Chambliss Develops Own Style as Manager in the Minor Leagues

Chris Chambliss rests his meaty arms on a metal fence in front of the visitors’ dugout. His cap is pulled down on his forehead. He stands as a sentinel. Sturdy at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds. Staring. Studying.

While he talks -- he isn’t wordy or abrupt -- he rarely takes his eyes off the field even if it is only infield practice.

Chambliss, 40, is in his first year of managing and his team, the London (Ontario) Tigers, is a Double-A team stuck in the middle of the Eastern League standings.

In the 1976 American League playoffs, Chambliss hit a home run that clinched the New York Yankees’ first pennant in 12 years. A fastball from the Kansas City Royals’ Mark Littell landed in the right-center field seats in the bottom of the ninth.

The home run sent the Yankee Stadium crowd into delirium. As Chambliss rounded third he saw his path blocked by spectators.

“I ran around some people and knocked one guy down, then headed straight for the dugout,” he said. “I never touched the plate.”

The homer; it is the highlight of a 16-year career with the Cleveland Indians, New York and the Atlanta Braves. He batted .279 with more than 2,000 hits, 185 home runs and nearly 1,000 RBI. He played in three World Series with the Yankees from 1976-’78; New York won two.

“I had talent and I didn’t get hurt,” Chambliss says, still watching the field. “I was lucky.”

Three years ago he made $600,000 playing for the Braves. Now he’s making less than one-tenth that and taking nine-hour bus rides to places such as New Britain, Conn.

“I knew what to expect,” Chambliss said. “The parks would be smaller. And the long bus rides. It’s the other end of the spectrum. You put up with it. I’ve got a lot of patience.”

For the past two years Chambliss was a batting instructor and involved with player development for the Yankees. When Dallas Green was named manager and brought in his own staff, Chambliss was out of a job.

“The Yankees change people every year. When you don’t win, they make changes,” he said. “Other teams don’t have the success record they have. It’s hard to say what a winning formula is.”

He wasn’t out of work for long. When the Detroit Tigers promoted Manager John Wockenfuss to Triple-A Toledo, Ohio, there was an opening in London.

The word got out that Chambliss was available. He wanted to stay in baseball.

“According to every report we received, Chris got along with his teammates every place he played. He was a class-type individual,” said Dave Miller, Detroit’s director of minor-league operations.

So Chambliss was hired, making him the first black to manage in the Detroit system.

“I wasn’t hired because I’m black,” Chambliss said, adding that he didn’t wish to get into the issue of the lack of black managers in the majors. He wouldn’t say what his chances were to make it to the majors as a manager.

“My job is to put the right players on the field,” Chambliss said. “I’m doing that. Then I have to watch.”

After 81 games, Chambliss says he doesn’t have a label for how he manages.

“I don’t have a style. I just try to be myself. I’m just learning and trying to handle it the best way I can,” he said.

Chambliss said Billy Martin was the best manager he played for in the major leagues. “I liked the way he motivated players. His tactics were good. He knew how to handle all different players.”

Chambliss said he isn’t about to copy everything Martin did, especially the fights on and off the field. Chambliss is the opposite of Martin -- quiet, rarely bringing attention to himself.

“You can’t help but like him,” London pitcher Darren Hursey said. “It’s a lot of fun playing for him. He’s pretty relaxed. If you have a problem, you can talk to him. But when he wants to, he can get his point across.”

A poll soon to be released in Baseball America says that Chambliss is the top managerial prospect in the Eastern League.

When asked what he likes best about managing, Chambliss said, “That’s hard to say. I just like to see ‘em win. I like to watch the kids get better. Sometimes that takes years.”

Chambliss knows what he doesn’t like.

“I don’t like to lose,” he said. “I don’t like it when they don’t hustle. And the disciplinary problems.”

At 40, Chambliss is nearly twice as old as many of his players. But he said he doesn’t consider himself a father-figure.

“I just manage,” he said. “It’s not the first year for these guys. Most were in A ball last year.”

Getting to the next level should be enough drive for his players.

“Both the players and myself want to be promoted up. As a player, I could do something about the game,” he said. “As a manager, I must watch.”