This isn't to say that Torre is a bad guy or bad manager -- far from it -- but he has no particular magic, either. The "genius" coach or manager is one of the great myths of modern sports. There is no such thing, not today, when every team in every sport puts so much time and effort into scouting and preparation and high-tech study of opponents' strengths and weaknesses.
There are some folks who really don't understand why the Dodgers tanked in September and why Joe Torre is the right man for the job. The Dodgers fell out of first place and went into the tank because the clubhouse was clearly divided. Grady Little seems to be a good guy but did not handle the fighting between the young guys and the veterans. From all indications he was not very clear about the roles of the veterans when the rookies started taking their playing time. I truly believe the Dodgers would have won more games and might have got into the playoffs with a better handler of the players.
If Joe Torre does become the Dodgers manager he gets a great group of young players, a better than average starting staff and a strong bullpen. This is a great opportunity for the Dodgers to finally get a manager who is big enough to lead the Dodgers.
Posted by Tim at October 31, 2007 09:05 PM
