[Syd Thrift]

Cleveland Blues
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Manager: Darryl Davis is one of the best in the business at teaching pitching and is very solid at teaching hitting as well. He handles vets and prime players the best but is great with rookies as well. He's going to teach Bill Hawkins the forkball (I'd teach him the nickel curve/slider but he doesn't throw fast enough), as he is about to go under the threshold at which the game won't let you effectively start. Skills: 200/182/128 for a high B. Result: Excels.

Bench Coach: Mac Bergstrom doesn't really do anything well. Keep him away from hitters. Since there isn't much to lose, he will teach Chad Werrett the art of first base. Skills: 62/74/198 for a C that would have been a D if it weren't for Werrett's great work ethic. Result: Good. Looks like Werrett will be backing up first this year.

Hitting Coach: Bartolome Grafals is also not very good. But he is also cheap! Pass.

Pitching Coach: Colson isn't that great either. Looks like this is pretty much a one-man coaching staff. Pass.

Detroit Tigers
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Manager: Bryan Mertz is pretty good at all three skills, particularly hitting, and does not handle veterans well. His mission: to teach Bob "Pencil Case" Trantham the art of patience. It's a risky move but the kind of thing a young team needs to do. Skills: 129/118/9. Mertz is, how shall we say, stubborn. Yes, Trantham has a 9 work ethic. Yikes. Incidentally, they get a D. Result: Failure.

Bench Coach: Griffin Salomans is really only useful teaching vets how to pitch. Pass. 3/18: With their starting SS out for the next 3 months, Griffin will attempt to instruct 3B Max Fitzgerald in the ways of the position. Skills: 44/90/33, a D. Result: a Failure, which still means he gets a *little* extra experience at the position but is not happy about the ordeal.

Hitting Coach: Richard Canavan has even less utility than Salomans. He is mediocre at teaching rookies how to hit. Pass.

Pitching Coach: Bill Davis is okay at teaching rookies and players how to pitch. Pass.

Louisville Colonels
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Manager: For a reigning league champion, Luis Sanlatte is not much of a manager. He should handle veterans only, and then just for pitching and fielding. Because he likes to tinker, he will work with Kelan Quarton on learning the Curve Ball. Skills: 83/89/27 for a D. This will not work out well. Result: A costly Failure.

Bench Coach: Vittorio Brando is adequate at teaching pitching and is best with older players. Pass.

Hitting Coach: Tim Mitchell is perhaps a better managerial candidate than Luis Sanlatte. He teaches fielding the best and works well with youngsters. He's going to teach Zander Bostic to Chop at the Ball. Skills: 105/121/170 (Bostic has a Loyalty of 180 so we used his speed instead) for a C. Result: Good. Maybe Bostic *will* be able to hold that first base job.

Pitching Coach: Benjamin Hitchcock is a one-trick pony, teaching pitching well, especially to older folk. He'll be tasked with teaching Jesse "Rawhide" MacLagan the nickel curve in an attempt to push him back into front-line quality. Skills: 150/165/86, a C thanks to MacLagan's iffy Work Ethic. Result: Good.

New York Giants
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Manager: John McGraw is a stud at teaching hitting especially and works well with all kinds of players. Because this is my game, I am giving him a boost of one letter grade when he teaches Patience is the Key. He will impart his teachings upon young CF Ray Pearl. Skills: 192/165/118, for a B that is magically transformed into an A by McGraw's specialty. Result: The rarest of all outcomes, a Bust! Ray Pearl, we hardly knew ye.

Bench Coach: Dave Dubois must have compromising pictures of the owner or something because there's no good reason why he's on this team. Pass.

Hitting Coach: Luhan Philcox is solid at teaching hitting to all player types. Pass.

Pitching Coach: Don Birtles is a whiz at teaching pitching to older players. He is entrusted with teaching the Circle Change to Nathan Woombill so that he can more effectively pitch in McGraw's 3-man rotation. Skills: 200/171/190. We chose the change-up because Woombill is a very smart man. That is an A. Result: Excels.