Vogt learning on the job as Guardians manager
CLEVELAND – As a player, Stephen Vogt knew how to wind down after a game and decompress mentally. He went through his checklist of what went right or wrong, then he'd note what he needed to do the next day, and it was on to the next one. Just like that.
As a manager, well, the mind doesn't exactly calm down like it used to, and peace is now at a premium.
“Sleep is very valuable, I'm learning,” Vogt said.
Even with the Guardians leading the AL Central, Vogt's mind never rests.
It was something that former Cleveland skipper Terry Francona used to say: As a manager, you take home that day's game (especially after a loss) to a much greater degree than a player or assistant coach.
It's something Vogt is learning firsthand.
“It's way, way different,” Vogt said. “You think through 26 guys, you think through pregame, you think through postgame, you think through all the different moves, all the different things, the areas for growth, things we did really well. And so, it's a much longer winding down process.
“I care about these guys and I want all of them to be at their best every single day, and how much can I help or can't help, or what are we doing?”
Like any rookie on the field, Vogt is going through a countless number of firsts in the dugout.
He has had to argue a few calls with umpires. When he knows a call needs to be discussed, he jokes that he's had to remind himself it was his job to go out there.
“No, it is weird. It's weird. I'm like, ‘Oh, that's me that has to go do that,'” Vogt said. “I still kind of catch myself from time to time.”
Francona was ejected 50 times in his 23-year managerial career, though his pace slowed just a bit with Cleveland, where he was thrown out 17 times in 11 seasons. Vogt knows it'll happen but doesn't think he'll be a manager who is often heading back to the clubhouse early.
“I do have a temper but it's a pretty long fuse,” Vogt said.