A Management Training Course

SAN FRANCISCO--Mike Scioscia as a manager?

San Francisco Manager Dusty Baker said the thought never crossed his mind when the two were wearing Dodger blue together.

“He probably never thought about me being a manager,” Baker said of the man who has managed the Angels into the World Series.

“At that time, we were just trying to play. You don’t think about managing while you’re playing, especially when you’re an everyday, regular player.”

But, Baker said, he’s not surprised Scioscia wound up at the helm of a big league club, considering how receptive he was to soaking up knowledge of the game.

“I remember when [Scioscia] first came up, his mentor was Roy Campanella,” Baker said.

“Campanella would come by his locker every day in his wheelchair, whether [Scioscia] did something right or wrong, and would have somebody help demonstrate how to block the ball, how to block the plate, what he should have called in this situation or that situation.

“That’s why I liked having those guys, veteran players, around,” Baker added. “They can put your players on an accelerated learning curve and thought process.”

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There has been tension between the Cardinals and abusive fans at Pacific Bell Park during the National League championship series, tension that drove some Cardinal relatives from their seats, tension that brought pitcher Garrett Stephenson off the team bus and jaw to jaw with a fan after Sunday night’s game. “It definitely is not typical of the way Giant fans have treated us,” St. Louis Manager Tony La Russa said, “but there have been some real brutal cases in the stands. We’ve had a couple of our wives actually leave the ballpark and go back to the hotel because of the insults and profanity. It’s been rough at times, but it’s just the exception.”

Players are always instructed to avoid confrontations but La Russa said he was glad Stephenson stepped forward in this case.

“This was a guy who had really, really gone over the edge,” La Russa said of the fan. “So I’m very pleased that Garrett told him to give it a rest [for the sake] of the ladies on the bus, told him he should shut his mouth.”

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For each of three NLCS games played at home, the Giants gave a former star the honor of throwing out the first pitch. Pitcher Dave Dravecky got Game 3, pitcher Roger Craig Game 4 and outfielder Bobby Bonds, Barry’s father, Game 5.