I don't know if the Nats are willing to spend as much as Torre is going to want. I see Joe Girardi as a more likely candidate, but we'll wait and see what happens.
But the manager doesn't have that big an impact on the team. Bad players are bad players, no matter who the manager.
Jim Leyland may disagree with that. Teams that suck before he comes to town consistently improve to playoff status or better.
Maybe he's the exception rather than the rule, hard to tell since managers who switch teams in his style are a relatively new phenomenon in baseball.
Joe Torre did better with Yankee teams that had fewer stars, as in, not like the teams of the past five years or so that have had a bona-fide all-star in each place in the batting order. Explain how better players have done him a whole heap of good when he was winning world series like crazy with lesser guys like Tino Martinez, Girardi, Leyritz, Paul O'Neill, Mariano Duncan... guys who were more motivated to compete because they maybe had no other way to get respect, or some other mental fact I am not qualified to explain.
Re: Torre to DC?
Posted by:
WashingToneLocian
()
Date: October 09, 2006 10:20AM
The Nationals have some good talent (Zim, Soriano - if he stays - for example). Obviously their starting pitching sucks and they don't have enough depth at key positions (catcher, Third). However, there is a lot to work with. Enough, I would think, to get above .500 or better with a guy like Torre at the helm.
Cardinals win the penant in 7. You heard it here first.
Re: Torre to DC?
Posted by:
WashingToneLocian
()
Date: October 09, 2006 07:33PM
Jester Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Do you really want a guy coaching the Nat's that
> couldn't make a "billion dollar baseball team"
> work???
>
> If you can't win the series with the Yankee's
> payroll there's something seriously wrong!
The guy won three World Series and took the team to the playoffs 11 years in a row. This isn't the Norv Turner of baseball we are talking about here.
I am not a Yankees fan but Torre did the best he could with what he had. Steinbrenner doesnt know a good thing when he has one. It will take a new manager 2-3 years just to get the team going.
Torre had to contend with Steinbrenner meddling and overpaid ego maniac players.
Little Danny Snyder has done the same thing for years, over spending on players who only think of themselves and look where it has gotten him, last place.