John Farrell is with the Red Sox... send Lackey to Toronto

Seriously. If the Red Sox need to send compensation to the Toronto Blue Jays for manager John Farrell, see if they will bite on John Lackey.

Think that is outlandish? Did you think the Red Sox would find anyone to pick up the tab on Carl Crawford while sitting on the DL counting his tens of millions of dollars.

What's the worst that could happen by asking?



 

There's only two ways the Bobby Valentine era can turn out

Well, Bobby V is coming to Boston. I wrote earlier that I was fine with either Valentine or Sandy Alomar Jr. at the helm of the Red Sox.

So I can't complain.
It's a short term solution, but maybe the whole "He was gone but now he's back to prove he can still do it" mentality could work its magic the way that Jack McKeon had in 2003 with the Marlins or Jim Leyland gave the Tigers in 2006.

Or it can be a disaster like Davey Johnson with the Dodgers or Dallas Green with the Mets or Jim Leyland with the Rockies.

The Fried Chicken Crew didn't respond to super classy, totally lovable, two time champion Terry Francona? Well try Bobby V... a man who has been wrong exactly zero times in his life.

Just ask him.

A veteran team with a know it all outsider coming in as manager could be either a brilliant move or it could be a biggest bomb than the last decade of Nicolas Cage films combined.

So the Red Sox are either going back to the World Series or about to crash and burn in a way that will make us nostalgic for September 2o11.

Either way, it won't be boring.

Valentine or Alomar?

It is looking more and more like Bobby Valentine will be the next manager of the Boston Red Sox. I can't say I am all for it or against it.

Obviously if Valentine comes in, I will root for him to do well.
I always thought that Bobby V was a fun and entertaining manager who did a good solid job in Queens. Remember the post Davey Johnson years were a wretched dumping ground of bad free agent signings, bloated expectations and losing seasons.

In 1993, the Mets were the worst team money can buy.
They had 6 straight losing seasons before Bobby V arrived.

They went from 91 losses to 88 wins in Bobby's first full season, 1997. By 1999 they were in the NLCS. By 2000 they were in the World Series.

He had one losing season and was out the door.

Which is telling. Bobby V rubbed people the wrong way. He was a know it all and didn't seem shy in telling people of his great knowledge.

And lest we forget he disguised himself to sneak back into the dugout after he had been ejected. I still think that is one of the funniest moments in baseball history.

Bobby did all of that in the cauldron of New York just as the 24 hour sports news cycle and the internet became influential.

I always felt like Bobby V should have taken over a franchise that had some talent but was a small enough media market that he could become a revered figure. Basically a crazier Tony LaRussa.

And he seemed to love the respect he got in Japan during his years of managing there. Maybe a team like Kansas City with their young talent could be Bobby V's domain. Actually I thought the Marlins were an ideal fit for him, but that is Ozzie land now.

Then again, as I wrote last year, Bobby V can take his time. He has a great job on ESPN and is terrific on the air where being a Know It All is a positive thing. (And if he gets something wrong, no team lost because of his decisions.)

It would take a great job to lure him out.
The Red Sox would certainly be a high profile job. And with Pedroia, Youkilis, Ellsbury, Gonzalez and Lester still around they have a nice foundation.

I think the Red Sox are 2 years (and probably 8 pitchers) away from being a true pennant contender again.

Then again, how many people had the Tigers winning the 2006 pennant when Jim Leyland arrived?

It is an intriguing potential signing. And would be worth every penny if for no other reason than the post game press conferences will be awesome.

But I find Sandy Alomar Jr. to be an interesting potential manager as well.

He caught in the big leagues for 18+ seasons, making the All Star Team 6 times and he would have been the World Series MVP in 1997 if Jose Mesa could have held onto the lead.

As a catcher for nearly 2 decades in the big leagues, he called games and was brought in to mentor young catchers with the White Sox, Rockies, Rangers, Dodgers and Mets.

He has experience as a instructor, a coach and a bench coach.

In other words for a quarter of a century he has been thinking baseball strategy on the major league level. And he has the on field success to back up his instruction.

And he also beat Mariano Rivera in a playoff series. Just saying.

SOMEONE will be the recipient of that positive baseball knowledge. Why not the Red Sox? Sandy Alomar Jr. is a man who was raised in a baseball family with a Hall of Fame brother to boot!

Who can hear "Sandy Alomar Jr." and think "What the hell does HE know?"

Bobby Valentine is the best choice to win NOW. I personally don't think the Red Sox are going to win now... but I didn't exactly pick the Cardinals last year or the Giants the year before that!

I think Sandy Alomar Jr. is the better long term choice.

I guess I will be fine with either one.

Then again, I would have been fine with Kevin Kennedy coming back too.

Will somebody PLEASE Interview Chris Chambliss?

Seriously. Why can't Chris Chambliss even get his name MUMBLED for a manager's job?

