Levine: Manager Factor A Key Element Of Cubs' Winning Streak
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The age-old question in baseball is how much credit does the manager get when it comes to a team's overall success or failure? Riding the wave of a six-game winning streak, the Cubs have been the talk of baseball as of late. So, does manager Joe Maddon get the credit for making all the right moves or is the influx of better talent the real reason for winning ballgames?
No finite research into this subject matter has ever determined a firm answer about the question of a manager's impact. In the case of Maddon, it's easy to report that he has set the tone for a fun, relaxed business-like atmosphere. You also must say that Maddon has a better inventory of players, supplied by the talented farm system and offseason additions. Would previous skippers Dale Sveum and Rick Renteria have had this team in the same contending mode as Maddon?
"I played for a lot of managers, a former Cub who asked for off-the-record status said. "I played for 17 years. The one thing about managers I saw was that they can really lose a lot of games. I am not sure how many they win, but the good ones I had handled the players in a positive way and let the talent rise to the top."
I asked Maddon about the manager impact question. Even for a direct and thoughtful guy like the Cubs manager, this subject appears to be a difficult area to talk about.
"One of the best things that ever happened to me was when I stopped managing (in the minors) and became a rover (hitting instructor who travels to all minor league teams)," Maddon said. "As a rover, you get to go and see everyone manage. I really paid attention to that because I wanted to. You learn a lot watching other guys manage. To answer your question, I never thought a lot about managers winning a game. What I really got from that was how they approach the day, the energy they may have had and how hard their teams played. I paid attention to how they reacted to situations, strategy wise. There were things I wanted to dissect and understand."
The ultimate question about his or other managers' effect on wins and losses is a headache to try and define. Like any manager, Maddon is subject to the play of his team for final result analysis of his total impact.
"You have always heard the conversation about managers winning or losing games," Maddon said. "Honestly, I don't know the answer to that question. From my perspective, like a player, I prepare for that game and a lot of my prep revolves around the bullpen. We are down to three bench guys, so making the lineup took me 33 seconds. I still concentrate on the game yesterday and how do you get the last six outs of the game? That is the preponderance of my preparation, maybe a conversation with a player, how to help a guy who may be struggling."
Maddon won't say it, but we can. Maddon hasn't done anything to mess up his team's chances of winning every day this season. Maybe that's the only way to define a manager's real impact on his team from the outside looking in.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
