Garner Ready To Erase Managerial Stereotype

To some in baseball circles, National League managers are seen as masters of the double switch, and their American League counterparts as masters of the postgame buffet.

Phil Garner, who has run the show in the Milwaukee Brewers’ dugout since 1992, contends that the perception is flawed. He will spend 162 games next season trying to change it.

After 29 years in the American League, the Brewers will switch to the N.L. Central in 1998 as part of baseball’s mini-realignment. That means new rivals, new ballparks and a whole new designated-hitterless existence for Garner, who has a career record of 437-469 with Milwaukee.

“It’s going to be a challenge for me going to the National League,” Garner said. “But when people say National League managers are better, that’s overrated. I watched the playoffs and World Series this year, and I didn’t think the managers in the National League were aggressive at all.”

Garner, 48, has roots in the National League. He broke into the majors as an infielder with Oakland in 1973, then spent 12 seasons with Pittsburgh, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Garner earned the nickname “Scrap Iron” for his gritty play and has perpetuated that image as a manager. When the Brewers were in the American League, he feuded with Chicago broadcasters Ken Harrelson and Tom Paciorek and didn’t conceal his dislike for ex-White Sox manager Terry Bevington.

As a tactician, Garner has dabbled extensively in little ball. In 1992, the Brewers led the major leagues and set a club record with 256 stolen bases. If the hit-and-run or a sacrifice bunt could help his club win a ballgame, Garner was never hesitant to experiment.