With 25 Pros, They Don’t Need a Leader

The New York Yankees sport World Series championship rings from two of the last three seasons. So who is the undisputed clubhouse leader of this successful bunch?

Paul O’Neill? Derek Jeter? Bernie Williams? David Cone?

None of the above?

That is Chili Davis’ answer as he makes the point that teams can win without the vocal leader the Angels apparently have deemed necessary.

The Angels celebrated the off-season signing of Mo Vaughn with the universal declaration--from the players and the manager to the general manager and even Disney chairman Michael Eisner--that the team had at long last acquired their leader, the perfect fit in a clubhouse of intense but quiet players.

With Vaughn in town and Tim Salmon no longer asked to shoulder a leadership burden that did not mesh with his thoughtful but hardly outgoing personality, Gary DiSarcina predicted a career year for Salmon.

“Some teams are always looking for that vocal guy,” Davis said. “In Anaheim, they were always looking for that vocal guy. Tim’s not that kind of a guy.

“Every team doesn’t have a vocal guy. This team has a lot of guys that have a lot of fun together. It’s just 25 guys who respect our job, respect the manager, respect the people that pay us and the people that pay to see us play. You don’t need a vocal guy. They all play their butts off day in and day out.”

In 1995, when the Angels signed Davis to an $11.4-million contract--far short of the record $80 million for Vaughn, but still one of the 10 biggest deals in franchise history--team officials described Davis’ leadership abilities in much the same ways they saluted Vaughn this year. They were dismayed later that summer when, as the Angels coughed up an 11-game lead and youngsters in their first pennant race--DiSarcina, Salmon, Garret Anderson, Jim Edmonds, Troy Percival--looked for answers, reserve infielder Spike Owen had to call the team meetings.

Manager Marcel Lachemann erupted in but one flash of fire, kicking some batting helmets onto the field in Boston, then apologized for his action. Davis did not raise his voice.

“If you’re looking for a leader, that’s why you hire a manager,” Davis said. “If you want me to be the leader, let me manage too.”

Davis is as much a leader with the Yankees as he was with the Angels. He calls no meetings here either, but he distributes his “Chili Dawg” T-shirts with motivational phrases--pitcher Dan Naulty modeled the “Perfect Performance Begins With Perfect Practice” edition the other day--and talks baseball with anyone who wants to talk, for as long as anyone wants to talk.

“It’s like having another hitting coach,” Cone said. “Some of the other hitters go to him to discuss their strategy and approach. He’s a very intelligent player.”

Said Don Zimmer, the Yankees’ interim manager while Joe Torre continues his recuperation from prostate cancer surgery, “Chili’s just a professional. If he helps anybody out, that’s good. You do your own thing, and other people watch.”