Bowa FIRED...two days before end of (reg) season

[tommytikl]

The Phillies manager Larry Bowa was fired today(Sunday, Oct. 2nd).
2 days before the end of the regular season, why fire him today and not on Monday when the season is over.
It is hardly Bowa's fault that the Phillies sucked this year!
Ed Wade put the 93 Mil team together, NOT Bowa...Ed Wade created a team with too many strike outs in the line up...what can Bowa do with that!
Just another classless move by the Phillies, firing the manager 2 days before the season is over!!
GEEZ

 

[naveltkltr1350]

Heh,

Jim Thome got you really far this year. I bet you wished you had Schilling, Kruk, Daulton, the rest of em back dont ya?

 

[Mitchell]

Iam a big baseball fan, as we discussed tonight, and an Atlanta Braves fan. Frankly, I've not heard of a manager being fired two days before the end of a season, not even by the Yankees when Steinbrenner was trigger happy in the 80s. Closest thing to this that I've heard was when the slumping Mets fired Bud Harrelson with a week to go in the 91 season after they collapsed in August and Sept and finished fifth out of six teams that year. I do think the Phillies screwed up with this. What is two days? We pretty much knew he was going to be fired at the end of the season.
I do see your point about Ed Wade. As I see it, it was a combination of injuries, and the team underachieving. In a circumstance like this, it is usually easier for a team to fire one manager then to blame 25 players. The preseason predictions picked the Phillies to finish ahead of Atlanta. By July, we knew that wasnt going to happen, but I guess even though the Phils will finish above 500, they felt that not making the wild card was cause to fire Bowa. He will probably surface somewhere, maybe in NY. Many dont like his personality, but the fact is the Phils finished at or above 500 with him for four years. He didnt do too bad.
As for the Phils, they need changes of personnel. I dont know what, but they have decisions to make in the offseason.

Mitch

 

[Mitchell]

A sidenote to all this. I dont know how many on here are fans who remember history, but when I first became a fan of my Atlanta Braves in 1983, they were managed by a man named Joe Torre. (Yes, the same Joe Torre who is currently manager of the New York Yankees, and has won four world championships) Anyhow, in my second year as a Braves fan, 1984, they had a season similar to the one the Phillies had this year, losing power hitting third baseman Bob Horner for much of the season, and finishing with a similar fate as the Phillies, a distant second, abit with a bit worse record, one game under 500. At that time, it was before the AOL merger, and the Braves were still owned by Ted Turner. Turner made the decision to fire Joe Torre, blaming him instead of injuries and underachieving players for a disappointing season. Well, after Torre's banishment, the Braves had four managers in six years until they put in the wonderous Mr Bobby Cox, and finished fifth or last with all of those managers from 1985 to 1990. They blamed Torre for an underachieving season, and a declining team, which probably wasnt just.
In Bowa's case, the Phillies shouldnt be on the decline, as their key players are still young. This season for the Phillies was a combination of underachievement and injuries, and as has been said, it is always easier to fire one manager then 25 players. The Phillies need changes, and it will be interesting to see how they fare next year under a new manager, and what changes they make.

Mitch

 

[giantfan121262]

Well Bowa will have some company in the unemployment line. Art Howe will be joining him as well. I had some doubts about Howe managing the Mets b/c I thought the right person for the job was Lou Pinella, who opted for Tampa Bay. I think Bowa will be a better fit in NY b/c the Mets need a more fiery personality to light a bunsen burner under some asses in that club house. Howe was too laid back. I always wondered why Billy Beane was so anxious to get rid of Howe in Oakland b/c when he left, he led them to two division titles.

It's so easy to criticize the front office when teams like the Mets and Phils underacheive. Unfortunetely, whether it's fair or not, it's the manager who takes the fall for players that underacheive. they are blamed for not putting them together and play as a team.

Personally, I think that players who play together for a while, learn one another tendencies and know the people they are playing with is the best ingerdient for building a team that plays as one. You still have to evaluate the talent, but if there are bad apples, they will be told to leave and not let the door hit them in the ass

 

[Mitchell]

Yes, Giant, I heard that Howe had been fired as well. I have been a Mets hater my whole life, and especially since Tom Glavine went there before the 2003 season. Needless to say, I didnt shed any tears over the Mets bad seasons the last two years, or Howe getting the ax. I would say that I dislike Bowa and Bobby Valentine (The Mets former manager from 1996 to 2002 for those who dont know) more, but Howe managing the Mets makes him a guilty party, so I wont lose any sleep over his dismissal either.


Mitch