Three high profile managerial positions are available...
The Cubs, Cardinals and Red Sox all need to be filled.

I hear a lot of names floating around for those gigs.
Terry Francona will probably land one of them.
Maybe Ryne Sandberg will get one.

The likes of Pete Mackanin and Dave Sveum are mentioned. So have Mike Maddux and Mike Matheny.

I am sure they are all able baseball minds.

Davey Johnson is, for sure, as he is returning to Washington.
Bob Melvin once won Manager of the Year, so his returning to Oakland isn't nuts.

But Chambliss' name is never even MENTIONED.

Seriously, no offense to Robin Ventura, but he has been handed the keys to the White Sox and he wasn't even a coach!

Since the start of the 2010 season, people such as Juan Samuel, Mike Quade, Don Cooper, Brandon Hyde and Daren Brown all got to put "Major League Manager" on their resume.

John McLaren got to put a second franchise on his.

Do ANY of them have Chris Chambliss' qualifications?

I know I brought this up before, but it is getting absurd.

Let's review Chambliss' background.

16 full big league seasons.
Former Rookie of the Year.
Former American League All Star.
Former top 5 AL MVP finisher.
Former Gold Glove Winner.
Former playoff hero. (First since Mazeroski to end a post season series with a walk off homer.)
2 time World Series champ.
Coached for several of the Yankees World Series winners under Joe Torre.
Major League hitting coach for the Cardinals, Mets, Reds and Mariners.
Minor League Managerial experience over four different decades.
Former Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year.
Managed as recently as 2010 with Charlotte.

And the respect of three generations of players.

You wouldn't give a guy like THAT a shot?
A guy who wants one shot!

Ozzie Guillen is the sixth Marlins manager since 2005.
Six men have managed the Mariners since 2005.
Five men have managed the Orioles since 2005.
Five men have managed the Pirates since 2005.
Five men have managed the Royals since 2005.
Four men have managed the Astros since 2005.
Four men have managed the Brewers since 2005.
Four men have managed the Dodgers since 2005.

Of those teams mentioned in this time frame, only the 2005 Astros won the pennant.

That's 39 managerial hirings.
You are telling me that all 39 had more to offer than Chambliss?
I find that very hard to believe.

Interview him.
Give him a shot.

Clearly this isn't based on fandom. He was a Yankee!

It's just based on respect for a guy who has earned it over his 5 decades of baseball experience.

Terry Francona... the greatest manager in Red Sox history

That's the only way Francona should EVER be referred to by a Red Sox fan.
Yes he inherited a good team that could have won the 2003 pennant had Grady Little not been the manager.

Sometimes, despite what Billy Beane and the producers of Moneyball think, the manager DOES matter.

Sometimes part of a managers job isn't to check up the latest VORP or WAR or whatever algebra is trendy now. Sometimes it is managing the egos, the pressure and the media market.

Little wasn't the guy. He proved that not with the Red Sox but when the Dodgers fell apart under his watch.

Francona learned from his rocky tenure managing the Phillies and became Joe Torre lite in Boston. Doesn't get too high or low. Manages the insane Boston media and a fan base that was literally about to commit mass suicide in the wake of 2003.

And the city was going to burn to the ground when they were down 0-3 to the Yankees with Rivera on the mound. And Francona had the calmness and peace of mind to give Dave Roberts a wink when he came in to pinch run for Millar.

This guy was different.
He didn't bring in Jim Burton instead of Dick Drago in the 9th inning of Game 7 like Darrell Johnson did in 1975.
He didn't bench Bill Lee in favor of Bobby Sprowl and wear Butch Hobson and Carlton Fisk down the stretch like Don Zimmer did in 1978.
He didn't bring Calvin Schraldi into every pressure situation in 1986 like John McNamara did.
He didn't make a series of absolutely bizarre decisions long before he left Pedro in too long like Grady Little did.

He made the right ones.
He pushed Keith Foulke and Curt Schilling.
He out managed Joe Torre BADLY in 2004.

He won 95 games the next season without a reliable 3, 4 or 5 starter nor a decent closer.

He came back from 3-1 AGAIN in 2007, never losing faith in struggling J. D. Drew and having it pay off with his series turning Grand Slam in Game 6 against Cleveland.

And he nearly came back from ANOTHER 3-1 hole against Tampa in 2008.

Yes Joe Cronin won more games as a Red Sox manager, but Cronin never had to manage with the pressure of the 24 hour media.

Cronin never had the burden of the Curse.

And Cronin never won ONE World Series, let alone TWO!

Francona's main job was to manage the clubhouse and the media. And he felt he couldn't do it anymore and he is gone.

The 2011 collapse wasn't Francona's fault. The blame should lie on the front office who assembled this mismatch of players.

But Francona, oozing with class right until the end, took responsibility and blamed nobody but himself.

