So if you didn't know better, you'd think Roger McDowell is trying to spend his fourth season as Braves pitching coach separating himself from his legendary predecessor.

You should know better. McDowell couldn't care less.

Despite operating with a lesser resume and fewer Hall of Famers, McDowell hasn't complained nor flinched since entering the considerable shadow of Leo Mazzone.

"Obviously, I have all the respect in the world for Leo," said McDowell, a pitching coach for two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers' Class AAA team before joining the Braves. "When we played the Braves during spring training, I always made it a point to go over and say 'Hi,' to both [Braves manager Bobby Cox] and Leo and the rest of the staff."

OK. But what about this confusion over Camp Roger, the Camp Formerly Known As Leo or whatever? It must be needless confusion. After all, McDowell shrugged, saying, "It's neither here nor there. It is what it is. Guys come in and throw, and whatever everybody wants to call it, they can call it whatever they want. It's just good that we have it, and we have it available for guys who want to come in."

This also is good: The Braves have McDowell, an impressive reliever for 12 major league seasons through 1996 before he started to prepare for a career as a pitching coach. Now he's reshaping the Braves staff of the post-Cy Young-heavy era, and he's doing so with much help from his mellow personality.

Said veteran third baseman Chipper Jones, glancing around the home clubhouse this week toward the lockers of pitchers, "We've got a lot of young guys in here, and there's some need for some constant baby-sitting. Some of these guys will be taking their diapers off pretty soon as [former NFL coach] Dick Vermeil would say, and we'll see how they blossom."

Thus the presence of McDowell, who prefers softer tones than Mazzone.

"Yeah, Leo got a little frustrated," said Jones, referring to Mazzone, who recently confessed to making a mistake by shoving away 26 years in the Braves' organization four seasons ago to join his best friend, Sam Perlozzo, and big bucks with the Baltimore Orioles.

Added Jones, "You know, to Leo's defense, it's hard not to get a little spoiled when you're running out Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Avery, Neagle."

McDowell has good pitchers instead of great ones. They'll range from the durable Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez to the promising Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson to the iffy Tom Glavine.

That's better than last year, when the Braves' ERA went from one of the National League's best through the early season to one of its worst at the end after injuries and age took their toll.

If this pitching coach thing does the unlikely someday for McDowell and doesn't work out, it's like this: He appeared in an episode of "Seinfeld."

"It was a spoof off the movie 'JFK' about the second shooter," said McDowell, smiling. "I was the second shooter, and I still get a check every time the episode runs."

Thirteen dollars and 50 cents.

Guess McDowell hopes this pitching coach thing keeps working out.

tlmoore@ajc.com

ROGER McDOWELL: THROUGH THE YEARS

Mets 1985-89

Phillies 1989-91

Dodgers 1991-94

The Braves' pitching coach spent 12 seasons in the majors as a top reliever, pitching for five teams (he finished with the Rangers and Orioles). He compiled 159 saves, 70 victories and a 3.30 ERA.