Mama told me there'd be days like these
. . in the Peanut Gallery that is the world of Sports journalism. Mike Vaccaro writes in today’s NY Post what many other pundits have been saying, that the ‘genius’ label for Angels manager Mike Scioscia has worn thin over the course of this series. He writes:
Lesson 2: Familiarity breeds contempt. Mike Scioscia came into this series with a reputation as something of a baseball Yoda: wise, savvy, capable of managing the Angels year after year to 90-plus wins and the playoffs because his team played the game smarter, harder and with more purpose than anyone else. It didn’t hurt, of course, that the Angels have as many big-ticket players in their lineup (and riding the bench, in the case of Gary Matthews Jr.) as anyone besides the Yankees. They won because the guy in the dugout gave them the winning formula day after day after day.
That was the story, anyway. It was an easy one to buy.
Well, the more we see Mike Scioscia’s work, the more it seems fair to say that his reputation — at least as far as we knew it in New York — was based on three things: a) the fact he beat the Yankees in the 2002 and 2005 playoffs, the first manager to do that twice since Walt Alston; b) the fact that Anaheim had become a slightly cooler destination than Hell for the Yankees ever since he arrived; and c) the Angels play 100 or so games long after most of us have gone to bed on the East Coast. Most of us have no idea how well or poorly he manages day to day. We just read the standings.
Look, Scioscia is by no means Art Howe. But he hasn’t channeled his inner John McGraw much in this series, either. Where has the Angels’ vaunted aggression gone? Where is the running game? Where is taking the extra base?
This is quite the reversal for Vaccaro, who just two weeks ago prior to the 2009 ALCS said this about Scioscia:
So here he comes again, with that calm demeanor and quiet swagger, his team playing as it always does, taking extra bases, playing smart and savvy, bursting with belief. And you’re not sure what to call him: a menace, a thief, a torturer, an executioner, or simply the best damned manager in baseball.
This is no surprise, since the Angels manager is getting second guessed by fans and sportswriters in laid back Los Angeles almost as much as Yankees manager Joe Girardi has been in New York, and that’s in a game which the Angels won. His aggressive style was a stark contrast to Joe Torre’s laid back approach in years past, and his was the only team in Baseball to have a winning record against the Yanks since 2003. But in 2009 facing Joe Girardi’s detail oriented approach, Scioscia has come across as in the eyes of some as being off his game and out of sorts in the moves he’s made. Never mind the fact that his current roster is far different to those prior teams, as is the Yankees.
Such is life for Baseball managers in October. If a hitter bats .333 he’s had a great series, but managers need to bat 1.000 to steer clear of controversy. Laid back managers like Joe Torre and Bobby Cox get criticized for the moves they don’t make, and stat conscious managers like Tony LaRussa and Joe Girardi get killed for the moves they do make. Even given all the micro analysis of the micro managing, I’m sure there are 26 other managers who would gladly trade places with the remaining three. Fairly or not, the only reputation that survives is that of the World Series winner. It is the modern journalistic version of Gladiators in the Roman Collesium. In her latest piece in the NY Times titled “Open Season on Managers”, columnist Lynn Zisner sums it all up nicely:
Fortunately baseball’s circus is not a life-or-death affair. Unless you’re talking about the managers’ reputations.
Well said.
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5 Responses to Scioscia's Stock Falls in ALCS
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TIQ IQ
While I can’t justify the removal of Lackey in Game 5, I have to disagree with the general criticism of Sciosia by Vaccaro and yourself regarding his managing in the series.Let’s look at some specific facts.
“It didn’t hurt, of course, that the Angels have as many big-ticket players in their lineup (and riding the bench, in the case of Gary Matthews Jr.) as anyone besides the Yankees.”
Simply not true.Looking at the AL only, the Red Sox have more big ticket players, no matter whether you define big ticket as a salary of $ 10 million+ plus or $ 5 million+. If one were to include the National League, the Phillies have more high salaried players under both criteria and the Mets, Dodgers and Cubs have considerably more $ 10 million players than the Angels.Further, Sciosia rotates five players at SS, 2B and C( Aybar, Izturis, Kendrick , Napoli, and Mathis) who make approximately $ 5 million TOTAL, number 2 and 3 starting pitchers( Sunders and Weaver) the ALCS who earn less than $ 1 million TOTAL and a set- up man ( Jepsen) who makes major league MINIMUM. Finally, of those who are actually high salaried players, he won without virtually no contribution whatsoever from Escobar and Shields because of injury and little from Matthews because of a lack of ability.
“Where has the Angels’ vaunted aggression gone? Where is the running game? Where is taking the extra base?”
The Angels running game is closely tied with the production of Figgins and Abreu who accounted for nearly half the teams stolen bases( 72/ 148) while combining for an OBP around 400. In the ALCS, these two have a combined OBP around 270 and,since you can’t steal first, no stolen bases.In Games 1 and 4 the Angels were dominated by CC and in game 3 they faced Petitte and his pick- off move. Nevertheless, they have still stolen 4 bases in 5 games which is in line with their season average and the opportunities that have presented themselves in the ALCS.
“But in 2009 facing Joe Girardi’s detail oriented approach, Scioscia has come across as in the eyes of some as being off his game and out of sorts in the moves he’s made.”
As noted earlier, Games 1 and 4 were not decided in any way bymanagerial strategy.In the three games where strategy did come into play, Sciosia despite his mistake with Lackey in Game 5, has managed to win two in spite of the of the fact that he is closing with Brian Fuentes and Girardi is countering with aflawless Mariano. Enough said.
Conclusion: The Angels are down 3-2 in the ALCS despite facing a dominating CC, an out of this world A- Rod and an impeccable Mariano, baseball nuclear weapons which Sciosia has no answer for. There is only so much a manager can do and Scisoia has the Angels in the best position that can be reasonably expected considering all the factors listed above not to mention the overall strengths of the two rosters involved..
I think you misunderstood where I was going with this. I never bought into the notion that Scioscia was the best manager in Baseball, I’m reporting that he has fallen in the eyes of those who did. Nobody’s reputation emerges unscathed, except perhaps the ultimate winner. Such is the nature of October Baseball.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and thanks for the reply.
People are still reeling from that “poor decision” Scioscia made to start Saunders in Game 2 (they lost, but he pitched well). Al in all, I think Mike Scioscia deserves the most credit for patching together a pitching rotation in the earlier months of the season. He didn’t have much to work with, for a variety of reasons, and his bullpen was also problematic. He has done a good during the regular season and, I think he has also done a very good job during the postseason.
I do too, I think he’s a fine manager who does a good job with his team year in and year out. His regular season record speaks for itself.
I just found it interesting that someone (Vaccaro) who was drooling all over him 2 weeks ago now thinks he has lost it and appears to be in over his head. If his opinion changed that much in 2 weeks, his opinions can’t be taken too seriously since not much in the way of thought went into the first one. Sportswriters and pundits can be yo-yos just as much as fans are, and it’s amazing how stocks rise and fall with MLB managers in October.
Agreed. Writers often flip like light switches. They go wherever the wind is blowing on a particular day. Pick a position and stick with it, I say.