He will wind up somewhere else. (Baltimore? The White Sox? The Cubs? The Astros?) But he should have been a Red Sox lifer.

I really thought a third pennant would put him in a Hall of Fame discussion. Maybe it will.

But when he returns to Fenway in another uniform, there had better be a 20 minute standing ovation for him.

We wanted one title before we died.
Tito made sure we had two.

I for one will miss our manager.

Dick Williams, a man who could breathe life into dead teams

Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams died today... and if you are a fan of the Red Sox, A's or Padres, you should toast him tonight.

Dick Williams was more than a great manager. He was more than someone who took three different teams to the World Series.

He raised teams from the dead.

It's hard to believe this now, but there was a time when the Boston Red Sox were a dead franchise with poor attendance and non contenders.
They had losing seasons every year from 1959 to 1966, including 100 losses in 1965.

Dick Williams took over the club and they went to their first World Series in 19 years. And the Red Sox were revived. You can trace the love for Fenway and the romance of Red Sox Nation to the magical summer of 1967.

When he went to the A's, they hadn't been relevant since Connie Mack was manager. They never had a winning season in Kansas City and the 1971 A's was the franchise's first October since 1931.

He inherited a talented team but he made them an All Time team. The A's won back to back titles under Williams and they went on to win a third title.

In 1977 after a failed turn with the Angels, Williams took over an Expos team that never had a winning season in their first 8 years of existence. By 1979 they were a 95 win club with future Hall of Famers Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Tony Perez at the core. A non factor franchise became a legit pennant contender and the Expos had their greatest years and drew their most fans.

Then he took over the Padres, another nondescript franchise with no history nor success. Between the Padres first season in 1969 and Williams arrival in 1982, the Padres had a grand total of one winning season and never finished above 4th place.

By his third season, the Padres were a 90 win team and won the 1984 NL West title, then stunned the heavily favored Cubs to give San Diego their first World Series appearance.

Later he took over the Mariners, another hopeless franchise. For a while it looked like he was going to do the same thing there with talented players like Mark Langston, Mike Moore, Jim Presley, Alvin Davis, Harold Reynolds, Danny Tartabull and Phil Bradley on the roster. But alas it didn't work out in the Pacific Northwest.

If only he stuck around for two more seasons in time for the arrival of Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson in 1989!

He was a Hall of Famer and one of the great managers of all time.

And you can certainly NOT say he took easy jobs.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Williams.

On a side note, we both appear in the great movie "Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey" and in fact we both appear in this trailer for the film.
My vague connection to an All Time great manager.

I have nothing against Brad Mills but...

The All Star break can be very cruel for slumping managers. It is a natural transition time and a point where if a change has to be made, it will be as smooth as it can be.

Which brings us to Brad Mills.
It is NOT his fault that the Astros suck, but MAN they are a big ole pile of suck.

Their pitching sucks, their bullpen is Godawful and I hate to say it, but they may have to deal Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn. They might be the only chips that have any value. If they can flip two players for a pair of players each, they might have four players to build from.

Either way, the Astros are the worst team in baseball.

They look like they have a clear run at the #1 pick over all in next June's draft.

And oh yeah. They have a new owner coming in.

All of these point to Brad Mills having to get his resume ready.

I am not saying he's not a good baseball mind. He clearly is with his time on Terry Francona's coaching staff.

I am not saying he isn't a potentially good manager.

And I am not blaming him for the current state of the Astros.

All I am saying is when the worst team in baseball enters the All Star break knowing that new owners are on their way, it is a rotten chain of events for the current manager.

The current ownership gets to show the fans that they are still trying and the new ownership would have no issues dumping an interim manager.

If he had a long track record, then he might be safe. But it is easier to dump someone with only a year and a half on their resume.

What I'll say is this: Brad Mills will probably get axed and will eventually get another managing gig. (If Jim Riggleman and his nondescript resume was good to get hired over and over again, then Brad Mills will do fine.)

And one more thing.

Astros bench coach Al Pedrique might be getting a new gig!

When a manager gets canned, they usually take a look at the bench coach to take over temporarily. Bittersweet but good news for Al!

And guess what? He has managerial experience. When the Diamondbacks dumped (unfairly in my view) Bob Brenly, Pedrique managed the team the rest of the way in 2004.

He wasn't exactly John McGraw. He went 22-61 in those 83 games, but hey! He wasn't dealing with a great team either.

Hey great win, Jim! Jim?.... JIM?!

I admit that I haven't been kind to Jim Riggleman on the pages of Sully Baseball.

I questioned the reasoning of dumping Manny Acta for Riggleman and his less that sterling resume.

And I thought he was doing baseball a disservice when he benched some of his starters in critical stretch run games.

Well now he has the Nats playing on a roll and they have crawled back up to .500.

And what does he do?
He quits.

