Comments on: What happens when you interview for a managerial job?

By: kirkmack

kirkmack — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:29:34 +0000

Agreed- nobody was talking about benching Pujols when he was something like 0-12 in the WS other than his monster game. You don’t bench a stud. That will get you fired just as easily.

By: Alex K

Alex K — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:03:16 +0000

Gonzalez. He’s a much better defender and that counts too. Also, 2 for 14 is a tiny sample size, it’s silly to put much stock in that. Gonzalez is a very good hitter and is just as likely to go 8 for his next 14.

By: presidentmiraflores

presidentmiraflores — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:23:06 +0000

Awfully quiet in here.

By: foreverchipper10

foreverchipper10 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:23:42 +0000

I don’t have a Popeye’s near me. In fact, I have never had Popeye’s chicken in my life. This makes me a sad panda.

By: aaronmoreno

aaronmoreno — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:56:48 +0000

Even though the detail and concern is great, it must be hard to make managerial calls in an interview with only the information they give you.

I’d be more interested if the candidate got flustered or frustrated during a 9 hour interview. If you can’t handle it then, and so on.

Also, Mack has the smallest eyeglasses ever.

By: natstowngreg

natstowngreg — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:20:44 +0000

Fascinating, though it reflects the usual obsession with in-game decisions, and left out the other important part of managing, dealing with people. The players, the GM, the owner, the media, the fans. I’m sure the Sox’ brass spent a fair amount of time on that as well.

I’d love to take a test on managerial situations, though. After half a centurey of following baseball, I might even get a few right.

By: natstowngreg

natstowngreg — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:12:03 +0000

And which has better chicken and biscuits — Popeye’s or KFC?

[Note: Don't hire anyone who says KFC,]

By: kellyb9

kellyb9 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:34:42 +0000

Person who thumbed be down must be a wine guy.

By: hank10

hank10 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:51:46 +0000

As long as the interview did not start with this: Stop. Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:43:03 +0000

No doubt, it sounds pretty fun, actually. Get on it, internet!

By: paperlions

paperlions — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:34:48 +0000

When interviewing for a tenure track faculty position, interviews generally last 2-3 days, all day long, including meetings/discussion over breakfast, lunch, and dinner….you meet with everyone from the Dean to Graduate students.

By: yankeesgameday

yankeesgameday — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:57:46 +0000

Here is a scenario for all of you:

Game 6 of the World Series. Red Sox can be eliminated tonight and you are in the National League park. Adrian Gonzalez is healthy but 2 for 14 in the series and your best hitter has been David ortiz at DH. He has played first base four times this year and the sox are 1-3 in those games and you pulled him in after 6 innings in each of them.

A righty is starting for the other team tonight.

Who do you start at First Base tonight knowing the series, and your job,are both on the line?

By: professorperry

professorperry — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:55:09 +0000

When the Red Sox interviewed Francona, and hired him, they talked about the process. They put him through “nine interesting innings” from the previous A’s season, and asked him what he would do in each situation, and why. Epstein said that they hired him because he was always thinking not only about the next move, but about the sequence of implications for each move down the stretch.

When Francona was at his best, especially “playoff-Tito,” as Red Sox fans called the manager who was more active than his “regular-season Tito,” we definitely saw this kind of acuity play out.

So I’m glad they are keeping the exercise as part of the process. MacKanin is definitely the kind of guy I’d like to see hired.

By: yankeesgameday

yankeesgameday — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:38:03 +0000

Great moment like that in the movie “Little Big League” where a kid takes over as manager for the Twins because he inherits the team. When he says he wants to manage his gm runs this insanely complex scenario by him about what kind of pitching move he’d make in a specific situation he laid out. The kid knew all the numbers and personal tendencies of his players, and those of the opposing team and started asking things like who was available off the other team’s bench for that particular fictional game…

He not only answered the first question, he took the problem to a whole other level that the gm realized he’d be fine with the nuts and bolts of managing but winning over the players would be the kid’s real hurdle. And isn’t that everyone’s hurdle as a coach/manager?

Anyway, I have always thought that scene was pretty much how manager interviews went.

“little big league” is way under rated as a baseball movie. Check it out.

By: kirkmack

kirkmack — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:36:18 +0000

I think it would be fun to be put through that in-game scenario exercise. Kind of sounds like something a lot of teams should do to prove that managing is a lot more than sitting around, eating sunflower seeds, and walking to and from the mound…

By: kellyb9

kellyb9 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:28:23 +0000

First question… What is your beer of choice for the 7th inning stretch?