It’s nice to be at the top, but when that recognition stems from the fact people figure you will fail, it’s not quite as much fun.
Such is the quandary of San Diego Padres manager Bud Black, who tops the ‘Which MLB manager will be fired first in 2012’ odds at one online sportsbook.
Two years removed from NL Manager of the Year honors, Black is 3/1 at Sportsbook to be the first manager canned. The Padre roster is thin.
Brad Mills is the second betting choice at 5/1 but how bad will the Houston Astros have to be to get him fired? Everyone knows they suck. Management must know. Changing the manager couldn’t help them, could it?
In many betting circles, Cincinnati’s Dusty Baker is the best bet here at 11/2 odds. The Reds are favored to win the NL Central, but they just lost closer Ryan Madson for the year and have invested $900 trillion in Joey Votto.
“If that seems like a lot of potential trouble to you, it does to us as well,” said baseball analyst Jack Randall. “There are good teams in this division and when the expectations are high, fingers start pointing quickly.”
And what about Mike Scioscia, bench boss of the Angels. They just brought in Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. Any major stumbles could cost him quickly, because the Angels want to win.
Who will be the first manager to be fired in 2012? Odds courtesy of Sportsbook:
Bud Black, San Diego 3/1
Brad Mills, Houston 5/1
Dusty Baker, Cincinnati 11/2
Buck Showalter, Baltimore 6/1
Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota 6/1
Jim Tracy, Colorado 9/1
Charlie Manuel, Phillies 10/1
Joe Girardi, Yankees 10/1
Bruce Bochy, San Francisco 10/1
Mike Scioscia, Angels 12/1
Watch for all the baseball moneyline action and matchups and trends on every game every day here at OddsShark.com.
