Baseball: Managers under pressure to deliver

It happens every season. Players turn into disappointments, teams underachieve and the managerial merry-go-round starts anew. The phrase "You're fired" makes for entertaining reality TV, but for those on the hot seat it's a real-world danger, injecting self-doubt, infecting clubhouses.

Larry Bowa, Phillies. Rarely do managers as volatile as Bowa win big. Bowa's passion not only is his greatest attribute, it's his biggest problem. The most successful managers -- Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, Mike Scioscia -- maintain an even keel. Bowa is to the point where, fairly or not, the entire baseball world awaits his next eruption.


It isn't Bowa's fault that the Phillies, struggling under increased expectations, started 1-6. But the question is whether his old-school personality creates too much tension. Most modern players bristle under a heavy hand and public prodding.


Despite industry-wide skepticism, the Phillies' front office remains bullish on Bowa, reinforcing his security by extending his contract through 2005 and adding options for '06 and '07. But the Bowa cloud will hang over the team until the Phillies either play to their potential or hire a more low-key manager.

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ARnt managers always under pressure. The owners want to win. They dont necessairly want tot lose