tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post7814410286588855245..comments2023-06-17T08:53:42.643-04:00Comments on ShysterBall: Bobby Cox Keeps Humming AlongCraig Calcaterrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00190345915954808542noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-1003930463249190122008-05-29T23:36:00.000-04:002008-05-29T23:36:00.000-04:00Proof of Cox's greatness: Jorge Campillo. No one e...Proof of Cox's greatness: Jorge Campillo. No one else wanted him, and now he's doing awesome (albeit with blisters).tHeMARksMiThhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16445834941960575715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-80709428866630633712008-05-29T06:52:00.000-04:002008-05-29T06:52:00.000-04:00I guess I should have written that more carefully ...I guess I should have written that more carefully so it didn't come across as a value judgment. I'm the last person in the world to suggest that players or managers are role models. I have no idea what went on with the La Russa DUI and am in no position to judge him. Same with Cox' domestic violence thing.<BR/><BR/>I was trying to underscore the fact that La Russa has benefited from playing in a smaller market by avoiding scrutiny, but should have just said that outright.Mark Runsvoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13749478502694372288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-71353497493156646872008-05-29T05:55:00.000-04:002008-05-29T05:55:00.000-04:00Mark makes my point with La Russa reL the micro-ma...Mark makes my point with La Russa reL the micro-managing thing and his penchant for feuding with players in public, which is something I just can't abide. I recall Rolen as the most immediate example, but there were others.<BR/><BR/>The DUI thing doesn't really enter into it with me. We're all human with human failings, and what matters with that kind of stuff is how you deal with it aferwards, and that's something we just don't know. Maybe Tony is on the wagon? Maybe he's been outrageously contrite and open about it within the organization? Those things would matter.<BR/><BR/>Regardless, if you are going to hold the DUI against La Russa as a manager, you have to hold Cox's domestic violence incident against him too. I'm not willing to do that, simply because I am not interested in judging these guys as human beings. I am simply judging them as managers of baseball players.Craig Calcaterrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00190345915954808542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-26127369198097189762008-05-29T05:48:00.000-04:002008-05-29T05:48:00.000-04:00To put it more diplomatically than The Mark Smith ...To put it more diplomatically than The Mark Smith did: La Russa seems aloof and completely sure that he's the best manager on the planet. He does things like hitting the pitcher 8th, as far as anyone can tell, just for the sake of looking like a convention-bucking genius.<BR/><BR/>I'm also wary of any manager who has a vocal and public feud with a player. Cox certainly never has, nor have Torre, Scioscia or Francona. La Russa's on-field gambits don't have any appreciable positive effect on his team's performance, and the off-field stuff, which is probably the most important facet of a manager's job, should be counted against him. If he were managing in a larger market, he would have been gone hours after the DUI thing, if not years before then.Mark Runsvoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13749478502694372288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-16548356824697564372008-05-28T23:50:00.000-04:002008-05-28T23:50:00.000-04:00Yes they were. The Braves were terrible in the 80'...Yes they were. The Braves were terrible in the 80's. When he came in, he turned the team away from free-agents and toward the farm system (sound familiar).tHeMARksMiThhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16445834941960575715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-12626837745618748372008-05-28T20:40:00.000-04:002008-05-28T20:40:00.000-04:00Cox did a great job in Toronto as well. Also I do...Cox did a great job in Toronto as well. Also I don't think he gets enough credit for the job he did as Braves' GM. Weren't they a mess when he took the reins?Eric Tomshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00632341548970196518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-66398512336612588412008-05-28T18:42:00.000-04:002008-05-28T18:42:00.000-04:00People don't like La Russa because he is 1) an ass...People don't like La Russa because he is 1) an ass and 2) a drunk driver (multiple times)tHeMARksMiThhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16445834941960575715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-9660169421479713352008-05-28T18:34:00.000-04:002008-05-28T18:34:00.000-04:00"I still think chemistry is overrated on any given..."I still think chemistry is overrated on any given team, but I think that there is value in organizational order and continuity over time that serves as a defacto code of conduct."<BR/><BR/>Maybe that's what chemistry is? The success can't be denied. I know World Chamipionships are what we all want, but getting to the playoffs consistently (in today's game) has to count for something. <BR/><BR/>How would CAsey STengal have done if he had to face 3 divisions and a wild card? That's a simulation that needs to be done by someone.Ron Rollinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16852012772573977515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-15346977486035026942008-05-28T18:27:00.000-04:002008-05-28T18:27:00.000-04:00I second LaRussa being one of the best managers of...I second LaRussa being one of the best managers of the past couple of decades. And that brings up a question that has had me scratching my head for a while. I have found many people out in internetland (including, possibly, this site) who despise LaRussa. I read it enough that it seems like a standard sentiment among baseball fans. Why? Have I missed a handful of comments from the past that pissed off a lot of fans? Was it the drunk driving thing? Is it because he wears sunglasses in the dugout all the time? I am truly curious to hear a LaRussa hater explain what there is to hate about him.<BR/><BR/>Regarding Cox -- we hear over and over how his players (save one or two over 20 years) <I>loved</I> playing for him, and that everyone who hasn't played for him wants to. He seems to get praise from players more than any other manager in the game, and I think this is an overlooked perspective that deserves mention in the best manager debate.Alex Brissettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00086579343090860001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-64064682792660311462008-05-28T18:26:00.000-04:002008-05-28T18:26:00.000-04:00You're not missing anything. I am a Mets fan and I...You're not missing anything. I am a Mets fan and I hate the Braves, but there's no denying on my part that Bobby Cox is the best manager in baseball.Scaevolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05186233560997401909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-71674226758098631792008-05-28T17:28:00.000-04:002008-05-28T17:28:00.000-04:00Joe Torre is disqualified because he coached the Y...Joe Torre is disqualified because he coached the Yankees. Just Kidding. I like Cox as the best manager, but I think La Russa is the close second or even ahead as a result of his Oakland and St. Louis stints where he has always won.tHeMARksMiThhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16445834941960575715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-59222238711863987532008-05-28T17:18:00.001-04:002008-05-28T17:18:00.001-04:00Joe Torre's pre-Yankee career disqualifies him fro...Joe Torre's pre-Yankee career disqualifies him from being considered the best manager in baseball. I say that only as a disgruntled Mets fan who remembers those days with utter disgust.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-3205267883885273412008-05-28T17:18:00.000-04:002008-05-28T17:18:00.000-04:00Joe Torre's pre-Yankee career disqualifies him fro...Joe Torre's pre-Yankee career disqualifies him from being considered the best manager in baseball. I say that only as a disgruntled Mets fan who remembers those days with utter disgust.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com