George Bell....manager?

[Craig S.]

Apparently, Bell is taking over as the manager of a Dominican winter league team:

http://tsn.ca/mlb/news_story.asp?id=14722

Hopefully, his managerial skills will reflect his talent more than his penchant for complaining during his playing days. I wonder if he has any future in managing, or if this is a one-time thing.

[rcartman28]

Well, most people do grow up eventually, although I don't picture him as managerial material for a team here in the States.....

[sweaver]

One is reminded of the line about Babe Ruth's managerial aspirations: "How can he manage a ball team if he can't manage himself?"

[KCBOOMER]

You never can tell. Who would ever have thought Lou Piniella would be a good manager?

[Ytown Tribe fan]

If Billy Martin could do it...

If Leo Durocher could...

You just never know.

[LeGrandOrange]

Hey...if Ted Williams can manage a team for four seasons, why not?

[Max Power]

Note the feature said

manager of a struggling Dominican winter league team

Just a P.R. move - - Bell is still a hot shot in the D.R.

B.S., P.R. in the D.R., IMHO.

[sweaver]

O.K.

[SmedIndy]

10-4...but Garry Templeton is a coach. Who'd have thunk THAT?

[LeGrandOrange]

Where's he managing these days? I remember that he managed somewhere and was surprised when I saw mention of it...

Not that he has any relationship to them, but I find seeing "Manager: Steve Balboni" even harder to believe than an egotistical player being a manager...
Of course I have seen Incaviglia as a hitting coach, so stranger things happen.

[Alan Smithee]

kevin mitchell has spent the last two years as a playing manager in the indy- western league. I dont know how he did but he did smack an ump.

A player being a pain in the butt does not preclude his being a good manager. if he's smart, knows the game and pushes everyone else very hard he can work out very well as a short term guy. ( see billy martin.)

Just A note about bell. though he was a pain in the butt I dont rember anyone calling him stupid. In fact I seem to reacall that most people who had contact with him thought he was very bright.

[Fuzzy Bear]

I think that there is a general predisposition against sluggers as managers. Sluggers are, in general, perceived as "less bright" than middle infielders, catchers, and position players that relied on a skill base that involved more than crunching home runs.

I think that Babe Ruth COULD have managed a major league team, by the way, and would have, had he not been so stubborn.
Alva Bradley offered him the helm of the Indians; he wanted the Yankees. The Yankees offered him the Newark Bears; he thought he should be in the big leagues. Finally, when Ruth was willing to manage in the minors, the Yankees arranged a position for him as a director of the Sandlot Baseball program in NYC, or something like that (a real booby prize for someone like Ruth).

Could Ty Cobb manage himself any better than Ruth? Yet Cobb was a player-manager for many years. While the Yankees were probably wise to NOT make Ruth manager, that doesn't mean he couldn't have managed.

So why should George Bell be looked upon as someone who couldn't manage in the big leagues? He complained? Lots of current big league managers complained at one time in their playing careers; they just weren't big enough stars to have it reported. He was a DH/corner outfielder? He's the antithesis of Phil (Scrap Iron) Garner, yet Garner had only ONE winning season as a manager. Bell may be a manager with less prejudice toward slugging minor leaguers, who often sit while light hitting "glove men" play. Bell's credentials as a manager in waiting are really no less than Alan Trammell's, when one really looks at the issue.