Now there are already articles being written in his favor and who knows? Maybe the Nationals organization IS a mess.

But I'm sorry. Why should the Nationals offer Riggleman more years? Even with the team above .500 now, he's been a big league skipper over 12 different seasons. In the 11 ones before this one has a grand total of 2 above .500. He seems like a solid baseball lifer, but does 1 game over .500 before July constitute a lot of leverage?

And with this dramatic series against the Mariners (another team he managed since 2008), you'd think that the Nationals would be trying to ride some momentum.

Instead they have to answer questions about a manager who quit on the team. (Sorry, that's what he did.)

He said to the media "I'm not Casey Stengel."

No kidding.

And if the Nationals put up a good record for the rest of the season, it will make the Nationals decision to not retain Riggleman look even smarter.

Don't worry... he'll be an interim manager someday. Hey, he's 22 years younger than the Marlins new manager!

It might be time to cut bait with the Fish

On May 26th, the Marlins behind Anibal Sanchez's complete game shutout swept the World Champion Giants and moved to within 1 game of first place.

They were 10 games over .500 and my prediction that they would win the Wild Card looked pretty good at the 1/3 mark of the season.

The Marlins have lost 18 of their last 21 games.

We are more than halfway through June and they have a grand total of one win this month.

They got swept by the Phillies.
And of this writing they are in last place.

They went from 10 games over .500 to 5 games UNDER .500 in less than a month.

I wrote last Sunday that Edwin Rodriguez's job might in trouble.

Now I can imagine him being fired in mid game.

Something needs to be done in Florida and firing the hitting coach ain't it.

I'd like to see the Marlins get a quality innings eater... or a dominating reliever...

Instead I think Rodriguez is getting a pink slip.

I'm rooting for him. He's an underdog baseball lifer. But I also think Bobby Valentine is looking at rentals in South Florida.

Bob Geren got fired? WHY? WHAT WENT WRONG?

I've been calling for Bob Geren to be axed for more than 2 seasons.
It's amazing that he has lasted longer than a Presidential term, taking a team that was a regular playoff participant and seeing them turn into a sub .500 non entity.

It's not ALL his fault but it clearly wasn't working.
Bob Melvin is the new manager. During Geren's first season (2007), Melvin took an unlikely and seemingly overmatched Diamondbacks team and led them to a 90 win season and homefield advantage in the NLCS.

They got to within 4 games of the World Series with Eric Byrnes as their top offensive threat and Livan Hernandez as their #3 starter.

In that time the D'Backs have been dismantled and rebuilt with 2 other managers.

And Geren stayed put in Oakland... until now.

The A's could use a little overachieving.

Or who knows?
Maybe Geren should have gotten ANOTHER 4 1/3 seasons!

The Jim Leyland watch begins... will he be fired or will he quit?

Less than 2 games in and it is inevitable. Jim Leyland's time in Detroit, as fun as it was in 2006 and until the last week of 2009, is going to come to an end.

Will he walk away like Lou Piniella?
Or will the Tigers just give him the axe?
Or will they "promote" him to a meaningless executive title?

But it is going to happen and probably before the All Star Break.
If they keep losing, who knows? He may not make it to May.

Make no mistake, it is going to come to a close.

I predict Jim Leyland will walk away before they can fire him, and he will do so on July 1.

Anyone else care to make a prediction?

Managing to Cooperstown - My latest for The Hardball Times

A big league manager will win a World Series this year. But how will that title affect their Hall of Fame resume?

For a few it would put them in the conversation. For others it would simply silence some critics. And still others would have a great first credit on their resume.

In my latest for The Hardball Times, I look at each big league manager and consider what the 2011 World Championship would mean for their legacy.

You can read the article HERE.

Mets search to REPLACE Terry Collins starts tomorrow

So the Mets are going to do it.
They are going to hand the keys to one of the most expensive rosters in baseball and what SHOULD be one of the marquee franchises in the game to a guy who couldn't handle the baseball pressure cookers that are Houston and Anaheim.

Now you are going to put him in the New York media market who want to run managers out of town on a rail AFTER they win a World Series?

The Mets are giving a hot head manager with a 24/7 sports media hovering over Queens waiting for him to say something stupid?

This is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

If I am Bob Melvin, Wally Backman or even Bobby Valentine for that matter... I'd have my resumes ready. There might be an opening in APRIL!

By the way, I am saying this is a bad move NOW and I said it was a bad move 15 days ago when I couldn't believe he was in the running.

No second guess here.

So Terry Collins, who had basically a players revolt on his hands in Anaheim, gets a third chance.

Chris Chambliss? He can't get a first chance.

Go figure.

Is Bobby Valentine just interviewing poorly?

Seriously, it wasn't that long ago that it looked like Bobby Valentine would have the pick of the litter of terrific manager jobs.

