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Manager DNA

Edgy DC Nov 17 2008 07:35 AM

Leonard Koppett, writing <i>The Man in the Dugout</i>, claimed that all managers are descended from John McGraw (the disciplinarian), Connie Mack (the judge of talent), or Branch Rickey (the developer of talent). Many from two. Some from all three. Willie Randolph, for instance, goes through Billy Martin to Casey Stengel to John McGraw. So, I thought I'd look at other Met managers. Casey Stengel: Played under McGraw with the Giants from 1921 to 1923. Wes Westrum: Coached under Stengel. Came up under Mel Ott, who played under McGraw, with the Giants in the forties. Ott, during Westrum's Giant tenure, was replaced by Leo Durocher, who managed under (but wasn't appointed by) Branch Rickey. Durocher, during Westrum's Giant tenure, was replaced by Bil Rigney, who came up around the same time as Westrum with the Giants, and so had similar bloodlines. Salty Parker (if he counts) is harder to trace. He had a long minor league managing career, but mostly in the Tiger system, I think.

MFS62 Nov 17 2008 07:40 AM

Maybe Salty Parker is within six degrees of separation from one of those seminal three baseball forefathers. But each of them were National Leaguers, so maybe not. Later

Edgy DC Nov 17 2008 07:44 AM

I imagine, but can you find it?

MFS62 Nov 17 2008 07:45 AM

="Edgy DC":3pcjowxi]I imagine, but can you find it?[/quote:3pcjowxi] I got it! Through Stengel, who played in the NL under McGraw. Later Edgy DC Nov 17 2008 08:02 AM Well, he joined as coach in 1967, so the only connection there is through Wesley Noreen. But that can be too easy. Is there a link that doesn't go through his immediate predecessors? Every Met manager unitl Frazier coached under Stengel, or under Westrum, or was Stengel. MFS62 Nov 17 2008 08:03 AM I dunno. If there is, I don't have time to find it - off to work. Later John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 17 2008 08:05 AM the time for thinkers has come. Apropos of nothing, nice article on Jerry Manuel in the Snooze the other day. Benjamin Grimm Nov 17 2008 08:51 AM It should be pointed out that Connie Mack was not a National Leaguer. RealityChuck Nov 17 2008 09:04 AM Salty Parker may have played under Mickey Cochrane, who came up as a player under Connie Mack. Cochrane managed most of the season when Parker came up, but may or may not have been manager when Parker was on the team. It does seem likely that the two men met on the team, however. Edgy DC Nov 17 2008 09:06 AM That's some good sleuthin'. Benjamin Grimm Nov 17 2008 09:10 AM Gil Hodges, Yogi Berra, and Roy McMillan all played for Casey Stengel with the Mets, and Yogi spent more time with Casey in the Bronx, so those guys are easy. That brings us to Joe Frazier. Edgy DC Nov 17 2008 09:23 AM Hodges also came up through a Rickey system an hired other vets of that system like Rube Walker and Joe Pignatano.