Who are the greatest coaches/managers ?

Mudcat · 04-19-2006, 01:29 PM

This is a question I find confusing. Here's an example of why:

If you were talking hockey, Scotty Bowman's name would have to come up. He has the most wins and championships. But his whole career he has gone from one stacked line-up to the next. He never won a championship where I thought, "Wow, how did he get that done?" But there were lots of times his stacked teams under-achieved/choked.

Talent is obviously the big wild card.

Is Phil Jackson great? Red Auerbach? Joe Torre? Coach K? Sam Wyche?

Okay, probably not Sam Wyche.

Anyway here are few opinions on the question based on my unscientific observations:

Bill Parcells is a great coach.

Bill Walsh was a great coach.

Jacques Demers is a great coach (but with a limited life span. He had an uncanny habit of turning teams around but burned out after a few years.)

I believe the greatest I have ever seen is:

Sparky Anderson.

bigboydan · 04-19-2006, 01:39 PM

what about john wooden, and larry brown.

Willie Bee · 04-19-2006, 02:03 PM

Mudcat, you're spot on with the dilemma regarding this exercise: coaches who get a lot from less-than-top talent and coaches who have a lot of good talent and have to massage the egos.

I think Joe Torre has done a great job with the Yankees the last 10 years. Sure, he's had a lot of top level talent. But it's not as easy as a lot of people think getting it all to work together.

Felipe Alou and Frank Robinson have gotten a lot out of lesser talent over the years, so they would fit that category for me.

The old Princeton basketball coach, Pete Carril, should rank up there in the 'doing a lot with a little' category. The old man never once had a player on an athletic scholarship, yet he consistently put a team on the floor that would fight and scrap with the best of 'em.

Illusion · 04-19-2006, 07:05 PM

Wooden, Parcells, Cox and Brown are all great coaches.

Willie Bee · 04-19-2006, 07:29 PM

Just thought it was time for Lombardi to be mentioned.

Mudcat · 04-20-2006, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illusion

Wooden, Parcells, Cox and Brown are all great coaches.

If that's Bobby Cox you're talking about, then we disagree mister. Classic example (to me) of a guy who has had tons of talent but couldn't come close to maxing out the potential.

I have always assumed he must have some pictures of Ted Turner in a tutu - and that's the only reason he has been able to keep his job.

Willie Bee · 04-20-2006, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudcat

I have always assumed he must have some pictures of Ted Turner in a tutu...

Doesn't everybody?

My distaste for the Braves is both great and unyielding. I don't like Cox, but he still ranks up there as one of the best managers I've seen in my lifetime. It's obvious the Braves have a great system, and Cox has done a great job helping to build that system and then working very well within the system. He just squawks too much about borderline pitches, no doubt a product of getting so many outside calls from umps like Eric "Hey-Hey-Hey" Gregg during the mid-to-late 90s.