Everyone knew the Braves job was going to go to Fredi Gonzalez... but the Cubs job looked available, as did the Marlins and Dodgers.

The Mets were out there as were the Mariners and Blue Jays. And a place like Milwaukee could be a fit. And the challenge of Pittsburgh could have been attractive.

Well the pickings are getting slim now. The Dodgers handed the keys over to Mattingly where he seems destined to fail.

The Cubs, Diamondbacks and Marlins surprisingly kept their interim managers. Toronto and Milwaukee each swiped coaches from other teams.

The Mariners dusted off Eric Wedge, the Pirates look like they are closing in on Clint Hurdle and the options have all whittled down to one team:

The Mets.

He's not going back to the Mets. And new GM Sandy Alderson doesn't care for strong willed managers.

He'd rather hire a cardboard cutout of Bobby Valentine than the real McCoy.

I wonder what gives. Say what you want about Bobby V... he's a solid baseball mind and could be exactly what a dead from the neck up franchise could use.

Plus his personality and unpredictability make him damn good for the game.

Is he interviewing badly?

Is he giving that all knowing smirk to the owners making his potential employers feel silly?

Either way, I think baseball is going to be a little more dull in 2011 because the Cubs went with Mike Quade and the Mariners took Eric Wedge out of mothballs instead of giving Bobby V a shot.

Just go Joe... you've already quit

Seriously, what is the point for Joe Torre to stick around?
He seems more interested in discussing the Mets managerial position and showing up to Yankee Stadium than having a motivated team take the field in Chavez Ravine.

Don't believe me that this team is dead from the neck up?

Since August 27th, the Dodgers have lost 17 out of 23 games. They haven't won a single series since. The closest they came was splitting 4 meaningless games with the Astros.

And I live just a few minutes from Dodger Stadium and sadly watch more Dodger games than I care to admit.

They are lifeless.
They aren't even phoning in their game. They are leaving it on their outgoing message.

Save for a comeback win last Sunday, they don't just look like they have made their reservations but they look like they are already on their flights.

I know a lot of Giant fans are upset about how they have rolled over to San Diego (and tonight no doubt the Padres will sweep the Dodgers AGAIN) but actually you have to hand it to the Dodgers... they have been equal opportunity tomato cans.

Since the 26th of August they have lost 2 series to the Rockies... 2 series to the Giants and 2 series to the Padres.

They lie down to EVERYONE!

And since Joe Torre announced he was stepping down and handing the reigns over to Don Mattingly? They are 1-4. Only the come from behind Rockies win saved it from being a big fat 0-5 (and even THEN they got some help from the umps!)

In short, the Dodgers have done the impossible... they made the play on the field more disgraceful than the drama with the McCourt divorce!

Just step down NOW Joe. Maybe playing for Mattingly will give the team a little spark.
Maybe they'll play a little harder for a week.

Maybe there will be a little intensity.

Maybe Mattingly will learn how to fill out a lineup card and make mound visits.

The Dodgers have 3 more meaningful games left after today... 3 more with the Rockies.
Why not give the NL West a chance and have the Dodgers actually SHOW UP.

Step aside physically Joe. You already have mentally.

Walk away if you win #28, Joe

Hey Joe Girardi… take a good long look at what has happened to the legacy of Joe Torre. Only Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel had ever managed three straight World Series winners before Torre and he brought class and dignity to the Yankee clubhouse along with his titles.

And today he is being portrayed as a manipulator, a man with a tarnished legacy and even those are questioning whether he belongs in Cooperstown.

His very rings are being questioned since he couldn’t win a pennant in Atlanta nor in Los Angeles (not to mention with the Mets or Cardinals.)

Now imagine if Joe had left the Yankees after the 2001 season…
He would have been the greatest New Yorker since LaGuardia.

Imagine if he had left after the 2003 World Series…
He would have won 6 pennants in his 8 years and maintained superiority over Boston.

Imagine if he had left after the 2005 playoffs (when EVERYONE thought he was going to.)
Yeah the collapse of 2004 would have hung over his head, but the perception would have been George and company were meddling and undermining him.

Instead it ended after 2007… when with more control he couldn’t make it out of the Division Series, lost the respect of his superstar and left town co authoring a petty (albeit fun) book.

Learn from Mr. Torre. If the Yankees win the 2010 World Series title… BOLT TOWN!
Seriously… don’t wait around for your Yankee legacy to deteriorate.

You’ve shown you could manage when you took the 2006 Marlins team with a payroll under $30 million and kept them in the running for the Wild Card into September. You won a Manager of the Year award. You can do it.

So make your Yankee legacy this if you win it all:
2008 was an adjustment year followed by back to back World Series titles.
Leave a WINNER and finish with more World Series titles than Billy Martin at the helm.

Go home to Chicago. If you win the World Series there, do you know how you will be treated?

