Five of Eight ML Baseball Playoff Teams have Italian Managers

Mike Scioscia of the LA Angels, (2000- 2009), Joe Torre of the LA Dodgers, (2008-09),Tony Francona of the Boston Red Sox, (2004- 2009), Tony La Russa Jr of St. Louis Cardinals,(1996- 2009), Joe Girardi of New York Yankees (2008-2009).

The other three managers and teams are Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins, Jim Tracy of the Colorado Rockies, and Charlie Manuel of the Philadelphia Phillies

Mike Scioscia of the LA Angels, (1999- 2009)

Since 1999, he has served as the manager of the Los Angeles Angels, which was his FIRST Manager assignment, Scioscia led the Angels to their first World Series championship in 2002 as a wild card entry, as well as to American League West division titles in 2004 (their first since 1986) 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009. (In 10 years has only had a losing record twice.and was 97-65 in 2009. Ist in American League 5 of last 6 years.

Joe Torre of the LA Dodgers, (2008-09)

In 2008, Dodgers had first post season series victory since 1988. Torre's Dodgers were beaten in the NLCS four games to one by the Phillies (who went on to win the World Series) In 2009 the Dodgers had the National League's best record (95-67), clinching the top seed in the NL. The Dodgers will face Torre's old club the Cardinals in the NL Division Series. Torre was formerly with the NY Yonkers :) 1996-2007. The Yankees won 4 World Championships, 6 American League Pennants, and his team entered the Playoffs 12 times in a row. He also managed the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

NY Mets. In May 1977, Torre, who was playing third base for the Mets, was chosen as Manager, and decided to retire as a player.Torre closed out his 18-year playing career with a .297 batting average, 252 home runs, 1,185 RBIs and 2,342 hits Torre managed the Mets through the 1981 season, but was unable to post a winning season,

Atlanta Braves, In 1982, Torre took over as manager and went on to finish 89-73 and capture the NL Western Division title, its first playoff appearance since the 1969 NLCS. In the NLCS against the Cardinals, the Braves were swept. The Braves slipped to second place in 1983, but their 88-74 record was just one game off the previous season, and marked the first consecutive winning seasons for the organization since moving from Milwaukee in 1966. Atlanta slipped to 80-82 the following season, (1984) but again finished runner-up in the division (tied with Houston Astros).

Torre spent the 1985-1990 seasons as a television analyst for the California Angels

St Louis Cardinals. In 1990, Torre was appointed manager and posted a 351-354 record. Though the Cardinals were unable to reach the playoffs during Torre's tenure, they had winning records in each of the three full seasons he spent with the club. Despite a last place prediction from many commentators, the Cardinals finished in second place and won 84 games in 1991, Torre's first full season at the helm. His best record was 87- 75 in 1993. Torre was fired in June 1995.

.New York Yankees (1996-2007) Torre served as the Yankees manager under the controversial owner George Steinbrenner, who was famous for frequently firing his team's managers. Torre lasted 12 full seasons, managing 1,942 regular season games (with a won-loss record of 1173-767). and took the team to the post-season playoffs every one of his twelve seasons with the club, winning six American League pennants and four World Series. This was by far the longest tenure for a Yankees skipper in the Steinbrenner era. Torre's was the second-longest managerial tenure in the club's history: only Joe McCarthy lasted longer. Torre got off to a rough start with the Yankees. The New York City press (and fans) thought his hiring was a colossal mistake and greeted him with headlines such as "Clueless Joe."

With 2,246 wins (through the end of the 2009 season), he presently ranks 5th in all-time Major League Baseball all-time managerial wins. His managerial success, particularly his achievements with the Yankees, have led many commentators to predict Torre to be a first-ballot Baseball Hall of Famer upon his eligibility.

Tony Francona of the Boston Red Sox ,(2004- 2009)

In 2004 Francona led the Red Sox to a 98- 64 record , the second-best record in the American League behind the division-rival Yankees. . As the American League wild card, the Red Sox dispatched the AL West champion Anaheim Angels.in the Division Series. In the 2004 American League Championship Series, the Red Sox fell behind the Yankees, three games to none,However, the club regained its composure and won the last four games of the series, the first time in Major League Baseball history that a team rallied from an 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series (only the third team to even make it as far as Game 6, and the only team to even force a game 7 after trailing a series three games to zero). The Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-0, to win the 2004 World Series, ending the so-called Curse of the Bambino, believed by many to be the reason behind the franchise's 86-year championship drought. During the 2005 season, Francona was hospitalized after complaining of severe chest pains.

