Scioscia Takes On New Position With Quiet Confidence

Mike Scioscia has heard the talk, that he was chosen to manage the Anaheim Angels because he was an inexpensive hire.

He’s also aware of the problems the Angels went through last season, when things got so bad the team president compared the clubhouse with a day-care center, and the manager and general manager resigned.

Scioscia’s reaction?

Scrutiny, he says, comes with being a big-league manager, and he’s prepared to make the past just that; he doesn’t expect problems with his new players.

That’s typical of Scioscia, a self-described private person who exudes self-confidence without a hint of cockiness or arrogance.

“My mom always told me, ‘You always believe you’re the best, just don’t tell anybody,’ ” said Scoscia, who’s spoken with almost every Angels player about next season since being hired Nov. 18 to succeed Terry Collins.

The 41-year-old Scioscia resigned after one season as manager of the Class AAA Albuquerque Dukes of the Pacific Coast League on Sept. 20, ending a relationship with the Los Angeles Dodgers that began when he signed with them at age 17 in 1976.

He earned a reputation for toughness and an ability to block the plate like few others while becoming the team’s career leader with 1,395 games caught between 1980 and 1992.

Scioscia said he left the Dodgers with nothing but good memories and no bitterness; it was just time to move on.

Little did he know he’d become a big-league manager two months later, signing a three-year contract with the Angels worth around $1 million.

“You’re always hoping for the best,” he said of the quick hiring. “If you want to focus on the fact I don’t have big-league managing experience, hey, that’s your prerogative.

“I’m very confident in my ability to get along with people. I don’t think there’s anybody that’s not going to respond to what I’m asking.”

What Scioscia is asking is simple enough--practice hard, prepare to play, and play hard. That’s it.

“One thing about Sosh, he does his homework,” former teammate Jerry Reuss said. “I think he’s going to delegate. He’s going to be close to the players in the sense that he won’t be afraid to talk to them. He’ll be open, he’ll be honest with them.

“Will he relate to players? Yes. Will he address fundamentals? Absolutely. Does he know the game? No question.”

Mickey Hatcher, another former teammate who will serve as hitting instructor for the Angels after holding the same position at Albuquerque last season, said Scioscia calls him almost daily.

“He’s an organizer,” Hatcher said. “I think Mike will set the tone from day one in spring training. He has a great way of making suggestions without making you feel bad. He’s not afraid of getting in a player’s face, but he does it behind closed doors, man-to-man.”

In speaking with his new players, Scioscia said he can feel the pain of what they went through last season, when they went from preseason favorites in the AL West to a last-place finish.

“They’re saying, ‘We know we’re better,’ ” he said.

“The season is going to have some tough stretches. You’re not out there for a friendly round of golf with your buddies every day. It’s a highly competitive situation. There’s going to be tension. It’s my job to control that, with communication, keep their focus where it should be, getting everybody on the same page.”

Scioscia’s hiring was no surprise to former Dodgers general manager Fred Claire and Hall of Fame manager Tom Lasorda, who both told him during his playing days he would manage someday.

“He said, ‘Fred, don’t rush me,’ ” Claire recalled. “One of his qualities was he would always deflect credit to other people. That’s a great quality for a manager.”

Scioscia and Davey Lopes, recently hired as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, join the Mets’ Bobby Valentine, the Giants’ Dusty Baker, the Tigers’ Phil Garner, the Rangers’ Johnny Oates and former Dodgers manager Bill Russell as managers who played for Lasorda.

“Mike was always one that I knew would make a great manager,” Lasorda said. “As a player, he had no fear, he played with so much enthusiasm and dedication. I think the players are going to respect him.”

Scioscia’s wife, Anne, believes her husband is basically the same man she met in 1982 and married three years later.

“What you see is what you get,” she said. “You don’t see any airs. He doesn’t get too high, he doesn’t get too low.”

Angels general manager Bill Stoneman, hired to replace Bill Bavasi on Oct. 31, said Scioscia was hired because he represented “the whole package.”

“He comes across as being a very positive guy,” Stoneman said. “But I’m sure he’ll apply discipline where discipline is needed and will run the club in a very organized and businesslike fashion. I think Mike will be a great leader for us.”