WHAT TO WATCH
Managerial carousel
What: While Atlanta’s Bobby Cox seemingly has been around in Atlanta longer than Coca-Cola, as many as eight teams may fill managerial vacancies: Washington, Florida, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles in the NL and the Yankees, Orioles, Devil Rays and Tigers in the AL.
When: Over the next month, the chair shuffling will begin. Pittsburgh likely will name its manager first, having had the luxury of compiling a short list the past few weeks. Former Rockies manager Jim Leyland remains the public favorite. Some have earned pink slips, like in Detroit and Florida where Alan Trammel and Jack McKeon lost their clubhouses. Others are at the mercy of ownership, such as Washington’s Frank Robinson, who may not be a favorite of the team’s buyer, and the Dodgers’ Jim Tracy.
Why: Making the roster fit the manager’s personality is critical. Too often a new leader is given the same old parts, setting him up to fail. A manager’s job is to put a team in position to win. Players win games. Without good ones, it really doesn’t matter who is pulling the strings.
