of players. noting what players need or desore to right amount of whatever at the appropriate time 2. on-field decisions. and not just the ones that show up in the box score. how often he calls on his relievers to warm up. what changes he makes to the pitch sequence of a particular batter or defensive alignmnts. offensive play calling. and so on. 3. pregame activities such as writing up the lineup card and scouting the opposing team
September 26, 200519 yr I will agree that 50% of a manager's job is his handling of the team in the clubhouse. However I think you severly undervalue the effect a manager has on the game of baseball, based on his style of coaching. First off, a Weaverball coach will like you said have little worth to a lineup. He could have his pet monkey pick the names for all that matters, because he's waiting for a three run homer anyways. However, other managers take a more hands on approach. Some give runners the green light, but plenty actually call every steal attempt. Managers will choose when to call for bunts, who to ship back and forth into the the field and to what position, how to align the players on the field (a very important and always overlooked aspect of a coach's job in baseball), and so on. Some managers will even choose to call all the pitches from the dugout, and they most certainly decide when a hitter is allowed to swing. Obviously, some of what I just mentioned is more common in the NL than in the AL, but since most here generally watch the NL as opposed to the AL it fits fine. This all of course is not yet including the toughest part of a manager's job, handling the bullpen. There are plenty of schools of thought for how to manage a pen, in the sense of who to bring in for certain situations. Lefty vs lefty matchup? Long guy, setup guy, closer? Quick hook, extended hook? How often do you warm guys up and sit them down? Are you liberal with your pen or do you have everyone stick to a set role? Do you ride the hot hand or do you let guys play in situations they are accustomed to no matter how they have been faring? From the time the starter leaves the game (and even before then) up until the game's conclusion, the manager's say in the game through his actions jumps from a meager 30% to a ridiculous 70% or higher (all these percentages are of my creation to suit my opinion, by the way). Is it the job of the manager to go out there and throw the ball for the pitcher? No. But at the end of the day, the head coach doesn't throw the ball for the QB or sink the shot for the sniper on the wing. Once the bullpen is put into play I would argue that, including all other aspects of a manager's job, he is just as important in the outcome of a baseball game than the other major sports' head coaches. Furthermore, while some have said that generally a manager is only going to give you +/- 5 games in the regular season, I would have to say that a manager in October would give you around +/- 3 games. Again, not based on anything scientific, just personal hypothesis from general observation.
September 26, 200519 yr Bobby Cox sure hasn't done anything revolutionary with game-management... But he tries to keep things lose and positive.
September 26, 200519 yr there is a direct coorelation between managers rerputation and player performance. it all comes down to how the players perform on the field. if the team wins->manager=genius. if the team loses-> manager=garbage. i really feel that managers get the short end of the stick sometimes
September 26, 200519 yr Author Whatever your definition may be of what a manager is responsible for, are there managers that do that , whatever that is, better than others? In my opinion, there isn't much exceptional skill or talent to managing a baseball game. Obviously you have to know baseball and anticipate situations during the game, but I just don't see how any manager is "better" at managing a game than another. The bottom line, in my view, is that it is the players who play baseball. The manager's role is to make sure all 25 players are on the same page and are constantly striving to win and to succeed.
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