Why does baseball and soccer refer to their on-field head men as managers while nearly all other team sports refer to them as head coaches?

What defines the responsibilities of a head coach? He is given a team and he is given talent to put on that team. It is his job to insure that talent is trained, conditioned and coordinated into a team. That’s it.

A manager, on the other hand, is given an organization. In soccer and baseball, the “Big Club” is only one of several over which a manager has oversight. Under the “Big Club” are layers of other “clubs” where the talent he will use is trained, conditioned and prepared for the way the “Big Club” plays its game – how it handles the various events that occur during a game or match.

The manager is responsible for insuring the “minor league” teams that feed into his “Big Club” are providing the instruction necessary to know what is expected when different conditions occur. The manager is responsible for putting together the criterion by which not only his “Big Club” players are graded and trained, but also his “minor league” clubs, so that, when players are called up to the “Big Club” from the “minor leagues”, they are prepared to play the game the way the highest-level team is expected to play the game.

So, it would seem that, given the opportunity to bring up one of “his guys”, the manager of the “Big Club” would be excited to give “his guys” the opportunity to succeed. The idea of buying someone else’s stars – bringing in someone else’s training – should be repulsive to a quality, vested manager.

Does Ron Washington even know what is being taught in “his” minor leagues? Does he care? Does he just leave all of that to the general manager or does he have input into how the training programs are built out and implemented in Round Rock, Frisco, Myrtle Beach, Hickory, Spokane and Surprise? Is he vested in these players or are they just a necessary evil he has to put up with until the general manager can get him some “real” talent that he can put on “his” field?

YAWWWWNNNN

Despite in-game decisions and roster configuration, baseball managers have the least control over an individual game's outcome than any other sport. In basketball and football, there are things like "game plans" and "strategies"; in baseball every team mostly plays the same way. Pitchers try to limit runs scoring. Hitters try to generate runs. The defense throws the ball to the appropriate base. That's it.

In 2013, the manager's primary duty is to keep the team together, to be a caretaker. Most managers don't make very much money anyway, so when it comes down to a player vs. a manager the player will generally always win the battle, because he's less dispensable.

"roster configuration" should actually read "lineup construction"

Baseball Mgrs use to play, as well as manage. They still wear uniforms. The only one I
can think of that did not, was Connie Mack. Of course, he was owner also. Like Bill James
book, followed by Ken Burns Baseball DVD's. Great filler, while waiting for spring training.