Special bonus rounds:
--Round 26: Draft someone who played for the Twins
--Round 27: Draft a skipper
--Round 28: Draft a stadium
--Mags drafts all 28 rounds at once
Order:
Philosofer
Algonad
Mike
SoCalTwinsFan
Freealonzo
sean
bhiggum
Nibbish
brianS
CarterHayes
Beau
TheDreadPirate
cheaptoy
hungryjoe
rowsdower
Well, I figured I should pick one of my favorite people ever to lead a team here. Minnesota born. Led Minnesota teams. Helped teams make improbable comebacks. Made sure the game was about the players, not himself.
that cover photo for the post is pure gold, HJ.
Check list for great managers:
Multiple championships
Looks 75 when he's 35
Entertaining story teller
He may not be TK but he checks the same boxes.
well, crap.
This is going to be tricky on the other end of this round.
Indeed.
His preferred strategy seems to fit in a league this loaded with sluggers. No small ball needed here!
He also checks off a bunch of the same requirements mentioned above. Only one championship, but definitely looked older than I thought he was; he was only 56 when he retired
And, if you like a manager who can go down swinging while getting ejected, he's your guy.
This is how I would have ranked my top 3.
These were my top three as well, but I didn’t have the ranking set in stone yet. I also figured I’d probably end up with whichever one was left, so it likely didn’t matter which one I’d prefer.
Same. Was really hoping Sparky could’ve dropped only a couple more slots.
I hadn't figured out a top 3, given I was picking first, but Weaver would have probably been my pick if not for TK and Sparky got a good look too. I thought a lot about new sabrmetric managers too. Too little track record for them to pick at the top though, I think.
Still, imagine all your old timers napping pre-game in Rocco's clubhouse
I forgot about the naps!
well, double crap.
Also, Earl Weaver Baseball was a great, great computer game.
did it kick virtual dirt?
He did! Weaver would come out on close plays sometimes and kick dirt on the umps. Oh, memories.
Playing Earl Weaver Baseball and The Hunt for Red October on our Macintosh SE was the height of awesome, even with its 9” black-and-white screen.
One summer, I entered all the players and their statistics for the 1965 season, and then let "it" simulate all the games. The Cleveland team won the World Series because the Weaver algorithm rode Sudden Sam and Luis Tiant like crazy.
Only thing I remember about Red October is my dad swearing at the game constantly. Don't think he ever made it very far
I don’t remember beating it more than once. It was long and pretty difficult — which may have been the intended experience?
bumping this. TexasTwinsFan is up. He probably didn't realize it because somebody called "socaltwinsfan" is listed instead.
Plus the whole holiday and house selling.
hey, now. People should have time for the important things in their lives. Priorities!
The Dodgers were the favorite team of my youth. I think their manager was a big reason why.
You mean Walt Alston, right?
O.k. I'm going there. A new age manager to shepherd a bunch of my old school guys. Not sure how Drysdale is going to take the news.
I was wondering if he'd be available when it got to my turn- so yeah, good pick.
I was hoping he'd fall all the way down to me. Figured there was a small chance.
My thoughts on the ballpark draft. I’ll probably be left with 3 Rivers Stadium or Busch III
Busch III? Just be glad you're not left with either of the first two.
I've been trying to decide whether to go old or new. I'm opting for new but could easily be convinced for several others.
Great manager for winning. Worst manager for watching the game. New reliever rule should be named after him.
All of this.
I'm hoping all the starters I have will cause him to treat them like Andrew Miller.
So I went and sorted managers with the most wins all-time and then filtered it with best winning percentage, and came up with
. Not someone I was familiar with, but I think I would like his style.
From the wiki:
He was known for never scolding or shouting at his players and avoiding pep talks in lieu of constructive criticism.[23] Indians owner Bill Veeck commented that his only fault as a manager was that he was "too decent", a description that he took as a compliment.[24] Veeck also said that his "completely relaxed" leadership "squeezed every drop of talent out of his teams".
Plus, I want to see this kind of manager on my team with Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn and Craig Biggio- I know stolen bases aren't that efficient, but I think they're fun!
Yeah, I like this pick.
This is a fantastic pick. I figured I wouldn’t get either of my top picks, and hoped that he would fly enough under the radar to make it to me.
I'm going new school. Extremely new school. "Only managed for one season" new school. I like his style, and I like the way he treats his players. He hasn't gone through any losing patches yet, so I guess it remains to be seen how his style plays out at that point, but.....he's not going to lose much with this team, either.
Nice, can't argue with that pick.
I seriously considered him as well.
Another one I was considering if they were still around at the end.
I thought hard about going old school with Leo Durocher, for multiple reasons. When your watch-phrase is "Stick it in his ear!" you are old school. Also, I really liked how he set the stage for Jackie Robinson:
But I decided to go with somebody less flamboyant and controversial and combative.
Last manager to manage in street clothes, he was a nice guy who finished first a few times, even if he (like many before him) couldn't quite get over the hump in the World Series vs. the Yankmees.
