Since the Philadelphia Phillies are off today, I was jonesing for baseball and decided to look at some numbers. When Charlie Manuel was fired, the Phillies were 53-67 for a .442 winning percentage 120 games into the 2013 season. Certainly, that is no good, but in the 8 seasons prior, Manuel was a combined 727-569 for a .561 winning percentage. To put that another way, the team won an average of 91 games/year under Charlie and averaged 71 losses. In 9 full seasons with the Phils, Charlies teams finished in 1st place in their division 5 times, 2nd place twice, and 3rd once. Since Ryne Sandberg took over as field manager, the Phillies are a combined 69-85 over two seasons for a winning percentage of .448; one fewer win over those 154 games and Sandbergs winning percentage would be mathematically identical to Charlies in his last year with the Phils. What does all of this mean? It means that this team is bad. It is bad partly because they are old; it is bad partly because key players have been injured over the last 3 seasons: Chase, Ryan, Doc, Cliff Lee, I could go on. But all teams get older; every team deals with injuries. The biggest reason why this team is bad is because it has been mismanaged. Aging and injured players have not been replaced, and there is no cavalry coming from up from the minors to save the day let alone a season. Even if there are free agents to sign, will this team go out and get anyone except for a Delmon Young or a Marlon Byrd? One worked out; one did not. Dom Brown is a Phillie, and Hunter Pence is not. This team has struggled to score runs since the 2009 World Series. 2009!!!!!! And the ridiculous cherry on top is the fact that the Phillies who should have been sellers at the 2014 trade deadline -- who should have blown up the whole team and started from scratch -- who should have at least brought in watchable, entertaining players to put butts in seats for the next 2 months -- couldnt even manage 1 trade to improve this team at present or improve its prospects for the future. Ruben Amaro, please do yourself and the Philadelphia region a series of favors: take a good long look in the mirror, evaluate yourself as unkindly as you did Charlie, and ask yourself one, damn, question: would you fire you? Then write and submit your resignation. You are a Phillie through and through. From batboy to player to executive. I am sure the organization can find a way for you to contribute to the team that has been your entire life. But, please, please, walk away because you are killing this phucking team.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 00:51:48 +0000
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