Lou "The Volcano" Piniella and 10 Other Symbolic Skippers

This slideshow will cover symbols of managers for the 2009 MLB season. Of course, some of the symbols will be easy to recognize and others not so much. It will include all managers in the 2009 season, meaning that the managers who have been fired already count.

This slideshow will cover nicknames that would symbolize their managing style. Each picture will represent the nickname of the manager, and some of the pictures will be easier to recognize than others.

Honorable Mentions

Here's a look at the honorable mentions:
The Figurehead: Joe Girardi, New York Yankees. If the Yankees struggle and do not make the post season again, Giradi's days with the team may be numbered.

Inept: Jerry Manuel, New York Mets. With the team struggling and the front office in shambles, the Mets are in serious trouble, and to make matters worse, the Mets are clearly out of contention for the National League East division crown.

Goat: Clint Hurdle, Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies had a rough start to the season, and Clint Hurdle got his share of the blame. He was fired after 46 games with the Rockies, going 18-28 during that time.

Some of the frustrations surrounding Hurdle was his benching of some of the more proven players after their slow starts to the season. Another could have been the Rockies struggling to find a bat to replace the traded Matt Holliday, so Hurdle had a hard time replacing the production in the lineup as well.

With the firing of Hurdle it lead to the hiring of...

Hope: Jim Tracy, Colorado Rockies

Jim Tracy took over for the struggling Rockies team. From the start, he injected a new life into the team and now there seems to be a new hope for the Rockies. Since the firing of Clint Hurdle, Tracy has lead the Rockies to a 36-17 record.

So, with the Los Angeles Dodgers pretty much running away with the National League West, the Rockies are hoping to keep up the pace so they can win the Wild Card.

Failure: Manny Acta, Washington Nationals

To be fair to Manny Acta, the Nationals aren't going anywhere. They have some good young players, but none of them are really ready for the Major League level.

They do have some proven Major League hitters, but even with that, the team doesn't have good enough pitchers to compete every night at the Major League level, yet.

He was fired with a 26-61 record, and Jim Riggleman replaced him, but even with that move, there's still no hope for the floundering franchise.

Listless: Eric Wedge, Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians were supposed to be vying for the division title, but have had a tremendously poor showing this year. Injuries have played a role, Grady Sizemore hasn't produced, Travis Hafner has hit when he's been in the lineup (but he's also missed games due to injury), and Ryan Garko was just traded to the San Francisco Giants.

Cliff Lee has been the most consistent starter, but Fausto Carmona hasn't pitched very well, and the Indians are starting to put in some of their younger players since the season is basically over for them.

There's been rumors and grumblings from Indian fans wanting Wedge to be fired. The Indians own a record of 42-58.

Ignorance: Bob Geren, Oakland Athletics

Quite possibly there is no worse manager in baseball than Bob Geren. Geren's ignorance manifests itself in several key ways: He doesn't know how to read a scouting report, he keeps his young pitchers in for far too long, and under his direction, the A's haven't played with any passion.

Geren doesn't relate very well to his players, and he's far too happy about making them like him, to the point that it sacrifices performance on the field. The A's current record is 41-57.

The Enterainer: Ozzie Guillen, Chicago White Sox

Ozzie Guillen is the most colorful manager in baseball. He's definitely a quotable manager and he isn't afraid to let an umpire know when they make a bad call.

After a slow start with some rumblings about whether Guillen would stay on as manager, the White Sox have played better baseball. Most recently notable is the perfect game by Mark Buehrle.

Right now the White Sox are sitting at 51-49.

Fundamentally Sound: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays may have been the surprise of the decade last year after making it to the World Series to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. Even more amazing is the fact that the team won the American League East division over teams such as the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

Under Maddon, the Rays play fundamentally sound baseball. They have players that can steal bases, hit home runs, and most importantly, they are sound defensively. There aren't very many flaws for the Rays.

Maddon so far this year has a record of 54-46.

The Constant: Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Mike Scioscia has led the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for awhile now. Scioscia likes to use pesky type hitters in his lineup and he has some power hitters as well. He uses what he's got to his advantage, calling for hit and runs and stolen bases, and he has a solid pitching staff.

With all the injuries and the tragic loss of life the Angels suffered early in the season, it is a testament to Scioscia that the Angels are now on top of the American League West division with a 58-40 record.

Steady: Tony Larussa, St. Louis Cardinals

Tony Larussa has held the position as Cardinals manager since 1996. Larussa seems to always get the most out of his players. With the addition of Matt Holliday, the Cardinals offense has upgraded big time: Now they can score even when Albert Pujols isn't batting.

With the addition of Holliday, the Cardinals also brought in Julio Lugo as well. Lugo and Holliday have done a great job since being acquired. Even though the Cardinals may have given up a solid young player, the acquisition of Lugo and Holliday will definitely help them win the race to the National League Central division crown.

Larussa currently has a record of 54-48.

The General: Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodgers

Joe Torre is the most respected manager in baseball today. He has the championship rings as leader of the Yankees, and with this year's Dodgers running away with the National League, it looks like there maybe another World Series ring on Torre's finger.

The Dodgers have excellent pitching and are offensively tough. Even when Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games, Juan Pierre stepped up, and the Dodgers didn't really miss Ramirez being in the lineup.

The Dodgers currently have a 62-37 record.

The Volcano: Lou Piniella, Chicago Cubs

Lou Piniella is pretty much a volcano ready to explode, especially when a call is missed. Piniella like Guillen, isn't afraid to give an umpire a piece of his mind and has no fear of being ejected.

Although he has calmed down this year, it is just a matter of time before Pineilla blows up at an umpire. Each time it happens, it is definitely entertaining to watch.

He currently has the Cubs in first place with a 52-45 record.