GaryMrMets
07-29-2004, 03:58 PM
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/9268801.htm
Posted on Thu, Jul. 29, 2004
Rich Hofmann | Playing with ire
As tension rises, Bowa's fate is in hands of his players
hofmanr@phillynews.com
MIAMI - The door to the woodshed opened yesterday afternoon, with Rheal Cormier leaving and reporters entering. They found Phils manager Larry Bowa inside, still dressed in his street clothes. And they wondered.
"What, did you think I was quitting?" he asked, laughing.
Outside in the clubhouse, the criticism continued, somewhere now between a drip, drip, drip and a drumbeat. The talk was of a negative atmosphere surrounding the Phillies, of an unnecessary tension. But rather than the anonymous, intramural grousing that has flared up at times during Bowa's tenure, there now were names attached to the criticisms: Cormier, Billy Wagner and Roberto Hernandez. So that was different.
This, though, is the same: that the players hold Bowa's fate in their hands, just as they did after last year's infamous blowup in Montreal, just as they have since the beginning.
"What am I going to worry about?" Bowa said, when the subject turned to his job status. "It's a waste of energy...
"I think these guys are playing as hard as they can play. We're giving everything we have. I don't think we're making moves that are stupid. A manager tries to make the moves to run his team, and that's what we're doing."
That this manager would become an issue at some point was a given, as sure as the night following the day. And, well, here we are. When Bowa told reporters the other night that he was "embarrassed" after his team's 12th straight loss at Pro Player Stadium, it was a certainty that feelings in his clubhouse would be bruised. The only one who didn't seem to know that was him.
"It's amazing how everything is dissected after one loss here," Bowa said, before last night's game against the Marlins.
"Everything else has been cool for 100 games and now you guys are going to dissect everything for one game...
"I didn't rip anybody, I said I'm embarrassed. And you know what? That is me. That's me. That's my personality. I'm embarrassed. Does that mean they're not playing hard? No. That does not mean that...
"If you want to run with it, run with it," he said. "If you want to say it's frustration out of 12 losses, say it's frustration. If you want to bury me, bury me. I don't care. I give you guys what I feel. I'm embarrassed. That's me. That's me."
And now it's 13 straight, after last night's 6-3 loss. All of which means that Bowa must be more embarrassed.
We have been here before, of course - more than once, frankly. The most famous time was last year, after Bowa blew up at his team one August afternoon in Montreal during an epic downspiral. It was a gamble - the players could have taken ownership of the situation or they could have folded, with rather negative consequences for the manager's long-term employment prospects. But it paid off for Bowa - the team started winning again, and competed for a wild-card playoff berth until the final week of the season.
That's the key point here, and always has been. Specifically: that even if there are players who don't like the atmosphere surrounding the team - and there are - there is no evidence that Bowa is an impediment to winning.
And now, well, the theory will be tested again.
"Where have you seen signs of our team quitting?" Bowa asked, at one point. "They haven't and they won't...
"Write whatever you have to write," Bowa said. "This team is second in come-from-behind wins, or whatever. I think that speaks to how they don't quit...
"I don't have anything to respond to - these guys play hard. That's how I respond to it. They're ready to play."
On the subject of atmosphere, and embarrassment, and frustration, Bowa spoke at some length. His goal clearly was to attempt to defuse the situation. He said, "I understand that when players are frustrated, they're going to say whatever they have to say, and that's fine. I was a player. That's fine. That's fine. That's fine. I have no problem with that."
But he also talked about how he believed managers and coaches were allowed their frustrations, too. And he said, "Everybody's personality is different. No one's asking players to change their personality - everyone's got their own personality. The second thing is, no one's asking the coaches to change their personality. They have their personalities.
"You've just got to deal with it," Bowa said. "You make a lot of money, deal with it."
Losing creates tension.
Uncertainty about trades as the deadline approaches creates tension. The manager saying he is embarrassed creates tension, whether he wants to admit it.
It really has been a unique confluence of circumstances the last couple of days for this team.
Still, though, even amid this swirl, some things don't change. Specifically: that on the subject of Larry Bowa, the players' actions will speak louder than their words.
http://www.philly.com/images/philly/dailynews/9272/85973052032.jpg
Larry Bowa says his players have to learn to deal with the personalities of him and his coaches.
