The Cardinals' Tony La Russa, the Mariners' Lou Piniella, the Yankees' Joe Torre and the Mets' Bobby Valentine are among the best of the current skipper class, in achievement and in outsized reputation. The Braves' Bobby Cox may have better numbers, and the Expos' Felipe Alou may get the most bang for his buck, but, hey, Rushmore has room for only four faces. Not to say that any of this group is lacking in stat cred. La Russa, Piniella and Torre have won World Series, making this only the third time since divisional play began in 1969 that so many ring-wearing skippers have landed in the same final four. Valentine hasn't won anything yet, but over the last two years he has the best regular-season winning percentage of the four.
Track records are just half of it.
There are also the personalities, as recognizable to the average fan as the stock characters in a Hollywood action flick. Torre, the new Yankee yogi, is the very picture of Zen, whether sipping green tea from a paper cup behind the cage before games or sitting droopy-eyed on the bench during them, like a parent struggling to stay awake at a school play. Sweet Lou, after simmering his way through his playing days and his managing career, is finally living up to his nickname. Ejected only twice this year, Piniella has calmed and now is as prone to goofy stunts as to hat-mashing tantrums. Then there's Valentine, baseball's Machiavelli.