PHILADELPHIA -- When Mike Scioscia was growing up in the area, the Flyers ruled Philly, and the Angels' manager was a rabid fan of Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent and their ferocious, brazen band of "Broad Street Bullies."
Maybe that accounts for Scioscia's enduring tenacity, a quality that has served him well in a profession that offers a lot of challenges and perks, but not much in the way of job security.
The Mariners' dismissal of John McLaren on Thursday underscored Scioscia's remarkable durability as the dean of American League managers, with only the Braves' Bobby Cox and the Cardinals' Tony La Russa longer tenured in their current positions.
"I don't even think about it," said Scioscia.
The Interleague set vs. the Phillies marks the first time Scioscia, the pride of Upper Darby and Springfield High School (class of 1976) has returned to his home turf as a manager.
Since Scioscia was named skipper of the Angels in 2000, he has matched wits with 12 managers of American League West foes.
The Mariners have had five managers (Lou Piniella, Bob Melvin, Mike Hargrove, McLaren and Jim Riggleman), the Rangers four (the late Johnny Oates, Jerry Narron, Buck Showalter and Ron Washington) and the Athletics three (Art Howe, Ken Macha and Bob Geren) over the past nine seasons.
The stability Scioscia has brought to Anaheim in his seven seasons is even more telling. In the nine seasons preceding his arrival, the Angels had seven managers, including interims.
"I enjoy what I'm doing," Scioscia said. "There's a lot of work to do every day. There are a lot of great baseball managers out there. I'm grateful we've had the opportunity to build something here."
There must be something in Scioscia's personality that creates the stability, for it was there in his playing days, as well. Scioscia broke in with the Dodgers in 1980, just four years off the Springfield High campus, and was their catcher for the next 13 seasons, guiding two World Series champions (1981 and '88) and some of the game's premier pitchers, notably Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershier.
Scioscia has managed more games in the Major Leagues, postseason included (1,411), than he played (1,182). He delivered the first World Series championship in Angels franchise history (2002) as a Wild Card, two years before he claimed his first of three AL West titles.
A survivor in a professional mine field, Scioscia liberally spreads the credit around, careful to give none to himself.
"We've had good teams," Scioscia said. "If you're in this profession, the only job security is performance. It's a reflection on the whole organization, player development, [general managers] Bill Stoneman and Tony Reagins ... and [owner] Arte Moreno, who gives us the tools to play well."
Asked if he had any idea how many division managers he's faced in his nine years, Scioscia shook his head. Told the number was 12, he shrugged and said, "I don't think about that stuff."
For Scioscia, it was time to get to work on preparing for the Phillies and the opener of a three-game Interleague series.
The self-described "chubby guy from Philly" would manage just fine, thank you.
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