The San Francisco Giants Make Their Luck as a Team

“It’s amazing what a team can do when they set aside their own agenda and that’s what they’ve done all year.  Really, it’s been a beautiful thing to watch.  The only thing that bothered me through all this was that I kept hearing people say we were lucky. We were getting the breaks, the bounces.  You don’t luck into 94 wins.  You don’t luck into the postseason.  You don’t luck into the World Series.  You don’t sweep a great team like the Detroit Tigers by being lucky.”

--Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants' manager, discussing how the Giants won their second World Series in 24 months.

The Giants are World Series champions because of their emphasis on pitching excellence. This emphasis is truly important in the postseason where hot bats can rarely be counted upon. However, perhaps more importantly, they value team play as well.

“We’ll still keep a low profile. That’s who we are as people. That’s who we are as an organization.
We don’t promote ourselves. That won’t change. That will never change.”

--Giants' general manager Brian Sabean.

Are you a team player?  Are you selfless?  Can you describe your team or organization like the Giants describe their championship team?  Do you hire selfless people who can set aside their own agenda?  Can you achieve excellence any other way? 



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Chipper Jones Leads the Atlanta Braves Through Adversity

"It's really gratifying because the guys went home in the off-season and used what happened in September as a motivational tool. I've said this all along: if we end up winning an Eastern Division championship or a National League championship or a World Series in the next couple of years, I guarantee you all these players will look back at September and say we learned a lot."

--Chipper Jomes, Atlanta Braves all-star third baseman, discussing the Atlanta Braves' ability to bounce back from adversity after their late-season meltdown that kept them out of the playoffs last year.

Excerpt from nytimes.com (5/20/2012).

The Managerial Secret of Tony LaRussa

“He’s on a whole different level. He thinks about stuff nobody else is thinking about. I played for him, I know how he is. He’s one of a kind.” 

--Darren Oliver, Texas Rangers pitcher, discussing St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa.   

Tony La Russa has been a major league manager for 33 seasons.  In the opening game of the 2011 World Series on Wednesday night against the Rangers, La Russa pulled the right levers with his bullpen, making five changes. Each move went his way, and the Cardinals won the first games of the series.  3-2 in front of 46,406 at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium.

LaRussa emphasizes caring as a key component of this managerial style. 

“There’s a lot of smart baseball people around,” La Russa said. “Nowadays, with all the distractions, you better get kids that care for your message. And how do you get them to care? You care for them as people.”

It is not easy and it takes time. 

“Our staff, we believe in being very personal, up-close with our players,” La Russa said. 

“It’s not a line drawn and you rarely step over it. We really believe in a lot of intermingling and making each other personally accountable to each other. In other words, you care for your players. Actually, it’s a harder way to lead, because you spend a lot of time as a staff thinking about each and every guy, every day.”

Excerpts from the NYTimes.com (10/19/2011).