It's enjoyable to think of the hate and anger that the Dims would have after Clarence Thomas' nomination to be the Chief Justice and I would also enjoy that.
Nonetheless, I believe Justice Scalia would be a highly superior Chief Justice, marginally better than Justice Thomas and more able to work with the idiots who exist on the Supreme Court. In your face all the time just isn't going to halp things along. Fun to watch though.
I think you may well be right that Scalia would be a more pro-active persuader of other justices in leading the court as chief justice. After the nightmare that Thomas was put through in his confirmation, he has taken a more reserved approach in his work on the court. I don't know whether he would change if he were elevated.