GaryMrMets
08-01-2004, 07:38 PM
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/9276966.htm
Posted on Fri, Jul. 30, 2004
Swoon Over Miami
By Todd Zolecki
Inquirer Staff Writer
MIAMI - Larry Bowa said he isn't concerned about his job security. If the Phillies continue to lose, he might have to be.
The Phillies suffered a brutal 10-1 loss yesterday to the Florida Marlins at Pro Player Stadium, which resulted in a team meeting behind closed clubhouse doors for 35 minutes. It also completed a four-game sweep by Florida and dropped the floundering Phillies into a second-place tie with the Marlins in the National League East, 31/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves and at least four games behind San Diego in the NL wild-card race.
Phillies general manager Ed Wade sidestepped the issue of Bowa's job status yesterday.
"I'm not going to get into that," said Wade, asked whether he was satisfied with Bowa's performance and whether Bowa remained the right man for the job. "Just because a couple players expressed their frustrations this week, I'm not going to get into 'I'm-satisfied-I'm-not-satisfied' talks on a daily basis."
Nobody is satisfied with the way the Phillies have played lately or where they are in the standings, especially considering the organization sank $93 million into a team that almost every baseball insider expected to dominate a weakened NL East this season.
That seems to be why Bowa called his second team meeting in 11 months.
Is it a last-ditch effort to save the season?
It could be.
The Phillies are 52-50. They were 57-45 at this point last season. They are 6-9 since the all-star break, and 8-13 since July 5, when they had a three-game lead over the New York Mets and Florida in the NL East.
They are only two games over .500 for the first time since June 8. They are 1-11 against the Marlins this year and 3-23 against them in their last 26 meetings.
They have lost 14 straight to the Marlins on the road.
The clubhouse atmosphere has been described as "pins and needles." Phillies pitcher Roberto Hernandez said Wednesday that the Phillies needed a part-time psychiatrist in their clubhouse.
So they talked after the game. Bowa and players described the meeting as a give-and-take session between coaches and players. It apparently didn't resemble last year's meeting in Montreal, where the Expos had just completed a four-game sweep to make the Phillies 1-9 on a 13-game road trip.
Players said Bowa didn't blow up this time.
"Summer cleaning," outfielder Doug Glanville described it.
"I'm not a big meeting guy," first baseman Jim Thome said. "The tone [of the meeting] is to try to get us to play better, basically."
Others refused to discuss it.
"I really have nothing to say," one position player said, sarcastically. "I just don't. I'm sure one of the relief pitchers will talk about it."
That clearly was a jab at relievers Billy Wagner, Rheal Cormier and Hernandez, who have expressed their opinions openly about the pins-and-needles clubhouse and Bowa's negativity. It's not news. It's an atmosphere that many players have talked about for years.
Under their breath, of course.
"We're a team, and that includes Larry Bowa, the coaches and the players," third baseman David Bell said. "We're all in this together."
They lost together on the field. The Marlins took a 1-0 lead in the second on Jeff Conine's leadoff home run to left field. They made it 8-0 in the third, highlighted by Alex Gonzalez's grand slam off Phillies starter Paul Abbott (1-5).
The Phillies looked flat, although Bowa never questioned his players' effort during the series. Or at any point during the entire season, for that matter.
"You can't explain it," Thome said. "It can get frustrating because when you're in a pennant race like we are, you have teams that are creeping up, and the Braves are cutting a little distance here. We knew this road trip was going to be a big road trip because of the teams and the pitching that we were going to face. We obviously need to bounce back, and if the meeting does that, great."
The Phillies have nine games left on this 13-game road trip: three in Chicago, three in San Diego, and three in Los Angeles. Those are three possible playoff teams right there.
Will the meeting help? They are optimistic it will. Last year, the Phillies held a players-only meeting on the bus from Olympic Stadium to the Montreal airport. Could there be another?
"I don't know," Thome said. "We really haven't discussed that. Instead of calling a meeting like that, let's just win a game. Let's win a game, and then kind of get that losing off our backs."
http://www.philly.com/images/philly/inquirer/9276/86051159828.jpg
The Phillies Doug Glanville argues a call with first-base umpire Tim Welke in the ninth inning. The Phils cant seem to figure out how to defeat the Marlins. They have only one win in 12 tries this season.
