Davey Johnson

Washington Nationals Manager Davey Johnson had two big announcements Wednesday: Next season will be his last season, and he plans to go out with a World Series title. "We're primed to take that next step. We made giant steps last year," Johnson said at baseball's winter meetings in Nashville. "But I think we're in a perfect position to show the world that we're a pretty good ballclub, and we can go farther into the postseason, and I want to be a part of that. World Series or bust.

I had never met Mark McGwire before Tuesday night, but I knew of his reputation and the fact he has struck out so far as the Dodgers' hitting coach. So given the Dodgers' lack of power, I asked, "Is it time to introduce the players to steroids?" McGwire laughed and I wondered why. "You're funny," he said before finally adding, "No. No. " What a bummer, I told him, I thought you might have the magic potion to get the Dodgers going. "The magic potion is in between the ears," he said.

Just when the facts say that New York Mets Manager Davey Johnson ought to be squirming in the heat, he says that the weather is just fine. "I'll tell you," he said, "this year I don't have any problems." You know how the weather stories are in the Florida papers: Whether it's sunny and 80 degrees or cloudy and a shivering 50, they tell you how nasty it is at home. Johnson is a Floridian who made his riches with Orlando real estate before Disney got there.

Washington Nationals Manager Davey Johnson had two big announcements Wednesday: Next season will be his last season, and he plans to go out with a World Series title. "We're primed to take that next step. We made giant steps last year," Johnson said at baseball's winter meetings in Nashville. "But I think we're in a perfect position to show the world that we're a pretty good ballclub, and we can go farther into the postseason, and I want to be a part of that. World Series or bust.

Davey Johnson could see it coming, but there wasn't much he could do. It was like being tied to the tracks with a runaway train headed in your direction. "I don't know how many teams go through a transition period and stay in it (the pennant race) all year," said the former Baltimore Oriole second baseman, who came close to becoming the ex-manager of the New York Mets last year. "That kind of situation has gotten a lot of managers fired." It appeared that Johnson came close to joining the ranks.

Davey Johnson considers Orel Hershiser a friend--they both live in Orlando in the off-season and belong to the same golf club--but that didn't stop the Oriole manager from accusing the Indian right-hander of cheating, sparking a mini-controversy at Jacobs Field on Sunday. "I know from my experience that Orel likes to put water on the back of his neck," Johnson said. "He prefers to have the ball moist as opposed to dry, and he will get water wherever he can get it."

Even after he had been informed the ship had struck an iceberg, the captain of the Titanic never let on to his crew all the anguish he felt inside. That just isn't done at sea. It would go against the maritime code. This is as good a place as any to set the record straight about that captain. He wasn't out getting ice at the time. Nor is Davey Johnson, the skipper of the Mets, who's trying to to keep them from going under and the Cardinals from waving goodby to them in the NL East.

Two managers, Davey Johnson of the New York Mets and Dick Williams of the Seattle Mariners, said they will give up their jobs after the 1988 season. The Mets announced that Johnson, 44, will relinquish the managerial post and become a special assistant to Joe McIlvaine, vice president for baseball operations, beginning in 1989. Williams, 58, told the Seattle Times he will retire after one more year, which will be his 42nd in baseball.

Davey Johnson hates team meetings. He hated them when, as a player in Baltimore, Earl Weaver made him sit through them. He hates them just the same when he, as manager of the Mets, makes his players do the same. "I think meetings are distasteful," Johnson said disdainfully Wednesday. "If you have to have one, it's all in the timing. Always have one before Dwight Gooden pitches or after Sid Fernandez strikes out 16. Don't have 'em on days (Jim) Deshaies pitches."

For Cincinnati Red Manager Davey Johnson, it was a game to remember. For Met pitcher Anthony Young, it was another one to forget. Young tied a team record with his 19th consecutive loss, and the Reds made Johnson's return to Shea Stadium a success Friday night with a 5-2 victory over New York in 10 innings. "Winning was important to me tonight because I won a lot of games here," said Johnson, the winningest manager in Mets' history. "I wanted to come in here and win.

