The "Who can manage?" quiz.

[G-Fafif]

I didn't see this quiz or any of the answers until late in the game, so to speak, and I swear the first name that occurred to me was Jim Marshall, no doubt because Ralph, Lindsey and Bob drove home his 1962 pedigree when he was managing the Cubs.

Al Pedrique is a recovered memory. I would have missed Norm Sherry for the next several years.

[Edgy MD]

I dunno. I guess the fact that he's named after an old guy's drink is what dud it for me. Every time I see his name at the UMDB, I think of him as a manager more than as a player. Norm Sherry is the name of a guy you'd expect to hang out with Dean Martin.

[HahnSolo]

Was that the guy you thought would come last? Funny. I had long known four 1962 Mets had become managers, but I couldn't for the life of me think of the last one. I thought the last manager standing would be between Marshall, Sherry and Pedrique. I was surprised to see Pedrique go so early. I woulda missed him, totally. Other Mets teams to spawn four managers: 1966 (McMillan, Harrelson, Green, Boyer) 1977 (Mazzilli, Torre, Valentine, Harrelson) 1981 (Gardenhire, Mazzilli, Jorgensen, Cubbage) I'd rephrase my response to note that the last manager standing isn't the best way to determine which answer was the toughest, given the format of this quiz. Because someone with a good working knowledge of Mets history might log on at the beginning of the quiz and decide to go with the toughest answers first. But if this were a written sit-down quiz, like in school, and each contestant or quiz-taker was asked to name these 27 ex-Mets/mlb managers, I'd say that Marshall, Pedrique, Sherry, Boyer and Bochy would be the most missed Mets.

By the time I saw this, it was already on page 3, so I decided to just try and name as many as I could without looking at responses. Got to about 19 before giving up. I never would have gotten Pedrique or Marshall.

This would have made a great Sporcle quiz, and yes, I think the least guessed there would have been the ones you listed, and I would throw Jorgensen in there as well.

[batmagadanleadoff]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Was that the guy you thought would come last? Funny. I had long known four 1962 Mets had become managers, but I couldn't for the life of me think of the last one. I thought the last manager standing would be between Marshall, Sherry and Pedrique. I was surprised to see Pedrique go so early. I woulda missed him, totally. Other Mets teams to spawn four managers: 1966 (McMillan, Harrelson, Green, Boyer) 1977 (Mazzilli, Torre, Valentine, Harrelson) 1981 (Gardenhire, Mazzilli, Jorgensen, Cubbage) I only remembered Pedrique because he was so unusual. Was he the guy who they got instead of Backman? I guessed Chuck Hiller wrong, was convinced he was a Padres manager at some point.

Pedrique the Padre is so alliterative. So's Padre Pedrique.

Wally Backman and Dave Magadan frequently come up as managerial candidates. If the two of them were to break on through (RIP, Ray Manzarek) they'd give the '86 (Mazzilli, Knight, Gibbons) and '87 squads (Mazzilli, Hurdle, Pedrique) five mlb managers.

[Edgy MD]

Teufel in that mix also. Oquendo and maybe a few others.

Mets Currently on Major League Coaching Staves, Who Haven't Yet Managed at the Big-League Level

• Rick Anderson, Pitching Coach, Minnesota
  
• Jay Bell, Hitting Coach, Pittsburgh
  
• Willie Blair, Bullpen Coach, San Diego
  
• Daryl Boston, 1b Coach, Chicago (A)
  
• Reid Cornelius, Bullpen Coach, Miami
  
• Dave Eiland, Pitching Coach, Kansas City
  
• Steve Henderson, Hitting Coach, Philadelphia
  
• Doug Henry, Bullpen Coach, Kansas City
  
• Wayne Kirby, 1b Coach, Baltimore
  
• Dave Magadan, Hitting Coach, Texas
  
• Roger McDowell, Gaybashing Pitching Coach, Atlanta
  
• Joe McEwing, 3b Coach, Chicago (A)
  
• Jose Oquendo, 3b Coach, St. Louis
  
• Jason Phillips, Bullpen Catcher, Seattle
  
• Luis Rivera, 3b Coach, Toronto
  
• Ray Searage, Pitching Coach, Pittsburgh
  
• Tony Tarasco, Hitting Coach, Washington
  
• Tim Teufel, 3b Coach, Mets
  
• Pete Walker, Pitching Coach, Toronto

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Who would you consider to be the most likely managerial candidates from recent Mets vintage?

Maybe Nickeas or something.

[Edgy MD]

Joe McEw and Jay Bell will definitely manage.

Among guys who haven't hit the MLB coaching ranks yet? Jos� Valent�n. I'd follow that guy anywhere and so would you. And you, and you.

I'd consider all three as feasible future Flushing fodder too.

[batmagadanleadoff]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Who would you consider to be the most likely managerial candidates from recent Mets vintage? Maybe Nickeas or something.

What's recent?

Oldest, or earliest, Mets squad not to have yet spawned a MLB manager: the 1990 Mets.

Last Met squad to have spawned a MLB manager: the 2007 team (Alomar, Jr.); before that, the 2001 team (Ventura).

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: Joe McEw and Jay Bell will definitely manage. Among guys who haven't hit the MLB coaching ranks yet? Jos� Valent�n. I'd follow that guy anywhere and so would you. And you, and you. I'd consider all three as feasible future Flushing fodder too.

So all of that fuss about having to tolerate the uber-crappy and super-sucky "ballplayer" (if that's what you wanted to call him) Alex Cora because he'd make a great manager someday was for naught?

[batmagadanleadoff]

I like Jason Phillips' chances. He was a catcher. And he wears glasses.

[Edgy MD]

The 1990 Mets have no managers to speak of? That's a shame. Stop keeping Magadan down.

And Charlie O'Brien, needs to get off his ass stop staring at that Sports Illustrated cover he has framed on the wall. Come on, Tom O'Malley!

[batmagadanleadoff]

There's a paucity of Mets players who went on to manage a MLB team post 1980's. The only Met player from the 1990's on to manage a team, other than Ventura and Alomar, Jr. is Smallballs. Some of that is by design: players need to pay their dues - they rarely go from the playing field straight to the manager's office. ([u:2rcx32xm]But[/u:2rcx32xm], [u:2rcx32xm]see[/u:2rcx32xm], Hodges, Gil; Torre, Joe)

[Benjamin Grimm]

I was getting a definite future-manager vibe from John Buck. It lessened a bit when he smashed Jordany in the face, though. Still, I do like his chances.

[Edgy MD]

A pretty big showing comes from the 1983 Tides. Gardenhire, Hurdle, and (someday probably) Backman and Oquendo.

[seawolf17]

This would have made a great Sporcle quiz, and yes, I think the least guessed there would have been the ones you listed, and I would throw Jorgensen in there as well.

Already is one.

http://www.sporcle.com/games/PaulyVercillo/Mets_MLBManagers

So it's only bad Mets teams that yield lots of managers, eh? I say Buck, Turner, Hawkins, and Ankiel.

[batmagadanleadoff]

This would have made a great Sporcle quiz, and yes, I think the least guessed there would have been the ones you listed, and I would throw Jorgensen in there as well. Already is one. http://www.sporcle.com/games/PaulyVercillo/Mets_MLBManagers So it's only bad Mets teams that yield lots of managers, eh? I say Buck, Turner, Hawkins, and Ankiel.

The toughest answers, according to that quiz, are Sherry (solved by 6.2% of test takers), Marshall (9.8%), Pedrique (20%), McMillan (20.9%), Samuel (21.3%), Boyer (24.4%) AND Jorgensen (24.9%).