Showalter Brought Aboard

by Ryan on Dec 2, 2006 11:42 AM EST in News

It's finally official:

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians today announced the club has named BUCK SHOWALTER Senior Advisor to Baseball Operations.

Showalter started his managerial career with the New York Yankees after spending a couple years on the coaching, bringing them back to the playoffs in 1995, but he was fired after losing to the Mariners in the ALDS. He landed with the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks two years before the team actually played a game. He was fired after the 2000, and the team won the World Series the following year.

He landed another job with the Texas Rangers in 2002, and won his second Manager of the Year Award in 2004. He was fired after this season.

One of the first questions asked of Showalter was what was on everyone's mind:

"I've talked about that a lot with Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge," Showalter said. "We've already got a manager and a damn good manager. One of the things that attracted me to this job was the chance to work with Eric.

"It's always nice to have someone around to bounce things off of, someone who has walked in the same shoes. I know how it might be perceived, but believe me that's not the case at all."

That being said, Showalter has to be seen as at the very least a motivating figure to Eric Wedge. Buck's closest analogue as a manager may be Tom Coughlin, an NFL coach who is a strict disciplinarian and a micro-manager. Showalter has also allegedly had a hand in ousting Grady Fuson, who was thought to be Texas' GM-in-waiting back in 2004.

Did Showalter take this job as a way to get back into managing? I hope not, and also hope that Shapiro is smart enough to not be unduly influenced by Showalter if a decision has to be made regarding Eric Wedge.

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Comments

Re: Showalter Brought Aboard

Good move. Not a vote of confidence in
Wedge. If Showalter is indeed a "micro manager" as the post infers, that is not ideal for a "general advisory" role. I know what to give Eric for Christmas: a copy of "The Prince" by Machiavelli.

by portlandtribefan on Dec 2, 2006 5:39 PM EST reply actions

Re: Showalter Brought Aboard

People respond differently to different roles. It may be that when Buck has leadership responsibilities, he feels the need to manage in a very detailed way. That doesn't mean he feels the need to control when he's only there to advise. He may simply advise in a very detailed way.

by Jay on Dec 3, 2006 12:54 PM EST up reply actions