Talk:Dick Howser

If we are to consider Dick Howser as the succeeding manager to Billy Martin of the New York Yankees in 1978 (prior to Bob Lemon taking over), then it is inconsistent NOT to consider Don Zimmer's tenure in 1999 as acting-manager of the Yankees while Joe Torre was being treated for prostate cancer.

Howser managed one game as acting-manager. Granted, until Lemon took the mantle, the Yankees had no other manager, but it was clear that Martin's successor was Lemon, and Howser was just holding the fort until Lemon arrived.

Quoting from this very website, "[ Bob Lemon ] succeeded fiery Billy Martin as skipper of the third-place Yankees..." --Bulova 16:12, 15 November 2007 (EST)

There is no consensus amomg statisticians on how to treat acting managers, who replaced a manager who was not available for a few days, like Zimmer in 1999. Some places list them as managers, but most do not, crediting the time to Torre's record (which is a bit strnage, granted, given he was recovering from surgery at the time). Same thing for Matt Galante when Astros manager Larry Dierker suffered a brain aneurysm.

That said, there is no question anywhere that interim managers, filling in between two different managers, are counted. They're listed in all the encyclopedias and other sources. The difference is probably that in the case of interim managers, there is no one obvious to whom to credit the games managed during the period in question: not to Billy Martin, since he was already gone; and not to Bob Lemon, as he had not yet been appointed (there may have been speculation that he would be, but it was not a done deal during the two games where Howser was at the helm). And Howser could well have kept the job, as he was a viable managerial candidate who would indeed become the Yankees' manager in 1980. --Philippe 01:11, 16 November 2007 (EST)