Timeless wisdom

Joe Morgan, on managing, prior to the LA-Philly game (slight paraphrase):
"If [Philadelphia manager] Charlie Manuel was the manger of the Dodgers, I believe they'd still be in first place."

LA currently sports an 8.5-game lead over the 2nd-place Giants. Their +82 run differential is already EIGHTY-FIVE better than the Giants, and 74 better than the next-closest team in the division (the 4th-place Rockies). That's more than one a game. I'm pretty sure I could pilot the '09 Dodgers to an NL West flag.

Morgan went on to flip it around, saying that if Dodger skipper Joe Torre was the Phillies' manager, they'd be in first place as well. Philly is currently up 2 games on the Mets, and are one of just two teams in the NL East with a positive run differential (+38 to New York's +20). Saying otherwise would be the same as saying that Torre would somehow manage the Phillies out of that two-game cushion and into second, which is silly.

The funny thing is that Morgan was earnestly trying to praise both managers but didn't really do any such thing. He inadvertently made the good point (and one he likely disagrees with) that: managers don't make a big difference. Thanks, Joe.