00:00In this day and age of Major League Baseball, how important are managers here?
00:06Because the way they hire them and the lack of investment, I mean, but honestly, I guess it changes from
00:15organization to organization.
00:17Does experience still matter when it's all said and done?
00:21Oh, I fought with people constantly on this topic.
00:25So I personally don't think it makes that big of a difference, Joe.
00:29I think over the course of the season, the decisions that work and the decisions that don't are about 50
00:36-50.
00:37I think some of the best managers are probably plus two wins, maybe three, and some of the worst are
00:45probably minus a couple of losses, maybe three, and that's it.
00:49I mean, Joe, all you got to do is take a look at the best managers in the history of
00:54the game, and they're like, you know, they're above 500.
00:58But generally speaking, I mean, like, look at all of their records.
01:03Look at Jim Leland's record.
01:04He's the latest manager to get in the Hall of Fame.
01:06He's like a little bit, oh, but he had Pittsburgh, and they were split.
01:10Look what he did with not that much.
01:12I got news for you.
01:13The record wasn't that great.
01:14He was above 500, barely.
01:17So I just â I don't think â it's the players, Joe, for me.
01:21It's the players.
01:22Now, can a good manager speak to the media better?
01:26Can he do a great job managing egos in the clubhouse?
01:30Egos, right.
01:31All those things are very true.
01:33You're dealing with millionaires, and that's not easy to do.
01:36So I do think that that's a big part of it.
01:38But as far as the tactical aspect of that, it is not just a manager.
01:43There's a bench coach and a first base coach and a hitting coach and a pitching coach.
01:47And everyone is â and they meet before the games and say, hey, if we get to the seventh inning
01:52and we see Volpe, what are we going to throw him?
01:55Okay, let's do this.
01:56Like, they have this all mapped out.
01:58The manager, all he has to do is just hit the button.
02:01So I personally don't think it's a huge factor.
02:05There are better managers in the â like, Kevin Cash is obviously a really good manager in Tampa Bay, right?
02:11Like, we understand that.
02:12But beyond a handful of guys, I just don't think it makes that big of a difference.
02:19Yeah, because ultimately it's about handling the locker room and keeping a bunch of grown men on the same page.
02:25Easier said than done.
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