2008 AL/NL Manager of the Year

I'm not worried. What are the odds they find the place?

 

Hired goons are surprisingly effective.

 

No kidding. I seriously don't get the logic used on the baseball threads as of late. Managers who have more than one good hitter in the lineup or who have matched or slightly exceeded expectations -- not to mention have their team 30 games over .500 and a clear favorite (to everyone outside of its fans) -- somehow can't be up for this award that honors the best manager in the league? It's nonsense.

Aside from maybe the Nationals' and the Giants' offense, every team has a hitter around whom the team builds. That's the way the game is. The Marlins have Uggla and Ramirez, the Cardinals have Pujols and -- like you need anyone else -- Glaus (and Ludwick and Ankiel, who are relative surprises), the Mets have four, the Phillies have four, the Brewers have Fielder and Braun, the Cubs have a few. And then there are the pitchers.

I don't see how you can penalize managers for the teams they've inherited. Just because you've got stars on your team -- like the Yankees -- doesn't mean you're going to win. Sometimes, the manager has a lot to do with ... managing ... the players' egos, talents, chemistry, etc.

The fact that Piniella was supposed to succeed and has doesn't mean he wasn't a good manager or the best manager. He's still got the best team in the National League, and he's still got, statistically, the best chance to win the pennant. He gets plenty of credit in my book.

Cecil Cooper shouldn't be at a handicap because he's got an ace. Hamels plays in Philadelphia, so I guess Manuel's out. Jerry Manuel's got Santana. Yost (sorry, Bubbs) has Sabathia and Sheets -- I guess he's out for next year, too; same with Piniella.

What it boils down to, in my opinion, is by using that logic -- like DC said -- I guess only Washington's and San Francisco's managers are eligible. Oh, wait. Lincecum's going to win the Cy Young. Sorry, Bruce.

I just think it's really faulty logic. There are plenty of reasons that Cooper shouldn't win the award, I'm sure. But having an ace on his staff isn't one of them. At least it's not a blemish on my scorebook.

 

Oh, and Billy Heywood for AL Manager of the Year.