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Baseball Primer Newsblog— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
And then there’s this..."News item: Randolph versus SNY” (which leaves me with a disturbing image of a Randolph Mantooth/Count Benigno religio-cross-pollination kabob)
The Mets’ skipper went way overboard telling The Record’s Ian O’Connor on Sunday that he’s a victim of a well-orchestrated network conspiracy to make him look passive and indifferent. Randolph further hinted that race has been a motivation of his critics. If he wasn’t already in hot water with the Wilpon family, he could soon be. Doesn’t Randolph realize the SNY network is largely owned by Fred and Jeff Wilpon; by saying the network is his enemy, he is effectively accusing his bosses of sabotage.
What Randolph fails to understand is that it’s in the Wilpons’ best interests to have him succeed, since they’re the ones paying his salary. Besides, if ownership really wanted Randolph to go away, it wouldn’t need the help of a TV camera. All it would take is one conversation at Shea — which could last all of 30 seconds — and Randolph would be fired.
The real problem here is Randolph’s irrationality, not to mention the enormous chip on his shoulder. He sees the world through his own prism of persecution. It’s always someone else’s fault, the knife is always in his back, he’s always being wronged. Randolph should spend a little less time worrying about the cameras and newspapers and more time establishing meaningful relationships with his players. Jose Reyes would be a good place to start.
Repoz
Posted: May 20, 2008 at 09:31 AM | 33 comment(s)
Related News: General, NY Mets, NY Yankees
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Never underestimate the evil that is Repoz.
I remember when Joe Morgan first retired and his name was being tossed around as managerial timber, he was quoted as saying he didn't need minor league managerial experience either.
We can debate whether this was a good strategy or not. I suppose, if you don't have any confidence in your abilities, it would make sense since you wouldn't want to be "exposed" before you had a chance to grab the brass ring.
Might as well get the Mets hijack out of the way in the beginning.
Serious question - how many current MLB manager first managed in the minors? Or, among the really prominent ones in baseball history, who did and didn't?
Managed in minors:
Mike Scioscia
Ned Yost
Didn't manage in minors:
Ozzie Guillen
Joe Torre (I'm pretty sure)
Dusty Baker (ditto)
Among really prominent managers, I know George Stallings, Earl Weaver, Billy Southworth, and Dick Williams did. I think Connie Mack was in the AL back when it was the Western League.
Girardi wasn't. Nor was Melvin. Lou Piniella apparently didn't, though there's a one year gap in his record.
You don't go straight to head coach though. You start as a position coach and work your way up.
The 1977-1979 Mets might as well have been...
Edit: Wow, REALLY bad example. Marco Van Basten was actually the assistant to the manager of the Ajax reserves.
I don't think he ever managed in the minors. FWIW, the SABR Minor League Database doesn't show any minor league stints, but that source has alot of incomplete info.
Cecil Cooper managed the Brewers AAA team for a while.
Among really prominent managers, I know George Stallings, Earl Weaver, Billy Southworth, and Dick Williams did.
Back when the PCL was sort of an AAAAA league, it was common. Casey Stengel managed the Oakland Oaks. Lefty O'Doul managed the SF Seals. Pepper Martin and John McNamara managed the Sacramento Solons. Bob Lemon managed the Seattle Angels. (yes, the Seattle Angels)
D'OH! I meant Francona managed in the minors, as others have noted.
Back when the PCL was sort of an AAAAA league, it was common. Casey Stengel managed the Oakland Oaks. Lefty O'Doul managed the SF Seals. Pepper Martin and John McNamara managed the Sacramento Solons. Bob Lemon managed the Seattle Angels. (yes, the Seattle Angels)
Interesting, but Martin & O'Doul ain't really prominent MLB managers. Stengel certainly is, and McNamara had the length. I like Lemon, but there's at least 100 managers more important than him in baseball history.
Fixed.
That's the primary reason I was not too keen on the Mets hiring Randolph in the first place. There have also been reports that he turned down an offer to manage the Cincinnati Reds because the offered salary was too low. If you want a job of which there are only 30 in the world, you should be willing to do anything in your power to make your resume as sparkling as possible. There was nothing about Willie Randolph that made him a more qualified managerial candidate than about 100 other people. If he hadn't played the majority of his career in NY and if it wasn't assumed that he had been sprinkled with some magic Joe Torre pixie dust, Randolph probably never gets a job. Yet he feels that he is so deserving of an MLB managerial job that he refuses such an offer that he feels is beneath him and won't do anything to address concerns about gaps in his resume. Are we now supposed to be surprised that Randolph is unresponsive to criticism concerning his bullpen usage and handling of young players? I'd prefer my manager to be a bit more humble and a bit more hungry.
And have more experience being the primary day-to-day decision maker.
Especially working under Torre, I think that would be terrible experience for being the head coach yourself. I think JT is pretty much the focal point for both the media and the players, everyone else is really just dressing.
I'm not saying it's required, but I think it does have value. And I'd be concerned if someone felt it was beneath them. Though maybe I'm extrapolating too much there.
Oh, so there is info about Girardi in the column after all.
Not all of us... the half that have breasts are quite good internationally.
Let's leave David Wells out of this.
A qualitiative look at a manger using questions about different aspects of his managing style like game level and roster level decision making. Bill James used it in an abstract or two as well as in his Guide To Managers.
In Detroit, for instance, if the guy in the TV booth sounds like he's a fraction more intelligent than the remaining throughly incoherent ex-players on the air, they make him the general manager. And that's worked out swimmingly.
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