Angels' Next Manager: Day 10: In With the Old...and the New?

Off and running with the second round!

We kick this second round off with Omar Vizquel defeating Roger McDowell by a vote of 43-28 (61% to 39%). Vizquel will await today's winner in the semifinals!

And now, our current leg of the gauntlet. One advanced after defeating the last remaining charter member of the Scioscialist regime, while one took an easier route to victory by defeating a man that's never coached beyond college. They face off today in what could be a closer match than either encountered before.

TIM BOGAR (LAA) vs. BRUCE BOCHY (SFG)

Tim Bogar, who joined our organization as a minor league manager after being passed up for multiple managerial openings, including those in Boston, Houston and Toronto, is absolute managerial fodder and almost completely fits the stereotypical former-major-leaguer-as-a-manager fold: speedy utility infielder that journeyed across a few teams and never really stood out in any particular year, but whose in-game instincts were so remarkable that many marveled at his future in the game as a coach. People like Alex Cora and the aforementioned Vizquel fit that mold as well. He managed the AA team in Little Rock all the way to the final game of the Texas League championship, before succumbing in the final matchup. His ability to manage is undoubted. Plus he's managed the faces that will begin to appear in Anaheim next year and the years thereafter. Familiarity is key in managing--but the same can sometimes be said for complete lack of familiarity.

Bruce Bochy is one of the most accomplished managers of the last ten years--but so is Mike Scioscia, so proceed with caution down that road. Bochy has reached the World Series with two different NL West teams, and seemed to know when it was his time to leave San Diego for a new voice to come in (with a more-than-encouraging nudge from Sandy Alderson at the time), and after a couple of seasons to warm up to his new crew in San Francisco, began to flourish there as well. One could wonder if his message has become stale there as well, or if this is just a down-and-injured year for the defending world champion Giants. Three NL pennants and two of the last three World Series titles seem to say a lot for one's resume as a manager, but is his magic running out with the likes of Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey in the bay? Or could it translate to Anaheim just as well?

This one could be interesting--but I've said that before in matches that end in 90%-to-10% victories. Let's see where this one goes! Vote and discuss!