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.

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?

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!