Felipe Alou is exactly the type of manager that the San Francisco Giants need after Dusty Baker.

He's someone who has had success as both a player and a manager in the big leagues. And when he was in Montreal, Alou was one of baseball's best managers.

The players will respect what Alou has done, but the transition will still be difficult. His hardest job will be to convince the players he will not be like Dusty. He will be his own manager, but Dusty was so well-liked. He was in San Francisco for 10 years, and everyone loved him.

It didn't matter who the Giants hired to replace Dusty; the manager would still have to win the players over, whether it's over the winter or this spring. Some players will be upset that Dusty is no longer around. So one of Alou's first jobs will be to track down Barry Bonds in Japan and other veteran players to let them know what he will try to do.

In Montreal, Alou had a reputation for stressing the fundamentals and doing things the right way. He also had a younger group of players who needed to be taught how to play the game. He would get the most out of players, and then they would leave Montreal.

The Giants, however, have mostly veteran players who already know how to play. I'm sure Alou will come in, make sure the players get their work and let them play.

One of Alou's biggest strengths is managing the game. He knows when a pitcher has had enough, when to pinch-hit and when to make moves. We'll have to wait and see if the moves he makes can get the Giants back to the World Series, but in the meantime, he is a good hire for San Francisco.

Future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who is now the head baseball coach at San Diego State, is also a baseball analyst for ESPN.