Me neither! NOBODY knows. The team hasn’t won it since the series was called the World’s Championship Series and it was still an experiment. Win in Chicago and your ticket to the Hall of Fame will already be punched.

Have some other poor shmuck take over the Yankees and deal with this nonsense.

Heck, Joe Torre is available!

Hey Bobby V and Buck... take your time picking a team

Bobby Valentine was rumored to be the new manager of the Marlins and supposedly Buck Showalter is hovering around Baltimore ready to wear the black and orange.

And yet Edwin Rodriguez is still in charge of the Marlins and Juan Samuel is helming the Orioles. And I think that is a good thing.

Not only do life long baseball men like Rodriguez and Samuel get to potentially finish up the season, but Bobby V and Buck, two of the most intriguing managerial candidates out there, could feast on one of the most robust and potentially rewarded managerial free agency off seasons in history.

Assuming that Joe Torre will join Bobby Cox, Cito Gaston and Lou Piniella in retirement (which he should) and Jerry Manuel won't be asked back to manage the Mets (which he probably won't) then there are jobs with lots of potential glory and obvious hazards out there for two managers who have worked in the bright spotlight, had success but looking for that ring.

Let's look at the potential landing spots.

ATLANTA BRAVES

THE UPSIDE:

- The team looks like it is playoff bound, so you will be inheriting a winner.

- With McCann, Heyward, Hanson, Jurjenns and McLouth, you have a solid nucleus for a winner for years to come.

- The recent playoff success helps make it an attractive free agent destination.

THE DOWNSIDE:

- The shadow of Bobby Cox will lurk over this team for a generation.

- 14 straight trips to the playoffs is a tough act to follow.

- If they win how much credit can you claim? It will be like Joe Altobelli winning in 1983 with a team Earl Weaver put together.

- Ted Turner no longer runs the team, so the days of spending big to win now are over.

- The fans don't care. They can't even sell out playoff games!

THE VERDICT:

Best leave Bobby Cox to pick his own successor. Between Terry Pendleton and Fredi Gonzalez there are a bunch of Cox's former lieutenants who can take over the job without making the organization feel like they are going in a totally new direction.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

THE UPSIDE:

- The Orioles are a tradition rich organization with some of the best and most passionate fans in the game who are DROOLING for a winner.

- They won't be trying to move unless they get a "Camden Yards like stadium."

- Matt Weiters, Adam Jones and Brian Matusz are a nice trio to build a team around.

- The passion is high but the expectations aren't. This will be their 5th straight 90+ loss season. They haven't had a winner since 1997. Put a winner on the field and Camden Yard will be full of grateful fans.

THE DOWNSIDE:

- There's a reason they have gone more than a decade without a .500 team... the only teams in American Pro Sports with worse management are the Raiders and the Clippers.

- That Orioles winning tradition is harder to sell when the last Orioles championship took place before their young stars were born.

- The Orioles have been good and developing hyped prospects, not quality major leaguers.

- Oh that A.L. East... good luck spending with the Sox and the Yankees.

THE VERDICT:

A good gig if you want to look like a hero (a la Jim Leyland with the Tigers.) Better hope the Red Sox, Rays and Yankees get injured. Better yet, better hope Peter Angelos sells the team!

CHICAGO CUBS

THE UPSIDE:

- Hey you want to be a God to a fan base and be instantly considered a Hall of Famer? Then manage the Cubs to a World Series title.

- You don't need to worry about fan support nor revenues.

- Maybe the new ownership will open up the purse and do "Operation Red Sox - 2004" and get all that Billy Goat crap put to rest.

- With players like Castro and Soto, they have some young stars to build with.

THE DOWNSIDE:

- If winning a title for the Cubs is so easy, then why hasn't anyone done it since the days of Tinker to Evers to Chance?

- They've had over 50 managers since 1908 including Joe McCarthy, Rogers Hornsby, Leo Durocher, Lou Boudreau, Dusty Baker and Lou Piniella. Good luck!

- The Cubs lead the league in unmovable awful contracts. As long as Jim Hendry is buying the groceries, the Cubs won't be cooking up anything that tasty.

THE VERDICT:

It is the easiest route to immortality and having a major city treat you like a God. But the fan base is getting restless and the new ownership is a wild card. Also for whatever reason, Ryne Sandberg has been anointed the new Cubs manager savior... good luck with that.

FLORIDA MARLINS

THE UPSIDE:

- The team has a tendency of winning a World Series every once in a while. Might as well win one on your watch.

- Living year round in Miami isn't that bad.

- No pressure. The fans will be so busy watching Wade and LeBron that they won't notice you until you are in the World Series.

- You could manage the team when the excitement of an actual BASEBALL stadium opening in Miami occurs in a few years. Maybe some fans will show up as well.

- If you can harness the potential of Hanley Ramirez, you could have a Hall of Famer on your hand.

THE DOWNSIDE:

- Ebenezer Scrooge thinks that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is cheap.