In Billy Beane's 15 years as general manager of the Oakland Athletics, the A's have advanced to the playoffs six times. For the first time, one of Beane's managers has been honored as American League manager of the year. Bob Melvin won the award Tuesday, with 16 of the 28 first-place votes. Buck Showalter of the Baltimore Orioles received the other 12 first-place votes. The “Moneyball” book and movie caricatured Beane as a chess grandmaster for whom the manager was one of his pawns.

Manager Davey Johnson plans to rest his regular players if the Washington Nationals clinch the National League East title and he doesn't care one bit what anyone else thinks. After beating the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, the Nationals' magic number to clinch the division is five. The rest of Washington's regular-season opponents are still in the chase for wild-card berths, including the St. Louis Cardinals. And if other clubs hope the Nationals will put their best lineup on the field against the Cardinals?

A sucker for alternative history? You know, what if the Allies had lost World War II? What if Steve Jobs had hated computers? What if Spider-Man had joined the Fantastic Four? What if Mike Scioscia had been named manager of the Dodgers? Now there's a sports what-if to get the mind racing. How dramatically different would both the Dodgers and Angels be if the Dodgers had named Scioscia as their manager and he never joined the Angels? Since Scioscia resigned as the Dodgers' triple-A manager in September 1999, the Dodgers have had five managers, five general managers, three owners and zero world championships.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Joel Peralta was ejected from Tuesday's game against the Washington Nationals before throwing even one pitch because umpires discovered pine tar on his glove. While Peralta was taking his warmup tosses on the mound, Nationals Manager Davey Johnson asked umpires to inspect his glove. Peralta used to pitch for the Nationals. Umpire Tim Tschida said there was "a significant amount of pine tar on his glove," an automatic ejection. Peralta tipped his cap to the Nationals' dugout while walking to the dugout.

The baseball pennant race has often been described as a marathon, not a sprint. If that's true, then we're nearing the 18-mile mark of the season this week. Here's Kevin Baxter's handicap of the race so far. (Records through games of Friday.) Setting the pace 1. PHILADELPHIA (66-39): Fifth starter Vance Worley is 7-1 with a 2.02 ERA, and now they have Pence. 2. BOSTON (64-40): Leads division despite having had 4 starting pitchers spend time on DL. 3. N.Y. YANKEES (61-42)

When Kenley Jansen went on the disabled list in late May, the reliever also drew a reprimand from Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly . On Friday, though, Mattingly was singing Jansen's praises because the right-handed pitcher has sparkled since returning from the DL on June 18. "He's been doing the job," Mattingly said. "His ball's got some jump to it … and his slider is getting better, and he's willing to use it more, which makes him a lot tougher at-bat. " Before Friday's game against the Washington Nationals, Jansen had held opposing batters to a .079 average (three for 38)

Managing the New York Mets has become a paradox for Davey Johnson. He resides in a world where winning is burdensome. He keeps winning, yet faces constant questions about why he doesn't win more. He keeps winning, yet his job status hinges, perhaps, on his tenuous relationship with his boss. He keeps winning, and although winning is considered the criteria for judging great managers, he's never mentioned even among the best of his peers.

Old before his time: Davey Johnson won't be 43 until January, but the manager of the New York Mets feels as if age is doing double time on him. And he knows why, too. It's his job. "I'm tired," Johnson told Marty Noble of Newsday in a candid interview in which he appeared to be another victim of burnout. "Breathing is a chore. My health isn't bad, but it's not great. I used to feel like a million dollars. That's before I started managing. "I didn't know it would be like this.

Steroids cloud over Alex Rodriguez or not, Manager Davey Johnson was hoping the New York Yankees third baseman would play for the United States in the World Baseball Classic. Rodriguez played for the U.S. in the inaugural tournament three years ago but this year, under the WBCs rather lenient eligibility rules, opted instead to represent the Dominican Republic. "The only thing is, I was upset about Alex not, you know, being on my club," Johnson told the Associated Press.

When finally and officially fired as the Dodger manager at the end of the 2000 season -- after two years of coping with organizational dysfunction under Fox and Kevin Malone -- Davey Johnson knew it was time for a sabbatical. He knew, after 27 summers as a major league player and manager, he needed a break. Now, five years later, wearing red, white and blue rather than just thinking blue, he has returned to the game that had been his life and found it to be a measure of solace.