Posted on Thu, Jul. 29, 2004
Rich Hofmann | Playing with ire
As tension rises, Bowa's fate is in hands of his players
hofmanr@phillynews.com
MIAMI - The door to the woodshed opened yesterday afternoon, with Rheal Cormier leaving and reporters entering. They found Phils manager Larry Bowa inside, still dressed in his street clothes. And they wondered.
"What, did you think I was quitting?" he asked, laughing.
Outside in the clubhouse, the criticism continued, somewhere now between a drip, drip, drip and a drumbeat. The talk was of a negative atmosphere surrounding the Phillies, of an unnecessary tension. But rather than the anonymous, intramural grousing that has flared up at times during Bowa's tenure, there now were names attached to the criticisms: Cormier, Billy Wagner and Roberto Hernandez. So that was different.
This, though, is the same: that the players hold Bowa's fate in their hands, just as they did after last year's infamous blowup in Montreal, just as they have since the beginning.
"What am I going to worry about?" Bowa said, when the subject turned to his job status. "It's a waste of energy...
"I think these guys are playing as hard as they can play. We're giving everything we have. I don't think we're making moves that are stupid. A manager tries to make the moves to run his team, and that's what we're doing."
That this manager would become an issue at some point was a given, as sure as the night following the day. And, well, here we are. When Bowa told reporters the other night that he was "embarrassed" after his team's 12th straight loss at Pro Player Stadium, it was a certainty that feelings in his clubhouse would be bruised. The only one who didn't seem to know that was him.
"It's amazing how everything is dissected after one loss here," Bowa said, before last night's game against the Marlins.
"Everything else has been cool for 100 games and now you guys are going to dissect everything for one game...
"I didn't rip anybody, I said I'm embarrassed. And you know what? That is me. That's me. That's my personality. I'm embarrassed. Does that mean they're not playing hard? No. That does not mean that...
"If you want to run with it, run with it," he said. "If you want to say it's frustration out of 12 losses, say it's frustration. If you want to bury me, bury me. I don't care. I give you guys what I feel. I'm embarrassed. That's me. That's me."
And now it's 13 straight, after last night's 6-3 loss. All of which means that Bowa must be more embarrassed.
We have been here before, of course - more than once, frankly. The most famous time was last year, after Bowa blew up at his team one August afternoon in Montreal during an epic downspiral. It was a gamble - the players could have taken ownership of the situation or they could have folded, with rather negative consequences for the manager's long-term employment prospects. But it paid off for Bowa - the team started winning again, and competed for a wild-card playoff berth until the final week of the season.
That's the key point here, and always has been. Specifically: that even if there are players who don't like the atmosphere surrounding the team - and there are - there is no evidence that Bowa is an impediment to winning.
And now, well, the theory will be tested again.
"Where have you seen signs of our team quitting?" Bowa asked, at one point. "They haven't and they won't...
"Write whatever you have to write," Bowa said. "This team is second in come-from-behind wins, or whatever. I think that speaks to how they don't quit...
"I don't have anything to respond to - these guys play hard. That's how I respond to it. They're ready to play."
On the subject of atmosphere, and embarrassment, and frustration, Bowa spoke at some length. His goal clearly was to attempt to defuse the situation. He said, "I understand that when players are frustrated, they're going to say whatever they have to say, and that's fine. I was a player. That's fine. That's fine. That's fine. I have no problem with that."
But he also talked about how he believed managers and coaches were allowed their frustrations, too. And he said, "Everybody's personality is different. No one's asking players to change their personality - everyone's got their own personality. The second thing is, no one's asking the coaches to change their personality. They have their personalities.
"You've just got to deal with it," Bowa said. "You make a lot of money, deal with it."
Losing creates tension.
Uncertainty about trades as the deadline approaches creates tension. The manager saying he is embarrassed creates tension, whether he wants to admit it.
It really has been a unique confluence of circumstances the last couple of days for this team.
Still, though, even amid this swirl, some things don't change. Specifically: that on the subject of Larry Bowa, the players' actions will speak louder than their words.
http://www.philly.com/images/philly/dailynews/9272/85973052032.jpg
Larry Bowa says his players have to learn to deal with the personalities of him and his coaches.