To be successful in the world of sports a team and franchise needs to be capable of making changes and adjustments before it is too late. Few organizations can demonstrate that better than the Philadelphia Phillies. In this case, the hope is that it is better later than never.
On Friday manager Ryne Sandberg resigned from his position amid a torturous season. During the abrupt press conference to announce Sandberg’s decision, Pat Gillick had no comment on who would be responsible for hiring the next manager of the Phillies. With Ruben Amaro sitting directly to his left, Gillick had no comment. The “no comment” spoke volumes. More changes were already in the works, and today the next step is the introduction of Andy MacPhail as the new team president.
The common belief is MacPhail will work the rest of the 2015 season getting caught up to speed on the team’s operations by Gillick and, at some point, make his own decisions regarding the general manager. Given the downward trend of the organization and the stripping of some power in the front office, it is expected Amaro will be removed from his position to make room for whomever may be MacPhail’s choice as general manager. Then, I would presume, that new general manager would take charge in hiring a new manager. If not, then that job will be MacPhail’s to handle.
Yes, it is too late to make changes that will magically turn this season around, but we are now getting into position to see how this team will be led into the future. Are there pieces that will be seen as valuable enough to keep in the club under the new president and general manager? What kind of manager will ultimately be given the task of putting together the line-up ona daily basis and, more importantly, how will that manager handle the bullpen? There is plenty fo room for improvement across the field with the Phillies, and getting back to a championship contending bar could take time. But there is no better time to start working on the next master plan than right now.
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