In 2007, two years later, the Sox won the American League East Division, finishing two games ahead of the New York Yankees. Under Francona's leadership, the Sox swept the Angels in the Division Series before dropping three of the first four games to the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS. The Sox, facing elimination, went on to win their next three games, defeating Cleveland to advance to the 2007 World Series, where the Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies in four games to win the 2007 World Series. Terry Francona is the only manager in Major League history to win his first eight consecutive World Series games and just the second manager to guide two Red Sox clubs to World Series titles, the other being Bill "Rough" Carrigan who led Boston to back-to-back championships in 1915 and 1916.

As of October 1, 2008, Francona's career regular-season managerial record is 755 -703 (.518), while his post-season record is 22-9 (.710). Among managers who have managed at least 20 post-season games, he has the highest winning percentage.

Tony La Russa Jr of St. Louis Cardinals (1996- 2009)

LaRussa earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Florida State University College of Law. La Russa started his managerial career in 1979 with the White Sox until 1986, after which he managed The Oakland Athletics to three consecutive World Series, from 1988 to 1990, winning from the San Francisco Giants in 1989. In 1988 and 1990, La Russa's Athletics lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds. He earned two additional Manager of the Year awards with the A's, in 1988 and 1992, again winning the Western Division in the latter year. After the 1995 season, La Russa left to take over for Joe Torre at the helm of the St. Louis Cardinals.

In his first campaign with the Cardinals, in 1996, La Russa clinched the National League's Central Division pennant (and also finished National League Runner-Up), a feat his club repeated in 2000, 2001, 2002 (his fourth Manager of the Year award), 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2009 (the Cardinals also tied for the National League Central crown with the Houston Astros in 2001). He became the first manager to win the award four times. La Russa's fourth Manager of the Year award was arguably the most emotional; La Russa led the Cardinals to the National League Championship Series (where they would ultimately lose in five games to the San Francisco Giants) in a year in which the Cardinals were traumatized by the deaths of beloved Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck and 33-year-old pitcher Darryl Kile just four days later.

In 2004, the Cardinals won the National League pennant, accruing a first place overall record of 105-57. After defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers,in the National League Division Series, and the Houston Astros, in the NLCS, they went to the World Series for the first time since 1987, where they played the Boston Red Sox, but were swept, and because the American League had home-field advantage, La Russa and the Cardinals ended up seeing their home field as the place the Curse of the Bambino died.

2006 saw a return to the World Series, this time with victory over the Detroit Tigers, The team's 83-78 regular season record is the worst ever by an eventual World Series champion, usurping the 1987 Minnesota Twins' 85-77 campaign. La Russa is now the second manager to win a World Series in both the American League and the National League - a distinction shared with his mentor, Sparky Anderson

Joe Girardi of New York Yankees (2008-2009)

In 2005, after rejecting an offer to become the bench coach of the Florida Marlins with a guarantee to become the team's manager in 2006 (although he would eventually get that job anyway), he became the Yankees' bench coach. He even managed a game during a Joe Torre suspension.

After the 2005 regular season, Girardi was named the manager of the Florida Marlins. As a first-time manager for the Marlins, Girardi guided the team into a surprising wild card contention (finishing with a 78-84 record) even though the team had the lowest payroll in Major League Baseball, approximately $14 million for 2006. Despite the success Girardi achieved in his first year as manager, he was nearly fired in early August when he got into a vocal (and visible) argument with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria during a game.when the Marlins owner was heckling homeplate umpire Larry Vanover. When the umpire warned Girardi about the harassment, Girardi turned to Loria and asked him to stop. Loria had to be talked out of firing Girardi immediately after the game. On October 3, 2006, the Marlins announced that they had fired Girardi.

Girardi was at the top of many teams' list of manager candidates. Girardi was thought to be among the leading candidates to replace Yankee manager Joe Torre after the Yankees' loss in the 2006 American League Division Series, but Torre remained with the Yankees. He was also a candidate for the Chicago Cubs manager position but the Cubs chose to go with veteran manager Lou Piniella. Girardi took himself out of the running for the Washington Nationals' managerial job shortly thereafter and returned to the broadcast booth Despite Girardi's firing, he was rewarded for his achievements with the Marlins in 2006 with the National League Manager of the Year Award and The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award for the National League.

In June 2007, Girardi was interviewed for the Orioles managerial position (left vacant by the firing of Sam Perlozzo), but later passed on the Orioles' offer . Many opined that Girardi would be the next Yankee manager. On October 22, Girardi was the first to interview for the Yankees manager job. Girardi was reported to be the Yankees' managerial choice on October 29, and he officially accepted the deal on October 30

Girardi's first year as Yankee manager was met with disappointment as it was the first time in 14 years the Yankees did not reach the postseason. In his second year as manager, he led the Yankees to a 103-win season and the Yankees' first AL East title since 2006.