Davey Johnson, the best Mets manager in my book, helped transform a woebegone franchise into a winner.
I was a kid when the Mets last won the World Series in 1986. My uncle Cyril would babysit me at his apartment when my mother would go to work at night. I would sit next to him and watch the Mets on his urging in 1986. I remembered him talking up Davey Johnson all the time with me. At the time, I didn’t know him from Adam. Shoot, I wasn’t even a baseball fan at the time. He put Johnson on a pedestal by raving about him for his managerial moves and wins. In his mind, the Mets manager can do no wrong.
After watching Johnson manage the Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Nationals, I understood what my uncle was talking about.
Johnson led the Reds and Orioles to the playoffs in his time there. He was the last Red manager to win a playoff series. He was the previous Orioles manager to win an ALCS game. He also led the young Nationals to the playoffs.
He should be in the Hall of Fame. His 1,372 managerial wins speak for themselves. His lone pennant and World Series championship back up his case. He may be in Cooperstown, but he won’t be alive when he gets inducted, and that’s the tragedy of his death.
For my money, Johnson is the best manager in Mets history. The lack of championships for the Mets in decades solidifies his case. He knew how to manage in New York, which is not for anyone, as guys such as Art Howe, Jeff Torborg, Dallas Green, Willie Randolph, Jerry Manuel, and Mickey Callaway can tell you.
Johnson was in his element on game days or game nights in the dugout. You can bet he would never be outmanaged. He knew how to take starters out when it was time. He put relievers in the right position to succeed by putting them in favorable matchups. He utilized his bench so well. Most importantly, he achieved results with 25 individuals of different personalities.
The ‘86 team wasn’t easy to manage. There were too many guys with egos. There were many nutcases on that team, such as Lenny Dykstra and Kevin Mitchell. Johnson understood that managing personalities well would bring out the best in their talent, and that’s why he was able to do well.
Criticize him all you want for being easygoing, but it worked well, with one championship to show for it. This is why Mets fans love him. He is the standard when it comes to managers. Only Terry Collins and Bobby Valentine came close to matching what Johnson did as far as competent managers go.
For my money, Johnson is the best tactician in baseball ever. Every move he made came with a thought, and he was one of the first managers who used analytics to show what players he should be playing. Moreover, he was meant to manage in New York. He was a winner. He always shielded players from criticism by the media. He was always accountable when it was time to answer tough questions. He was cocky, and he backed it up.
Mets play-by-play voice Gary Cohen said it best on SNY’s Mets telecast on Saturday night about Johnson being a baseball lifer. People often forget he was a good baseball player who played for 13 years. He was hitting behind Hank Aaron from his Atlanta Braves days.
Managing the Mets meant something for Johnson. It created an identity of what he would be and what he wanted his team to be, which is being aggressive. It allowed him to demonstrate his ability to manage players, and it served as a stepping stone to managing other teams in his career. Winning in New York would have made him part of the immortal coaches who achieved success.
Johnson is in the Mets Hall of Fame for a reason. He is the last Mets manager to win a championship.
There’s a good chance the Mets may never have a manager like him again. For one thing, managers don’t really manage anymore, as their bosses instruct them to use certain players on game days or game nights. There are not many free-thinking managers anymore. In other words, the next manager will likely be another Carlos Mendoza clone. It’s where the game is trending now.
It’s why we should never forget Johnson’s contributions to baseball and the Mets. He was a fabric of the game and the franchise. He, along with Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, transformed a woebegone franchise into a winner.
That’s why he’s a legend.
Courtesy MLB.com
