Seattle’s Scott Servias recently was the second manager to be fired this season. It wasn’t any surprise that the White Sox’s Pedro Grifol earlier was canned, as the putrid team needed to do something to account for their calamity.

There likely will be more to be dismissed at the end of the season, And don’t count out the Phillies’ Rob Thomson or the Yankees’ Aaron Boone depending on their team’s finish.

However, this is a new breed of manager, one many believe that is controlled by the front office through the use of analytics. Gone are the days when we saw managers manage with the “gut Instinct.”

Do you miss the latter choice of managers or the former?

When you turn back the clock, managers were more colorful as well as respected. They controlled the game and there wasn’t any outside interference from the front office.

You can look at the flamboyant Weaver – or the Phillies’ Dallas Green – as well as the strong, silent types such as the Dodgers’ Walter Alston, the Mets’ Gil Hodges, or the Cardinals’ Red Schoendienst. Green’s embolden style was an integral part of the Phillies’ 80 championship.

In this week’s version of my Behind the Plate column - investigating past and present trends of the Phillies, Yankees, and Mets as well as the overall game - I’ll look back at some of the “old school” managers of our time as well as some former Phillies’ skippers who were frequently tossed.

The Kicking and the Tossing: Surprisingly to me at the time this column was being written, there were 157 ejections in the game. It broke down to 80 managers, 52 players, and 25 coaches. The Giants’ Bob Melvin led the managers with six expulsions.

I believe most of them are due to thin-skinned umpires who won’t have any kind of banter with managers, players, and coaches and give them a quick heave-ho. It’s also due in part to the decline of umpiring in recent years. (separate column in the future)

It’s safe to say that we do miss former Orioles skipper Earl Weaver with his turned around hat yelling into the face of any umpire and then kicking dirt on him. There also was Yankees’ manager Billy Martin, who had his share of theatrics during an attack of an umpire.

Or how about former Reds’ manager Lou Pinella unhooking first base and tossing it in the outfield in an August 1990 game? It may have been all in the cards that season for the Reds, as they led wire-to-wire during the season and swept the A’s in the World Series.

Three days later, Cincinnati held a base-tossing contest at a local park, and it proved to be a hit.

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do?: If you were a baseball fan in the 1960s, 70s, and mid-80s, you had the chance to view some fiery managers, who quickly became high -profile ones, unlike today’s current collection.

From 1966 through 1985, Weaver, Martin, Cincinnati’s/Detroit’s Sparky Anderson, St. Louis’/Kansas City’s Whitey Herzog. Chicago’s Leo Durocher, and Pittsburgh’s Danny Murtaugh were among the most recognized managers in the game and were prone to argue their share of calls. Durocher’s time travels back before the 60s.

You can also throw in the Angels/Twins’ Bill Rigney, Toronto’s Bobby Cox, Milwaukee’s Dave Bristol, Milwaukee’s George Bamberger, and Boston’s Dick Williams.

In the American League, Weaver had a total of 68 ejections, and he led the league from 1973 through 1979. He had 10 of them in 75.

During the same time period in the National League, Joe Torre led the league twice with 7 and manager of the Mets in ‘77 and ‘78, and Bristol led the league three times with an overall total of 14 in that span. Anderson led the league twice with an overall total of 11.

As for the Phillies’ leaders, Pat Corrales led the league in ‘82 with four and Frank Lucchesi topped the ‘71 season with three.

Chart Toppers: Who is the all-time leader? It’s Cox, who did most of his damage with the Braves. Battling published alcohol and domestic issues during his time, Cox registered 162 tosses.

Rounding out the top five are John McGraw with 121, Durocher with 100, Weaver with 96, and Tony LaRussa 93.

On the Phillies’ front, Charlie Manuel leads the pack with 41 followed by Jim Fregosi (23), Larry Bowa (22), Gene Mauch (20), and Danny Ozark (14).

Bowa notched 36 overall, receiving eight as a player and five as coach. He also was the last player/manager to be ejected at Clearwater’s fabled Jack Russell Stadium on March 9, 2002.

Philadelphia’s Daily News also ran a contest in 2001 to have a fan name the date of the first game that Bowa would be ejected in his second stint as manager. It took until July 14 to happen, and Bowa reportedly was tired of reading about it in the paper.

1980s and Beyond: In the ‘80s until present day, Cox led the league 12 times in the category, and he had double-digits in 1999 (10) and 2001 (11). Former Pirates’ manager Clint Hurdle led the league three times along with Fregosi and Bell, who both had the same total.

On the other side, former Twins’ leader Ron Gardenhire led the AL eight times, and Boone has led the pack the last three seasons.

Current leaders: Texas’ Bruce Bochy is the active leader with 86, and Melvin has 64. Behind them in the top five are Boone with 40, Colorado’s Bud Black with 37, and Cincinnati’s David Bell with 31.

In terms of the period, we shouldn’t forget Pittsburgh’s and Florida’s Jim Leyland as well as Los Angeles’ Tommy Lasorda.

Hard to Believe, Harry: According to the Phillies’ and Philadelphia A’s annals, inaugural manager Harry Wright (1884-94) didn’t have an ejection in 10 years, and the legendary Connie Mack wasn’t thrown out once in 50 years (1901-50) with the A’s.

A Minor/Major Thought: In one meltdown over an out call, former Red Sox and Nashua Pride manager Butch Hobson bumped an umpire to take first base and deliver it to a fan in the stands. Alexandra Aces manager Ricky Van Asselberg covered home plate with a bucket of sand over balls and strikes.

This Is It: The Phillies have a crucial week ahead with a seven-game homestead, beginning with a three-game set with Houston Monday. They will finish the week with a four-game series with the Braves, who entered Monday’s play six games out.

Final Thought: I feel fortunate to have seen the likes of Weaver, Martin, Anderson, Herzog, Durocher, and barely remembering Casey Stangel. It was a time in the game that we aren’t likely to see again.

Your thoughts? Please email them to tnsports@tnonline.com