Much has been said and written about general manager Ed Wade's selection of Charlie Manuel as the Phillies' next manager. Like many others, I was disappointed. I was among the legions of folks who thought the team should have gone with Jim Leyland.
Needless to say, this has been a hot topic of conversation around our office as it has been in many companies in the area. Leyland was a no-brainer, people said. He had a proven track record as a winner, and he made no secret of his desire to manage this club.
While the interviewing process was going on, I was perusing various print and Internet sources, including one in which Leyland indicated that he had 14 years of experience as a National League manager and has spent the last five seasons as a scout.
"I know the players," Leyland was quoted as saying.
This was the man's strongest asset. He knows exactly what talent he has to work with, and he knows the opposition. There isn't a better chess player in baseball these days.
There are those who will say that he won the 1997 World Series with the best Florida Marlins team that money could buy. Leyland also won three straight Eastern Divisions in Pittsburgh (1990-92) with a stingy front office that kept letting his best players slip away via free agency (Bobby Bonilla, Barry Bonds).
There were signs that the Phillies had been leaning toward Manuel from the beginning. The fact that some coaches were retained (Gary Varsho, Milt Thompson) was an indication that Wade planned to keep the new hire in house. He may have made a grave mistake.
Don't misinterpret my thinking. Had Leyland not entered the picture, Manuel would have been my choice due to many of the reasons stated by the Phillies when the hire was announced.
In his first two years as Cleveland's skipper (2000-01), the Indians won 90 games each season and a division title (2001). Also, Manuel handles his players without the abrasive approach that Larry Bowa has always been tagged with, even though Bowa was slowly changing his ways.
If Wade had hired Leyland, he would have sent a strong message to the fans that he was willing to take a bold step toward capturing a championship.
Leyland wanted the job, and he wanted a say in player moves. Wade might have actually learned a few things from him had he hired Leyland. By playing it safe — again — the general manager can expect to see a drop in attendance figures unless the team makes it into the playoffs in 2005.
One thing that Wade emphasized during recent news conferences was that no players were consulted about Bowa's firing and none would be asked for input on the new hire, yet it is widely considered that Manuel was first baseman Jim Thome's choice. There were even reports that several players actively lobbied for Manuel. One of my colleagues had the best response to that.
"The players got their man," said Ryan Smith. "If they don't win now, they're out of excuses."
I would have gone with Leyland and asked him to consider naming Manuel as the hitting coach. He's one of the better ones around and is widely credited for helping to develop Thome when both were in Cleveland.
And since I'm playing general manager, I'll throw something else out. The team's best all-around player, Placido Polanco, is a free agent. He's also one of the finest second basemen in the game. He wants to come back if he can play every day, but it appears that Chase Utley will be around the keystone at Citizens Bank Park.
Polanco is 29 years old and has seven years of big league experience with a lifetime average of .295. Utley will be 26 in 2005, has played in 137 games over the last two seasons and shows a lot of promise.
Experience helps in a pennant race. Since Wade has stated that nobody is untouchable anymore, I say re-sign Polanco and include Utley in a deal for a front-line pitcher.
Charlie Manuel may be the players' choice, and I'm sure he'll eventually win over the fans, but no manager is going to win in Philadelphia unless the starting pitching is upgraded considerably.
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