Mike Celizic

Few things in sports are harder to quantify than the value of a baseball manager. We think we know who the good ones are, but in the end, the guy with the most talented team usually has the most success, and the best manager in the business can’t do anything more than the batboy could with a lousy team.

That doesn’t stop us from beating up on the poor fellows when things don’t go the way we believe they should. And sometimes, when things go even better than we said they would, it even forces us to admit that some of these guys really are pretty good.

We’ve got two perfect examples in front of us at the moment. One works in Los Angeles; the other in New York. And though they’re separated by a continent, resident geniuses Joe Torre and Joe Girardi each work in the other’s shadow, their success measured as much by how their own team is doing as by where the other guy’s team is in the standings.

They’re not the only managers who are doing a good job under difficult circumstances. Terry Francona has the Red Sox near the top of the AL East despite having only David Ortiz’s body on hand and not his bat. Jim Leyland has resurrected the Tigers. Tony La Russa continues to be the gold standard. Bobby Cox just keeps plugging along. And Charlie Manuel, maybe the most underrated manager in the game, keeps pushing the right buttons in Philadelphia. And Ron Washington must be doing something right in Texas; the Rangers had the AL’s best record as of Tuesday.

But it’s the connection between Torre and Girardi that makes them stand out. And it’s the distant prospect — little more than a strong hope at this early stage of the season — of a Dodgers-Yankees World Series that gives fans a rooting interest in what they do.

Torre had been a hero for most of his 12 years in New York, but the shine was wearing off his legend as the Yankees failed for his final seven seasons to win the World Series. When he left, as many Yankee fans celebrated as mourned his departure.

Girardi had been the catcher on Torre’s first championship team in 1996. He later coached for Torre, then came back to New York to replace his one-time mentor. Where Torre was known for his unflappable demeanor in the face of raging Steinbrenners, Girardi was known for getting fired in Florida for the crime of winning baseball games — and saying uncomplimentary things about the owner.

Last year, Torre went to Los Angeles, where, with the help of Manny Ramirez, he took the Dodgers to the playoffs while Girardi became the first Yankee manager since 1993 to miss the playoffs.

The pressure at the start of this year was all on Girardi. Torre had nothing left to prove after last year’s performance. But Girardi, as the manager of the first team to play in the new Yankee Stadium, had everything to prove. He missed the playoffs last year, and this year his team staggered out of the gate, bumbling its way to a 13-15 record at one point.

Both have had to face adversity already this year. Girardi’s came early when the pitching staff neglected to show up for the season opener. Chien-Ming Wang, his No. 3 starter, still isn’t right, although he’s working his way back now as a middle reliever. There was no A-Rod to begin the season, and no Jorge Posada for almost a month. Derek Jeter was injured briefly. Mark Teixeira didn’t notice the season had begun until May.

And yet, Girardi held it together. When A-Rod came back, the team started playing better — a lot better. Kid pitchers Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain have pitched well if inconsistently. CC Sabathia found his happy place. Teixeira started hitting. The Yankees, once fighting to stay out of last place, climbed into first place in the AL East.

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