Only time will tell

It's just about impossible to evaluate the talent of a manager who hasn't yet actually managed.

Updated: November 9, 2004, 9:27 AM ET
By Rob Neyer | ESPN Insider
In hiring Wally Backman as their new manager, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a big mistake.

Or maybe they didn't. We'll know in a few years.

Or maybe we won't.

See, nobody really knows very much about managers. Sure, we do know that Bobby Cox is a great manager and that Tony La Russa is a very good one. But we know those things only because both Cox and La Russa have managed more games than all but a few men ever have.


To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

SPONSORED HEADLINES

MORE MLB HEADLINES

MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM