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The best managers in the history of baseball share similar attributes. They were great leaders, with the ability to motivate players and stand firm in the face of adversity. They were cunning strategists, staying one pitcher or hitter ahead of the opposing manager. They were mentors and teachers who assisted with the development of young talent, while taking the time to polish the skill set of seasoned veterans.

Many of the best manager lists utilize two parameters for analysis: winning percentage and total wins. Both statistics provide a straightforward measuring tool for ranking managers. But statistics fail to take into account intangibles. The best managers in baseball history not only won a high percentage of their regular season games, they also won world championships, changed the way the game was played, and developed Hall of Fame caliber talent.

I'm going to take a pass on Tony Larussa, Bobby Cox, and Joe Torre until the dust clears over the steroid scandal. It's not fair to judge the laurels of managers who may have benefited from a juiced team. Innuendo isn't enough to indict the records of these managers, but time must pass before we can objectively assess their respective careers. Of the three, Larussa has the best chance to rank in the top five of a best manager list.

I've chosen four candidates for the best baseball managers of all-time. They are not ranked in any particular order.

Walter Alston

The face of the Dodgers franchise for twenty-three years, Alston was a calming presence in a locker room that was in turmoil after the team moved from Brooklyn to Los Dodgers. Alston's steady hand and stoic disposition was in stark contrast to the screamers of his managerial era.

Alston taught school in the off-season when he managed in the minor leagues. He parlayed the natural inquisitive nature of the teaching profession to become one of the more studious managers in baseball history. He initiated a comprehensive analysis of opposing players and manager. He was also a pioneer when it came to his own contract, signing twenty-three straight one year deals during a time when multiple year contracts became the norm.

Alston won seven National League pennants as the Dodger manager. He won Brooklyn's only World Series title and added three more world championships after the franchise moved to Los Angeles. His 2,040 wins are the most in Dodger history and eighth in baseball history. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983, Walter Alston was named National League Manager

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