By Vegas Dave
Martha Stewart?s initial indictment was an attention absorbing headline that grabbed the interest of many but her recent convictions of the same four felonies have garnered as little notice as the Philadelphia Phillies paltry season. Once a pristine role model in the eyes of many members of the female gender, an ill-advised decision to deal stock has diminished her status, and could send Martha on a vacation to the crossbar hotel. While bartering self-owned shares did prove to be troublesome, nobody would have complained had she sold stock in the Philadelphia Phillies accomplishments this season.
Last year, the Phillies miscarried the playoffs by only five games, and after Jose Mesa and the relievers were tagged with most of the blame, management adopted Roberto Hernandez, Tim Worrell and Billy Wagner to abort gossip of a leaky bullpen. As the Atlanta Braves and the Florida Marlins divested critical components off their rosters, and the New York Mets were still perceived to be riding on training wheels, the Phillies grew as the NL East favorite. Fast forward a couple of dates past the All-Star break, and this publicized contender is tightly hugging onto first place. No team in all of baseball has so subtly Houston Astro-ed like the Philadelphia Phillies this season, and in Philadelphia fanatic fashion, it?s about time to start looking for blame.
Extensive searches are not required to find a scapegoat on this team, just look for the sheep who has the loudest ?baaa? in the Phillies clubhouse, Larry Bowa.
A manager is a unique individual who has the power to make your workplace either a productive paradise, or an execrable environment. After all, the manager is a leader in the organization, and the characteristics of their behaviors trickle down to the working bees. If a boss is encouraging, proficient and friendly, an employee feels virtuous about a solid effort. Would anyone grimace working under Ronald McDonald? When a manager is unpleasant, unexciting and unprofessional, breaks can?t be long enough, offices can?t be big enough, and energy levels drop to Vince Carter lows.
?I don?t think you need to push a lot of these guys. They?re self-motivated. They?re competitors. They know what it?s all about? said Bowa before about his newly assembled squad the 2004 season began.
Well maybe he?s right. I mean who?s to say that Jim Thome and his .200 batting average with runners in scoring position needs a kick in the arse, or that a starting pitching staff that was expected to class with the pinnacle rotations in the National League, yet places 25th in innings pitched per start (5.7) deserves a scolding.
Though Larry Bowa does push, sometimes too much, Peter Gammons doesn?t have to drawl it out for us to realize that Bowa is pressing the wrong buttons. His unstable, and fidgety manner has never been a paradigm for team chemistry as he incessantly gets under the skin of his players. Public outbursts with ex-Phillies Scott Rolen and Jose Mesa, and squabbles with the fifty-million dollar man Pat Burrell lay hints as to how the players feel about their coach.
?You want to know what chemistry is?? barked Bowa. ?Moving that [wins] column on the left every day. That?s what chemistry is.?
If that?s the case, then Larry should double-check Mendeleev?s Periodic Table of Elements to appreciate what chemistry truly is because his team is not winning, and his fitful Mike Tyson-like demonstrations are not bringing the molecules of this team any close.
Larry Bowa-constrictor has choked all the enthusiasm out of this team, and shaped an execrable environment. The shortage on this team is not talent, or insufficient innings pitched per start, rather the required alteration is much smaller. Simply a coach who can properly communicate with his athletes to build an agreeable atmosphere that breeds success. Like Darryl Sutter is to the Calgary Flames, like Bill Belichick is the New England Patriots, or like Jack McKeon was to the 2003 Florida Marlins, the Phillies necessitate a pious voice that they can rally around and overachieve.
For a team that has most of the pieces in place to win a championship, drastic changes are not obligatory. The Phillies need to come to grips with the same affirmation that Tom Cruise?s character in the movie Vanilla Sky finally grasps near the end of the movie:
?The little things?there?s nothing bigger, is there??
Then they can finally wake up to their potential and stop dreaming.
Vanilla Sky, and Larry Bowa, mix like Mondays and me.
