Cubs manager Gene Michael seems to have weathered the crisis of confidence that threatened to prove his undoing at the end of last season.
Based largely on the recommendation of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, Cubs President Dallas Green hired Michael last June 13 to replace Jim Frey. Michael took over a sinking ship, and his beleaguered troops continued to flounder before finishing with a 70-90 record, in fifth place, 37 games behind the New York Mets. The Cubs were 46-56 under Michael the second half of the year.
While Michael publicly questioned the level of talent on the Cubs last season, Green questioned the intensity of the players, the coaches and Michael.
”The biggest mistake I made, as I look back,” said Michael, ”is that I constantly said I didn`t know the league. I was being honest, maybe too honest. Sometimes people take honesty for a weakness.”
Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog, who has had championship teams in both leagues, says changing leagues was no big deal for him.
”What is there to learn? You`ve got the designated hitter and that`s about it. It didn`t take me any time at all,” said Herzog, who managed the Kansas City Royals to three American League West titles.
Cubs coach John Vukovich was the interim manager for a few games after Frey was fired. It appeared he was being groomed to take over the permanent managing position, especially after Green publicly questioned Michael`s motivation.
The Cubs` resurgence in the first half of this season has deflected most of the criticism of Michael`s laid-back approach. He has taken charge by implementing curfews and surprise bed checks on the road. And yet Michael has gained the confidence of players by listening to their concerns, either in his office or on the field when he takes infield practice before games.
”You can analyze all you want, but what it all boils down to is winning and losing,” Vukovich said. ”You`re going to catch heat if things aren`t going well, and if you`re winning, then the praise comes. You live on that fence post as a manager, and you`re almost at the mercy of whether you win or lose.”
Michael, 49, initially leaned heavily on Vukovich to issue signs from the dugout, and he relied on Vukovich`s reservoir of knowledge regarding opposing National League players.
”You couldn`t tell who was in charge,” said one Cubs player.
When Green sent Vukovich to the Instructional League in Arizona to gain managing experience before the Cubs` season was completed, the handwriting was on the dugout wall.
”Yeah, I`d like to manage in the big leagues. But I`m 39 years old, and I`m very happy doing what I`m doing right now,” said Vukovich, who has been moved out of the dugout to coach third base this year. ”And if somebody sees some qualities in me, fine. I`m not going to be destroyed if it never comes about. But I`d like the chance down the road, yeah.”
Has Vukovich`s interest in managing strained his relationship with Michael?
”It wasn`t awkward for me because he was great with me,” Vukovich said. ”The things that he wanted to do in relation to running the game, he did. The things that he didn`t know in relation to the league, he relied on me. We got along fine. The biggest obstacle he had was learning his club as well as the balance of the league.”
While Vukovich managed in the Instructional League, the Cubs appeared so uncertain about Michael`s status in 1987 that his picture was not in the winter highlight film.
”I went to the Instructional League, and I talked with Gene on the phone a couple of times,” Vukovich said. ”We didn`t have any problem. He said he wanted me back, and I said I wanted to be back. As far as me coaching third, he`s been very good to me and very easy to work with.
”The situation was uncomfortable between Gene and Dallas. There`s no reason for him to be uncomfortable with me, because I did the same exact things for him that I did for Jimmy Frey, with the exception that I was a little more vocal about the league. My intentions were only to help Gene, and he knew that. We`ve had no problems.
”If any of us would have gone to the American League, it would have been the same situation. Everybody on the staff last year knew that he didn`t know the league, and all we tried to do was help. I think he understood that. I don`t think there was any problem within our ranks. But there was speculation that people didn`t think we were working together.
”When Gene came over here, he didn`t know the players, not to mention the league. Once he got to know them, he`s used them accordingly. One thing about him is that since Day One he has continued to ask questions until he felt comfortable with his own ballclub. He continually writes down notes that he started doing a year ago.”
Michael had little if any say in the coaching changes. Pitching coach Billy Connors was fired and replaced by Herm Starrette. Jim Snyder was called up to coach first base, and Billy Williams went from first to the dugout.
”It`s important to have a staff that works. They give their thoughts if asked, and they have some input,” Vukovich said. ”Gene has used us all. He hasn`t been the kind of guy who hasn`t asked for input from us, and that makes you feel important as a coach. Since I`ve been here, we`ve never had a coaching staff that didn`t work. And work like hell. Regardless of Dallas hootin` on us at times or not.”
Michael appears genuinely uncomfortable in front of a microphone, unlike his predecessor.
”I don`t think there`s any set formula for winning. I`ve seen every kind of manager win,” Vukovich said. ”I don`t think there`s a certain personality for a manager. Gene isn`t as outgoing as Jim, but that has nothing to do with it. What the players read is when you`re not yourself and you try to be somebody that you`re not. I don`t think Jimmy was anybody but himself, and I don`t think Gene`s anybody but himself. Players end up relating to that.”
As Green learns more about the ways of Michael, he is changing his tune.
”I think Gene`s done a fine job,” Green said. ”I think he`s used the platoon system great. I think he`s used the kids fine. I think he`s held the pitching staff together when it could have pulled itself apart. Even with the injuries, he`s hung tough. Like with any manager, there are things that I would do differently, but that`s always going to be Dallas Green. That`s the way I am.
”When I talk to Gene, he seems to have an idea of what`s going on. That`s all you can ask a manager to do. Gene`s baseball man enough to know where he is. The one thing that I will give him credit for that I like is that he will come upstairs and talk about what is going on. I`ve encouraged him strongly to listen to the baseball people around him. Sometimes I`m so strong- willed and strong-minded that you get tired of hearing me beat you. But listen to my baseball people. Listen to Gordon Goldsberry, listen to John Cox, Hugh Alexander, Charlie Fox. Listen to the people that we`ve got around you. That way, you`ll hear pretty much the same thing, so you`ll know it`s not just coming from me.”
If anything, Green`s public blasts of Michael seemed to open up the communication lines.
”What we encourage people to understand is that any criticisms that we make of Gene Michael or the coaching staff or the players is constructive criticism,” Green said. ”We`re not out to hurt the players, we`re not out to hurt the coaching staff and we`re not out to hurt Gene Michael. We`re out to help.
”And the only thing I want to do is make all those people down on that field recognize that we`ve got some damn good fans who have waited a long time. And if we don`t bust our tails to win every single game, then we`re not earning our dough. It takes a combined effort of everybody to get that moving in the right direction. I`m just not going to accept us doing it in any different way.”
Green is proud of a number of moves Michael has made this year.
”Gene has done one good job, in my opinion, of bringing those kids along and not letting them get hurt too badly,” Green said. ”He keeps running them out there and bringing them along. They`ve pitched well and played well.”