- Joe Girardi and Fredi Gonzalez each led overachieving low budget teams to surprising records... and both were rewarded with being fired.

- Fans didn't seem to care when they won in 1997 and 2003. Why would they care now?

THE VERDICT:

Maybe the new stadium and new revenues will mean longer contracts for their players. Miami may be a cool place to live, but so far it is no baseball town. But if this is the last managerial stop, then why not? If you retire, you'll already be in Florida!

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

THE UPSIDE:

- A Chance to manage one of the marquee, big market, high profile organizations.

- They have a rich farm system that produces solid big leaguers at a steady rate.

- They also have a pitchers ballpark and play in a pitchers division, so it is about as attractive a destination for any quality free agent arm to land.

- They have a wonderfully rich tradition that treats its Champions with dignity.

THE DOWNSIDE:

- Mel Gibson's divorce was civil compared to the fiasco that is the McCourts.

- A championship window might be closing and shockingly it is not out of the question that the Dodgers might be dismantling the team soon.

- You know Joe Torre doesn't WANT to leave... but he also knows that managing a losing team isn't how he wants to end his legacy. Why should you take Joe's scraps.

THE VERDICT:

If the divorce settles and the Dodgers can act like one of the few big market, big budget teams that they are, then this is a job sent from heaven. But despite all the resources, talent and solid managers that have come and gone through L.A. recently, they still have startling turnover (nobody from the 2004 playoff roster was on the 2006 playoff roster and they had three different managers since the 2004 NL West title.) A good gig if you win. Lousy if the divorce drags on.

NEW YORK METS

THE UPSIDE:

-You win in New York and you are a God. And currently only one position is available in New York.

- The expectations aren't as high in Queens, but winning there might be more special because it has been so infrequent.

- You never have to worry about management cutting corners on free agents. They are as aggressive as any team not named the Yankees.

- National exposure and a passionate fan base would make any title even bigger.

- Both of you (Bobby and Buck) have unfinished business in New York.

THE DOWNSIDE:

- Both Buck and Bobby V managed in New York before. Are you two considered damaged goods?

- Omar Minaya is to the Mets what Jim Hendry is to the Cubs. Aggressive but wreckless with contracts and can put a loser on the field with a $100+ million payroll.

- Every move is broken down to the point where you have to answer to Joey from Sheepshead Bay calling in to WFAN when your bullpen move didn't work.

- No matter how big the Mets get, they are the poor stepchild of the Yankees.

THE VERDICT:

Untold glory and unspeakable headaches can come from being the skipper in New York. Joe Torre gave the Yankees 6 pennants and 4 World Series titles and that wasn't enough for some people. Make sure you can work well with Omar... just ask Willie Randolph how fun it was.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

THE UPSIDE:

- Toronto is a great city. Big, cosmopolitan and clean... with universal health care.

- It's also a passionate sports town and when the Blue Jays have something to offer, they show up in record numbers.

- With Marcum, Romero, Litsch and Drabek, they have a nice foundation of young pitching... which as we know is the cornerstone of any championship run.

- Expectations are low. Exceed them and be a hero.

THE DOWNSIDE:

- In case you didn't know, Toronto is in Canada. You try luring free agents across the border!

- Also in case you didn't know, Toronto is in the American League East. Unless you see the Red Sox, Yankees or Rays crumbling any time soon, you are more likely to see the EXPOS in the playoffs before the Blue Jays.

- Unless you really see Jose Bautista and John Buck being the cornerstones to a title team, this team is going to REALLY stink for a while.

- Toronto fans are passionate, yet don't you feel they'd give Joe Carter's home run back in a second for a Stanley Cup.

- People in America will put out a missing persons report for you.

THE VERDICT:

Let some young manager working their way up the ranks take over Toronto. This is no place for a skipper with some success under their wing... except for Cito Gaston.



If I were advising the two... I'd tell Bobby Valentine to take over the Dodgers. Eventually the divorce will die down and L.A. would eat up his larger than life style.

As for Showalter, I wouldn't touch the Orioles with a cattle prod. I'd go to the Mets, especially if Minaya is shown the door. Buck put together a winner in New York once before and he can do it again... and this time follow it all the way through.

Choose carefully, you two. You already have playoff experience and some aura about your dugout smarts in the bank. A World Series title on your resume... you might be talked about as a Cooperstown candidate.

And remember... all the smart baseball people read this blog and take my advice to heart.

Yost's revenge for 2008

I still think Ned Yost's firing with 12 games to go and his team in position for a playoff spot is one of the craziest managerial moves I have ever seen.

I said so then and I still think so now.

Well now he takes over the car wreck that is the Royals. Look, I don't know Trey Hillman and if you heard the post game interview with Royals GM Dayton Moore, you would have thought he was firing Mahatma Gandhi.

