Commentary : Manager of Year Is a Tough Call

There is a school of thought in baseball that says the manager is best who manages least. The best managers, the thinking goes, get their teams into a position where they can win, and then get out of the way.

Managers who strive to show everybody how smart they are inevitably seem to alienate the very people upon whom they depend -- the players.

Sure, there are differences in styles between managers. But almost to a man they say running a game -- bunting, pinch-hitting, changing pitchers, hitting and running, etc. -- is standard stuff. It isn’t quite on the order of ‘seen one, you’ve seen them all,’ but people rarely get fooled in the dugouts.

The baseball season is such a long, mentally demanding affair that personal relationships play an important part. Clubhouse chemistry often makes a significant difference in the standings.

If there is one thing the leading candidates for Manager of the Year in the American and National Leagues have in common it is this low-key democratic style. They have 24 players on their rosters and they use them. They favor the calm, reasonable approach over the screaming, shouting dictatorial style once popular.

This is not to be confused with softness. You can’t be a pushover and last long as a major league manager. “My way or the highway,” is more than just a saying where it applies to Detroit Manager Sparky Anderson.

Anderson, multiple winner of Manager of the Year, is again a candidate for the honor because of the way he has guided a punchless team into contention in the AL East.

Minnesota’s Tom Kelly deserves credit for the way he’s removed the ‘fluke’ label from the World Series champions. That Minnesota probably won’t take the AL West in no way detracts from the respect Kelly has won for a team with limited pitching.

Tony LaRussa of Oakland is the favorite for Manager of the Year in the AL. The Athletics jumped out to a big early lead, weathered a letdown and repulsed a challenge from the Twins. The Oakland front office gave LaRussa the tools during the winter, mainly improved pitching, and the manager has kept a strong ship away from the icebergs.

Joe Morgan undoubtedly deserves mention for loosening up the Boston Red Sox and getting them to play to their potential. If there were a Manager of the Half-Year, Morgan would surely win.

The choice in the NL isn’t easy. Hal Lanier has done an excellent job keeping a Houston club with limited offense in contention, thanks mainly to a pitching staff that has performed better than expected. The Astros have avoided the late-season collapse that took them out of last year’s race.

Los Angeles’ Tommy Lasorda is the leading candidate in the NL for taking a retooled team and making it a cohesive unit. The Dodgers took charge at the start and then turned back August challenges from Houston and preseason division favorite San Francisco.

Initially this spring Lasorda didn’t know who was going to play where. But he quickly settled on a lineup and must have switched glove suppliers as well because the iron gloves of the Dodgers no longer clang in the field.

Often when a team makes a big jump in the standings it deflates like a well-used bicycle tire the following season. That Pittsburgh not only avoided a flop but actually improved reflects favorably on Manager Jim Leyland.

Another team that responded well to a change in managerial style was San Diego, where Jack McKeon left the general manager’s office to run the Padres. McKeon’s manner is more relaxed than it was during his short stint as manager a decade ago. He provides a sharp contrast with the tension generated by Larry Bowa.

Buck Rodgers was widely recognized a year ago for managing a lightly regarded Montreal team into contention well into September. Nobody took the Expos that lightly this year but nobody expected them to contend again, either. Rodgers continueget maximum mileage from a roster short on stars.

“It’s the players,” the managers all say. “I can’t hit, pitch or catch.” True enough, but it’s the manager’s responsibility to make this happen.