Faith, Beer, and Other Things That Interest Geoff

Had last year's team staggered through three different three-game losing streaks this early, "there would have been a lot of grouchy faces," Lieberthal said. But Manuel is a man who doesn't believe in "worrying about the day-to-day wins and losses." He preaches relaxation, happiness, confidence.

His predecessor's idea of fun was 162-0. Manuel, on the other hand, says: "Playing the game right means enjoying the game, being happy. ... When you put that 'you-have-to' on a player, they fail."

"The biggest thing I've noticed," Lieberthal said, "is in the dugout, when things go wrong – say, if you have a bad at-bat – there's still always somebody there to pick you up. Or even if I just did nothing more [behind the plate] than catch five pitches for three outs, I'll come back and hear, 'Attaway, Lieby,' from all the coaches."

Manuel and Dubee have given Lieberthal and the pitchers more freedom than they had under Bowa and Kerrigan – so "there's really been no second-guessing," Lieberthal said. "I'm able to go to the mound more, where before, I was reluctant. I'd just wait for the pitching coach. Now I can enjoy the game a lot more when I'm behind the plate."