Possible Torre successor

[DanOregon]

I'm trying to think of a player who came back to coach/manage a team he played on to a championship in his first stint as a coach. Bill Russell won as a player/coach with the Celts, but who else?

Bob Costas on Countdown had it right, there is no better candidate than the one they just got rid of. Joe Torre's not walking through that door.

 

[buckweaver]

I'm trying to think of a player who came back to coach/manage a team he played on to a championship in his first stint as a coach. Bill Russell won as a player/coach with the Celts, but who else?

Yogi Berra. Retired 1963. Managed Yanks to AL pennant in 1964.

(Of course, then he quit and was immediately replaced by Johnny Keane, who beat Yogi's Yanks in the '64 Series.)

 

[Tom Petty]

i don't think billy martin is doing much these days.

 

[markvid]

i don't think billy martin is doing much these days.

Except resting comfortably.

 

[leo1]

First three interviews are Girardi, Mattingly and Pena (token minority to satisfy Selig).

It will be Girardi's job because ...

If the Yankls hire Mattingly and they suck for the next 2 years (a distinct possibility if A-Rod opts out), they would take the all-time PR hit for firing Donnie Baseball, overrated but much beloved NYY icon.

But if they suck for two years under Girardi (with Mattingly staying as bench coach), then fire Girardi and make Mattingly the manager, Yankees fans (front-running asses that they are) are happy that they have their boy Donnie as manager.

but what if they suck during three and four years from now, in mattingly's first two seasons? it makes no sense to base a hiring decision on the potential PR hit you'd take by firing the new hire.

 

[patchs]

Too bad Paul O'Neill isn't interested, he would be George's ultimate hire, a guy with a football coach mentality.
Water coolers would cower in the dugout.
We all know it's going to be Girardi, why didn't he go after the Cubs job last year or the Orioles?
He knew this was Torre's last year and took the YES job so he would be familiar with the team.
It's too obvious.

 

[Tom Petty]

i don't think billy martin is doing much these days.

Except resting comfortably.

so he's probably recharged his batteries?

 

[mike311gd]

Too bad Paul O'Neill isn't interested, he would be George's ultimate hire, a guy with a football coach mentality.
Water coolers would cower in the dugout.
We all know it's going to be Girardi, why didn't he go after the Cubs job last year or the Orioles?
He knew this was Torre's last year and took the YES job so he would be familiar with the team.
It's too obvious.

That and those other jobs were awful situations. The Cubs were much, much better this year -- obviously. Baltimore, on the other hand. ...

 

[spnited]

i don't think billy martin is doing much these days.

Except resting comfortably.

so he's probably recharged his batteries?

But even the decaying corpse of Billy Martin would have a .20 BAC .

 

[Tom Petty]

i don't think billy martin is doing much these days.

Except resting comfortably.

so he's probably recharged his batteries?

But even the decaying corpse of Billy Martin would have a .20 BAC .

solid, my friend, solid.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

i don't think billy martin is doing much these days.

Except resting comfortably.

so he's probably recharged his batteries?

But even the decaying corpse of Billy Martin would have a .20 BAC .

solid, my friend, solid.

And, oh, oh . . . so well-preserved.

Undertakers probably didn't have to do a thing with it.

 

[hockeybeat]

The Big Adult Diaper wants people with a football mentality, so I wouldn't be surprised if he made an offer to Tom Coughlin. Y'know, after the Giants hire a new coach.