?I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?" - Ernest Hemingway
Martha Stewart?s initial indictment was an attention absorbing headline that grabbed the interest of many but her recent convictions of the same four felonies have garnered as little notice as the Philadelphia Phillies paltry season. Once a pristine role model in the eyes of many members of the female gender, an ill-advised decision to deal stock has diminished her status, and could send Martha on a vacation to the crossbar hotel. While bartering self-owned shares did prove to be troublesome, nobody would have complained had she sold stock in the Philadelphia Phillies accomplishments this season.
Last year, the Phillies miscarried the playoffs by only five games, and after Jose Mesa and the relievers were tagged with most of the blame, management adopted Roberto Hernandez, Tim Worrell and Billy Wagner to abort gossip of a leaky bullpen. As the Atlanta Braves and the Florida Marlins divested critical components off their rosters, and the New York Mets were still perceived to be riding on training wheels, the Phillies grew as the NL East favorite. Fast forward a couple of dates past the All-Star break, and this publicized contender is tightly hugging onto first place. No team in all of baseball has so subtly Houston Astro-ed like the Philadelphia Phillies this season, and in Philadelphia fanatic fashion, it?s about time to start looking for blame.
Extensive searches are not required to find a scapegoat on this team, just look for the sheep who has the loudest ?baaa? in the Phillies clubhouse, Larry Bowa.
A manager is a unique individual who has the power to make your workplace either a productive paradise, or an execrable environment. After all, the manager is a leader in the organization, and the characteristics of their behaviors trickle down to the working bees. If a boss is encouraging, proficient and friendly, an employee feels virtuous about a solid effort. Would anyone grimace working under Ronald McDonald? When a manager is unpleasant, unexciting and unprofessional, breaks can?t be long enough, offices can?t be big enough, and energy levels drop to Vince Carter lows.
?I don?t think you need to push a lot of these guys. They?re self-motivated. They?re competitors. They know what it?s all about? said Bowa before about his newly assembled squad the 2004 season began.
Well maybe he?s right. I mean who?s to say that Jim Thome and his .200 batting average with runners in scoring position needs a kick in the arse, or that a starting pitching staff that was expected to class with the pinnacle rotations in the National League, yet places 25th in innings pitched per start (5.7) deserves a scolding.
Though Larry Bowa does push, sometimes too much, Peter Gammons doesn?t have to drawl it out for us to realize that Bowa is pressing the wrong buttons. His unstable, and fidgety manner has never been a paradigm for team chemistry as he incessantly gets under the skin of his players. Public outbursts with ex-Phillies Scott Rolen and Jose Mesa, and squabbles with the fifty-million dollar man Pat Burrell lay hints as to how the players feel about their coach.
?You want to know what chemistry is?? barked Bowa. ?Moving that [wins] column on the left every day. That?s what chemistry is.?
If that?s the case, then Larry should double-check Mendeleev?s Periodic Table of Elements to appreciate what chemistry truly is because his team is not winning, and his fitful Mike Tyson-like demonstrations are not bringing the molecules of this team any close.
Larry Bowa-constrictor has choked all the enthusiasm out of this team, and shaped an execrable environment. The shortage on this team is not talent, or insufficient innings pitched per start, rather the required alteration is much smaller. Simply a coach who can properly communicate with his athletes to build an agreeable atmosphere that breeds success. Like Darryl Sutter is to the Calgary Flames, like Bill Belichick is the New England Patriots, or like Jack McKeon was to the 2003 Florida Marlins, the Phillies necessitate a pious voice that they can rally around and overachieve.
For a team that has most of the pieces in place to win a championship, drastic changes are not obligatory. The Phillies need to come to grips with the same affirmation that Tom Cruise?s character in the movie Vanilla Sky finally grasps near the end of the movie:
?The little things?there?s nothing bigger, is there??
Then they can finally wake up to their potential and stop dreaming.
Vanilla Sky, and Larry Bowa, mix like Mondays and me.
?I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?" - Ernest Hemingway