Hidden Personality

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny responds to critics of his demeanor:

“That’s a trap I could easily fall into, to where I’m trying to please the masses,” the 45-year-old Matheny said. “And then I think I put at risk what I have to do for these guys. And I think they see right through that stuff. Everybody else goes about it the way they want to go about it, and I think I’m the last guy to talk about who’s doing what — I have to figure it out for myself. And what I figured out is — I want these guys, without a doubt, to know what my agenda is, and my agenda is them. And us winning.

“I know you guys (in the media) don’t get to see it … but I spend time around people in the real world, and it’s different because I can be different there. Maybe someday I’ll get better at combining the two, but I feel like I’m always on point when I’m doing this job, which is guarded, which is maybe combative, I don’t know — you guys can throw the adjectives on there. I just feel like that’s what I’m supposed to do.”

The author also quotes Chris Jaffe on managerial talent:

“But I’ve found over the years that managers are more managers of men than managers of the game,” Jaffe said. “So while in-game strategies matters, the stuff behind closed doors is often more important. But the public has a tendency to evaluate them based on the part we see, even if it’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

The best example of that was Joe Torre. Torre lasted in New York while so many others came and went because of his ability to handle people. Most importantly, he served as the fire wall between the players, the media, and ownership, deflecting blows so the players could concentrate on the game.

On the other hand, the Cardinals had winning records in the four years Matheny held the tiller. If the talent has an off-year, we’ll see how Mike responds to that challenge.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/1Wl3FDY