CH is up.
Baseball wasn't my manager's first career. He played in college, but after graduating he became a high school biology, general science, and industrial arts teacher. He continued playing in a local semi-pro league, pitching and playing the infield corners. A scout for the Cardinals must've noticed, because he was offered a contract to play for a low-level farm club.
He played well enough to get a cup of coffee the next season, making his debut as a substitute for a future Hall of Famer who had been ejected. It was the only game he played in the majors; his career stats include a strikeout in his sole plate appearance and an error in the field. He spent the next forty years in baseball, but it took him eighteen years in the minors, playing and managing in two systems, to get back to the majors.
He was hired after his predecessor — coming off a 105-win season and a .642 winning percentage with the club — was ousted during a contract dispute. Once he was in the dugout, he was there for good. His early teams featured veterans with potent bats & shaky pitching, while his later teams relied on excellent pitching & defense. His teams played in three home ballparks, one of which was a nightmare. He won the World Series four times, and a pennant three others.
Despite being a lame-duck manager for 23 seasons, he wasn't afraid to try new things or change his mind. He partnered with the statistician his Hall of Fame GM hired, diving into statistical information in preparation before each game. He pioneered two revolutions in pitching, first regularizing work loads, and then adopting the first five-man rotation. He favored international walks for a decade, then swore them off. He platooned heavily. Most important for my roster construction, he expertly utilized an excellent super-utility player, and worked with the teams his front office gave him, adapting his managing to suit the roster he had been given.
Most important of all, he seems to have been a good presence. He broke with the tradition of managers criticizing their players in the press. His reticence and seeming inaction chaffed veterans on his teams early on, as they were accustomed to combative masterminds running the team. Eventually, most of them came to appreciate that he trusted his veteran-heavy teams and simply let the players play. He trusted his coaches and let them make decisions. He kept an even keel during a monumental franchise relocation. He was exceptionally patient when he saw talent that needed time to emerge. He seems to have respected his players for who they were, even the times when he didn't understand them. Most of my players were active during his long career, and he was the first manager to play a majority minority lineup, so I hope he’ll be a good fit for the team.
As Chris Jaffe said, my pick "never tried to be a genius. Thus he topped almost everyone who thought they were."
solid pick. Near-Mack level longevity. Lots of good to be said about him.
I first considered a Japanese manager, but a lot of ones considered all-time greats don't seem to have the managerial style I'm looking for, and Sadaharu Oh was a pretty good manager himself. He can be a bench coach and mentor the rest of my Japanese players.
I also strongly considered Davey Johnson.
But I'm going with a guy who has always been known for his ability to manage a clubhouse. With a ton of big personalities I think having someone who can keep things relaxed is crucial. He has been criticized for overworking pitchers and not being on board with new stats, but I think that's a bit overblown. He seems like a really flexible person who is willing to learn. Everyone seems to love playing for him. Plus all he does is win (except for World Series). His first season managing he won 103 games and didn't even make the playoffs.
I considered him- really, really liked him with the Giants and he never seemed to have problems with his players. Managing pitchers though... Well, he's not the only manager to overwork his stars.
And now he has only stars!
Chris Jaffe wrote the book about evaluating baseball managers.* After all, that's its title. I'm going to go with the guy he rated as the best manager of all time. This manager won 7 out of 9 World Series (and only lost 13 World Series games in the process!). This manager managed parts of 24 different seasons with three different organizations. He never once had a losing record for any of those 24 full (or partial) seasons. How is that even possible?
*Full disclosure: I read draft chapters and provided edits and feedbacks during the process and he incorporated a bunch of my research about the 1969 Twins into his Billy Martin section. Still, if you haven't read it; it's a great book (although probably could use an update to incorporate the last decade of baseball - I don't think Gardy is seven places ahead of Bruce Bochy on the all-time list anymore!).
Who's his hitting coach, Roy Cohn?
Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron...
I much prefer the new school to the old school so I'm going to stick with that and take a guy who seemed to do a whole lot with not a lot and did it in seem weird freekin ways:
Hmm, this is a tough one. I'm not really sure, so to stay on the safe side, I'll pick someone know for being a stalwart leader with a calm demeanor and an ability to maintain placid seas on and off the field.
Why did you draft relievers?
Almost went with Casey Stengel, mainly for the entertainment level alone, but upon further research found out he could be a bit of a dick. So, I'm opting for this guy, 2nd in all time wins, .586 all-time winning pct, winner of 10 pennants and 3 World Series.
Also, I found this tidbit which seems pretty enlightened considering the times. After his death, his wife found, among his personal belongings, a list of all the black players he wanted to sign over the years.
Do we get to go with bench coach next? I need to get Jim Leyland associated with my team somehow.
I had considered him for my manager at one point, thought the dugout would get a little too smokey for my taste though.
Leyland and Baker were my backup picks. Good to see at least one of them was taken and one was mentioned as an option.