Posted on Fri, Jul. 30, 2004
Swoon Over Miami
By Todd Zolecki
Inquirer Staff Writer
MIAMI - Larry Bowa said he isn't concerned about his job security. If the Phillies continue to lose, he might have to be.
The Phillies suffered a brutal 10-1 loss yesterday to the Florida Marlins at Pro Player Stadium, which resulted in a team meeting behind closed clubhouse doors for 35 minutes. It also completed a four-game sweep by Florida and dropped the floundering Phillies into a second-place tie with the Marlins in the National League East, 31/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves and at least four games behind San Diego in the NL wild-card race.
Phillies general manager Ed Wade sidestepped the issue of Bowa's job status yesterday.
"I'm not going to get into that," said Wade, asked whether he was satisfied with Bowa's performance and whether Bowa remained the right man for the job. "Just because a couple players expressed their frustrations this week, I'm not going to get into 'I'm-satisfied-I'm-not-satisfied' talks on a daily basis."
Nobody is satisfied with the way the Phillies have played lately or where they are in the standings, especially considering the organization sank $93 million into a team that almost every baseball insider expected to dominate a weakened NL East this season.
That seems to be why Bowa called his second team meeting in 11 months.
Is it a last-ditch effort to save the season?
It could be.
The Phillies are 52-50. They were 57-45 at this point last season. They are 6-9 since the all-star break, and 8-13 since July 5, when they had a three-game lead over the New York Mets and Florida in the NL East.
They are only two games over .500 for the first time since June 8. They are 1-11 against the Marlins this year and 3-23 against them in their last 26 meetings.
They have lost 14 straight to the Marlins on the road.
The clubhouse atmosphere has been described as "pins and needles." Phillies pitcher Roberto Hernandez said Wednesday that the Phillies needed a part-time psychiatrist in their clubhouse.
So they talked after the game. Bowa and players described the meeting as a give-and-take session between coaches and players. It apparently didn't resemble last year's meeting in Montreal, where the Expos had just completed a four-game sweep to make the Phillies 1-9 on a 13-game road trip.
Players said Bowa didn't blow up this time.
"Summer cleaning," outfielder Doug Glanville described it.
"I'm not a big meeting guy," first baseman Jim Thome said. "The tone [of the meeting] is to try to get us to play better, basically."
Others refused to discuss it.
"I really have nothing to say," one position player said, sarcastically. "I just don't. I'm sure one of the relief pitchers will talk about it."
That clearly was a jab at relievers Billy Wagner, Rheal Cormier and Hernandez, who have expressed their opinions openly about the pins-and-needles clubhouse and Bowa's negativity. It's not news. It's an atmosphere that many players have talked about for years.
Under their breath, of course.
"We're a team, and that includes Larry Bowa, the coaches and the players," third baseman David Bell said. "We're all in this together."
They lost together on the field. The Marlins took a 1-0 lead in the second on Jeff Conine's leadoff home run to left field. They made it 8-0 in the third, highlighted by Alex Gonzalez's grand slam off Phillies starter Paul Abbott (1-5).
The Phillies looked flat, although Bowa never questioned his players' effort during the series. Or at any point during the entire season, for that matter.
"You can't explain it," Thome said. "It can get frustrating because when you're in a pennant race like we are, you have teams that are creeping up, and the Braves are cutting a little distance here. We knew this road trip was going to be a big road trip because of the teams and the pitching that we were going to face. We obviously need to bounce back, and if the meeting does that, great."
The Phillies have nine games left on this 13-game road trip: three in Chicago, three in San Diego, and three in Los Angeles. Those are three possible playoff teams right there.
Will the meeting help? They are optimistic it will. Last year, the Phillies held a players-only meeting on the bus from Olympic Stadium to the Montreal airport. Could there be another?
"I don't know," Thome said. "We really haven't discussed that. Instead of calling a meeting like that, let's just win a game. Let's win a game, and then kind of get that losing off our backs."
http://www.philly.com/images/philly/inquirer/9276/86051159828.jpg
The Phillies Doug Glanville argues a call with first-base umpire Tim Welke in the ninth inning. The Phils cant seem to figure out how to defeat the Marlins. They have only one win in 12 tries this season.