Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Baseball Managers

Tony La Russa
Tony La Russa
There have been a large number of famous baseball managers over the more than 150 years of Major League Baseball. Every baseball manager begins Spring Training each year with the same hopes & dreams for his team for the upcoming season. As Tony La Russa wrote “Opening Day of Baseball is magical. Sure, it's only Game 1 of the 162 games in the season, but it's more... a day of promise that there will be a winning season.”





St. Louis Cardinals Managers

 

One Last Strike book cover
In his book One Last Strike, La Russa, the St. Louis Cardinals' longest running manager, tells us how he used his 33 years of managerial experience with 3 different teams to bring the Cardinals from virtual elimination to winning the World Series in 2011.


The Cardinals have had some of the best managers in all of baseball, including Red Schoendienst, Whitey Herzog and Tony LaRussa.   
 
CrossCreations reviews them for us in Cardinals Baseball Managers.


Casey Stengel


A scene of the New York Yankees celebrating a win
One of the most well-known baseball managers was Casey Stengel, who managed the New York Yankees from 1949 to 1960. During what was known affectionately as the 'Stengel Era' (1949 to 1953) the Yankees won the World Series five consecutive times. I remember being a pre-teen during the 1950s and thinking that the Yankees were the only team in town! :) 'It's the World Series – the Yankees will win!' Of course it also helped that I lived in New York State and was therefore a loyal NY Yankees fan! 



Hopes and Dreams of Baseball Managers


In this summer 2020, the MLB season has been shortened by a world-wide virus. The baseball season was delayed until the end of July.  Now, all managers – and the teams they lead – hold onto their hopes & dreams in a short 60-game run to determine the 'best-of-the-best' as they do each season. 

Review from the Review This!  Baseball Fan Contributor




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


13 comments:

  1. As a Cards fan myself, I can certainly attest to the value of "maybe this season." And to the greatness of those amazing managers we've had over the years. Perfect timing for sharing the start of the season.

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    1. Susan, I think Mike Matheny will be another really good manager for the Cardinals. Looking forward to another great season. Only April and they are already in 2nd place in the NL Central! :)

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  2. One Last Strike sounds like a winner for a baseball fan, especially a Cardinal fan, to read. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed your book review!

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    1. Ruthi, it was great fun 'reliving' the Cardinals' 2011 season through the eyes of Tony La Russa in this book, especially after having lived through each game while living in St. Louis! The excitement of the fans was palpable! :)

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  3. I suppose I am a normal spectator, but when I watch a game, my mind is simply focused on the players. I totally forget there are equally important people in the background doing their jobs to promote, manage, coach these teams. At least I forget that until I get angry about something they do. Thank you for reminding us of the Baseball managers who dedicate their lives to making baseball entertaining and fun.

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    1. I love hearing the 'back-stories' of not only baseball players, but of the managers and other people behind the scenes. And it's always fun for me to see a former player I've admired become an integral part of a team after retiring. For instance, Jose Oquendo played 2B for the Cardinals from 1986 to 1995 and today he is the Cardinals 3rd base coach. Back when he was actively playing I remember hearing a story about him from the announcers that he was the father of triplets. Loved learning that little fact, especially since I always liked him as a player.

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  4. The managers are such an integral part of the team. Thank you for highlighting them in this post. I also really enjoyed the lens you recommended on Cardinal Mangers from crosscreations. GO CARDINALS!

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    1. Mary Beth, Carolan Ross (crosscreations on Squidoo) is a St. Louis girl... and Cardinals fan. Always fun to spotlight fans who write about baseball (and the St. Louis Cardinals!).

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  5. Many baseball managers are such colorful characters. It would be so interesting to read more about their behind-the-scenes experiences (aside from what we normally hear about in the media). I love the magical time of the season when hope reigns supreme.

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    1. I agree with what you said about baseball managers, Diana. I think that's why I enjoy reading books about their lives and getting to 'know' them on and OFF the field. Did I tell you I met Joe Torre when he was managing the Cardinals? :)

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  6. Hey Pat, THANKS so much for featuring my tribute to St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Managers here. Love sharing my absolute delight over Cardinal Nation with others who feel similar. I grew up with the Cardinals as my dad was an avid fan back in the days of Jack Buck and Harry Caray. Of course our Redbirds have gone through many changes over the years, and even though the players tend to get the spotlight most, one of the winning trump cards has been excellent management behind the scenes. GO BIRDS!

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  7. Hey Carolan - thanks for dropping by. Glad you enjoyed the feature of your St. Louis Cardinals managers. It's a good lens.

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  8. So we can add baseball managers to list of spring hopes!

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