Remember, they won a ton of games with Art Howe as the manager. The vision for this franchise comes from the top. That doesn't just include personnel decisions, it includes everything from lineup decisions to in-game strategy.

Personally, I think the manager's hand in a team's success is over-rated. It probably accounts for a few games a year. Evidence for this? How about Terry Francona, who was constantly questioned on every move he made last year, but whose team were World Series champs. Maybe he even loses his job if Dave Roberts isn't safe at second base on that stolen base attempt in Game 4. Or what about Joe Torre, who didn't have much success as a manager until he came to New York? Rumblings are that Dusty Baker is being run out of town in Chicago.

Ken Macha does what the organization wants him to do, there's no question about that. I just can't see a scenario where this organization brings in a manager who imposes his vision on the team. The vision comes from the top.

Maybe this is why Macha didn't sign an extension? Maybe he'd like to go somewhere where he'll have more control?

1. In your Baker profile you failed to mention "doesn't have a clue on how to handle his bullpen". IMHO Dusty Baker is the most overrated manager in the game.
2. In the AL the manager doesn't have as many chances to manipulate a game because of the DH. Knowing when to pinch hit is a artform that needs to be learned over time.

That doesn't make either of them a good manager.

While there is certainly no doubt that Macha can do what he's told, I'd really question his command of stats and what to do with them. I haven't seen any evidence of that. None.

Is Macha respected by the stars on the team?

Dusty Baker can't win the big one (ditto Bobby Cox).

Joe Torre is overrated.

Lou Piniella is a hot head.

And Billy Martin, god rest his soul, is dead.

First of all, Macha pinch hitting Melhuse for Dye in the ALDS several years ago told me all I needed to know about his managerial chops.  Is there any other city where he wouldn't have been run out of town on a rail?

This is an interesting question, and one that I think lies squarely in Billy Beane's lap.  Beane's intellectual strength has led him to pick weak managers that don't bring much to the table on their own.  I think the A's postseason failures, under both Howe and Macha, are a result of this lack of strong leadership. Every game was lost due to its own particular circumstance, but the 0-9 record, taken as a whole, is not a random occurence.  The team choked in pressure situations.  Whatever it was they needed, the leadership was not able to provide it.  And if you ask me, the root is that casual, "frat boy" atmosphere in the clubhouse.

What's very interesting is that the team took on some of Billy's traits as described in Moneyball.  Extremely talented, but unable to execute.  Billy is so wound up, he's famously unable to even watch the games.  Is there a certain green and gold clad team that also got too wound up during big games?

As for Eric Chavez as leader, do we want a team reflective of his humble manner?  I've never seen such a talented hitter look so positively......beaten...... at the plate at times.  Like he's lookin for a hole to dive in and can't wait to get back to the dugout.  He's got really bad body language at times.

The A's were way too nice when they had all that talent.  It was emberassing the way the Sox pushed them around both in the regular and post seasons.  When was the last time this team came out of the dugout en masse?  This niceness also shows up as a lack of killer instinct.  They haven't kept their foot on other teams necks when they've had them down 0-2.

See ya shouldn't have got me started.  

WAVE 'EM HIGH.......

People like jbrh and bleacher dave show little acumen of the managerial situations cited. For example, Macha had the guts few managers would have demonstrated in PH for Dye when he knew the injured Jermaine won't be able to touch Lowe's low ball and that Melhouse--extremely hot in the late season--at least had a chance.

Can you imagine Art Howe in that situation? First of all, someone would have to wake him up. And then he probably would just let the situation ride as he was too dumb and cowed to do anything beyond the routine.

Howe, as his two years with the $100 mil plus Met's payroll demonstrated, was totally out of his depth as a MLB manager. When he was fired, you didn't see any teams stop that idiot from being put out to pasture. On the other hand, those who know the game realize that if Macha was let go tomorrow, he would soon have several offers for management from other teams.

Now some of you maligned Macha for his use of the bullpen last season. NOBODY--not Billy Martin, not even the great Casey Stengel, could have done anything with the abysmal hand Macha was dealt until the A's acquired Dotel. This season, with a markedly improved pen, there have been precious few condemnations of Macha's choices for relief pitching...

As for Macha not platooning, we have had nothing but criticism on this board so far in 2005 for Macha using his entire player position bench as starters. Last year, he didn't have to components to pick and choose. And relative to Howe he has been a genius in using in previous seasons something short of a decent bench. Remember when Velarde was hurt, Howe had to play a Frankie Menechino who had batted exactly twice in the previous 23 games. Not only that, the mindless Howe had Frankie leading off!

While I won't put Macha in the "great" category of contemporaries like TLR and Bobby Cox, he is decent enough. The only analogy I would make between Macha and his precedessor is their lefty-righty fetish. Otherwise, Macha--known throughout baseball for his excellent preparation--is so head and shoulders above that dunderhead Howe that one probably shouldn't even venture the comparison...  

1. D- Dominant
   
2. C- Perfectionist
   
3. I- My wife- uhm..the outgoing, always interacting type
   
4. S- Team/Family centric, must be part of the group, be well liked in the group etc

1. D- Martin and Piniella
   
2. C- Torre, Cox and Macha
   
3. I- Manuel and Baker
   
4. S- this is hard because I think Macha has allot of S in him but C is his main

Now does that translate into what we call smart decisions? Most of the time on paper. I was there chanting JD JD as we had Lowe on the rocks, and to hear "Now batting.....Melhuse...." definitly took the air out of the lungs of about 40K people...I will always question that decision, because I have never ever seen the coliseum rocking that hard (including all three WS in 88-90)...you could almost not breath...we would have willed JD a hit, but even Melhuse was in shock! Anyways I digress, I think its a great post and good converstation to have. But Macha is our guy, and there is a very short list of people I would trade him for.

public class Macha{

         public void main( String[] args ){
                  
             do{
                nothing();
             }while( true );

         }

         private void nothing(){
            ;//chew gum
         }
}