I think firing a manager who has a team in line for a playoff spot with 12 games to go is nuts.

But I don't think firing a manager more than 2 years into his run is so nuts.

The Royals sucked before Trey Hillman arrived and they suck now... maybe Ned Yost can turn things around.

Remember how the Brewers stunk every since year since 1992? They were the AL answer to the Pirates, except the Pirates actually made the playoffs in 1992!

Since 1992, the Brewers have had 2 winning seasons and 1 .500 season, all under Yost's management. So naturally the Brewers front office axed him when he was going to bring them October baseball for the first time since Harvey's Wallbangers.

So who knows what he will get out of Kansas City. Yeah he doesn't have a lot of great players... but he also has so called future stars like Alex Gordon and Luke Hochevar who have both been busts so far. Maybe they'll turn it around.

Watch him bring the Royals to the division title and he gets fired the day before the playoffs.

I needed photographic evidence to believe it

But yup... Bob Geren is indeed still the manager of the Oakland A's.

How does he still have a job?

Is it really the whole "he's buddies with Billy Beane" excuse?

But he is starting his 4th season... and under his stewardship, the A's, a team that made the ALCS just prior to his arrival and constantly put a contender on the field even with a low budget and free agent defections, have been a consistent sub .500 non contender in his 3 years.

And worse than not contending, they've been flat, boring and irrelevant... even in the Bay Area.

I called for his head last year (as did every A's fan I know.) But then again, I thought Charlie Manuel was dead wood before 2007... so who knows? Maybe the A's, like their former city mates the Phillies, will rattle off three straight division titles, two straight pennants and a World Series title.

The Angels have taken a step back this year and the west is winnable (didn't I say that LAST year?)

But if the A's come out stumbling this year, there is no excuse... even for Billy Beane's best buddy. (say that three times fast.)

Girardi's quandry

Man I am glad I am not Joe Girardi today.

It looks like we’re going to have thundershowers in New York today and the chances of the game being played are thinner than that airbrushed picture of Filippa Hamilton.

So if the series is to resume on Sunday, what the hell should Girardi do?

Should he go for the jugular and start C. C. Sabathia on 3 days rest?

Should he start Andy Pettitte on his regular rest and have Sabathia ready to go in either Game 7 of the ALCS or Game 1 of the World Series?

Jeez when I write them both out like that, they both make a lot of sense.

The Angels’ confidence is running high right now going into New York. They have a new lease on life… and the two guys who are credited with lightening up the Yankee clubhouse (Nick Swisher and A. J. Burnett) are wearing goat horns.

But the Angels haven’t figured out Sabathia… who is 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA in the ALCS and has an awesome WHIP and strikeout to walk ratio… and is a stud.

It would all but certainly put an end to the series.

It would pull the rug out of any momentum and erase any relevance of the two Angels losses.

Remember how the A’s and the Mariners extended their 2000 series against the Yankees with big wins? Remember how the Indians pushed the Yankees in 1998? Or the Red Sox played the Yankees tough in 1999?

OF COURSE YOU DON’T! The Yankees went on to win the World Series those years… and the Angels grittiness would be thrown into the pile of forgotten playoff series.

Sabathia would be the exclamation point. Plus he is capable of throwing 8 or 9 innings, thus making sure the suddenly ineffective Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain don’t have to come into a big game.

But then again…

Wouldn’t that be a desperation move?

The YANKEES are in the lead, not the Angels. The Yankees are throwing Andy Pettitte and save for a Vlad Guerrero homer in Game 3, he pitched well.

And what if… and bear with me on this… the Angels BEAT Sabathia in Game 6? It’s possible. Sabathia lost 8 times this season.

He was dreadful in the post season prior to this year.

There could be a pitchers duel… or a battle of the bullpens.

So let’s say the Angels win a Game 6 started by Sabathia. They would have insane confidence going into Game 7… the Yankees would be pressing and the Game 7 pitching match up of John Lackey vs. Andy Pettitte would favor Los Angeles… or California… or Anaheim… or Los Angeles of Anaheim.

And isn’t this over managing exactly what has Girardi in the crosshairs of the fan base’s ire?

And if Sabathia DOES win Game 6 on Sunday, he would not be ready to throw in the World Series until Game 2… and he’d only have 2 starts. Which means the Yankees would be forced to start either Chad Guadin or the artist formerly known as Joba Chamberlain.

Can you imagine how Girardi would be crucified if Chad Gaudin is forced to pitch a critical Game 4 of the World Series?

But then again… how will he be slaughtered if he DOESN’T start Sabathia and he’s blamed for letting the Angels stay alive…

What I am saying is, I’m glad I’m not him.

But his job is to make decisions… and as George W. Bush said “My job is a job to make decisions. I'm a decision.. if the job description were, what do you do.. it's decision maker.”

Use those pearls of wisdom when you make your decision Joe.