Only two weeks into the season and certain trends are already emerging.  The Braves are atop their division looking like they always do, a real contender and a team that makes all the right off season moves.  The Mets are right there as well as they should be while the Phillies are at the bottom.  My contention is not that the Phils do not have a decent team, but they have not had a decent manager in years.  It behooves me to ask the question, "Why is Joe Girardi still not hired by anyone to manage a team?" 

He took the Marlins deep into the Wild Card chase with a payroll less than Barry Bonds' one year salary, and was the NL manager of the year.  The Marlins reward Joe by firing him.  He is great with pitchers and he is not afraid to stand up to ownership if he is the skipper of the team.  He is just the kind of guy I would want running my team if I owned one, but I am not an owner.  I thought he should have gotten serious consideration from the Cubbies, but I have no problem with their selection for manager.

With that said, who could really use Joe in the clubhouse?  In my opinion, the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay all need managerial changes.   No one would be better suited to get another chance than Joe Girardi.  If I were a GM, I would be giving this guy a good look.  I think the only way the Phillies get any better is if they make a managerial change and Joe is looking pretty good to me right now if I am Pat Gillick.

SoCalSportsFan

At the end of every professional sports season the same thing happens.  General Managers and owners fire coaches and then go through the list of recycled coaches and replace them on franchises that continue to struggle with the hopes that any change will rescuscitate a dying team. Newsflash!  It doesn’t work.

 

Dusty Baker is not the answer for the San Diego Padres.  Bruce Bochy is not the answer for the San Francisco Giants.  Buck Showalter is not the savior for any other franchise.  These baseball managers could not bring a pennant to the cities they managed in before and they won’t bring one home in their new digs.  The fact is that winning at this level is codependent on a General Manager who is willing to spend the money on players and make wise player personnel moves.  (I have a sneaking su####ion that Dusty is going to end up as the Padres new manager, but I personally think he is ready to go to the broadcasting booth.  He may win in his first year, but then he tends to settle in and just coast.  I hope the Padres have better sense, but realistically they will just do the West Coast Shuffle)

 

Case in point:  The Padres have Kevin Towers as the General Manager and what did he do to improve the team at the trade deadline?  He brought in Todd Walker from the Cubs.  Walker had already lost his starting job at 2nd base with the Cubs, so they bring him in to play third base for the Padres.  That makes as much sense as wearing a rain coat to keep you dry when you go scuba diving.  It was not a good fit. 

 

The Pirates gave away all of their talent this year and they raised the white flag long before the All-Star Break.  Jim Tracy is not the reason they will not win at Three River’s stadium next year, but if he loses for another season you can bet that he will join the ranks of Dusty Baker, Felipe Alou, Buck Showalter, and Joe Girardi looking for a new gig. (If I were the GM for the Padres, I would snag Joe Girardi before anyone else does. He is good for the game and an exciting new face.)

 

Teams like the White Sox took a chance on new blood a few years ago and they won a title.  Sure they could have settled for the same old retreads that are shuffled around the league, but they didn’t and it made all the difference.  The NY Mets went to someone new and at least they made it into the NLCS finals. 

 

Baseball is just one example.  The NBA is by far the worst league to shuffle coaches around every season, but it is the new guys making an impact.  Avery Johnson and Mike D’Antoni are just two of the bright spots on the NBA horizon.  Guys like Mike Fratello, Lenny Wilkens, and Don Nelson always seem to land a job, but it is the new blood that excites me.  If all you want is someone to collect a paycheck, bring back Doug Moe.  Better yet, hire me to baby sit these superstar athletes.  I will do it for a lot less money and I will guarantee the same results.

SoCalSportsFan