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September 20, 2009

On the Beat

Weekend Wrapup

by John Perrotto

Just two in-season managerial changes have been made this year in the major leagues. As a result, t will be interesting to see how many there will be once the season ends in two weeks. Of the two made during the season, one has been credited for making a major impact. and the other has restored some measure of respectability to a franchise that seemed headed towards challenging the big-league record 120 losses compiled by the 1962 Mets.

The first, as you should recognize, came when the Rockies fired Clint Hurdle on May 28, and elevated bench coach Jim Tracy (also a former Dodgers and Pirates skipper) to interim manager. The Rockies were 18-28 at the time Hurdle was canned, and have gone 66-37 to improve. At 84-65, they hold a 3½-game lead in the National League's wild-card standings over the Giants, and are five games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.

The latter case was the Nationals firing Manny Acta at the All-Star break, a point at which they were 26-61. They also promoted their bench coach, Jim Riggleman (also a former big-league skipper), to interim manager. The Nationals have gone 25-36since the switch, giving them a 51-97 record, which is still the worst in the major leagues, but spared the club that run at infamy.

It seems certain that once the regular season ends, other teams will be changing managers. The biggest surprise among them might be the Braves. Bobby Cox would not commit to coming back for a 25^th season this past week when pressed on the matter by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Jeff Schultz. Cox said during spring training in 2007 that he planned to retire following the 2008 season. However, the end of last season came and went without Cox even hinting that he wanted to step down and the subject had been left dormant until now. The Braves are 79-69 and 4½ games off the Rockies' NL wild-card pace, likely meaning they will miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season after their run of 11 consecutive division titles ended in 2006. Cox has also taken his share of criticism from the fans and media for his handling of the bullpen and other strategic decisions.

However, Cox insists he never reads the newspapers or logs onto the internet, and those who know him well say he is telling the truth. If there is one factor that could cause Cox to step down, it is that he is now 68 and has missed plenty of family time with his eight children and 14 grandchildren because of the day-to-day demands of managing in the major leagues.