As mad as I am at Ruben Amaro Jr.'s mess he's made of my Phillies, I must say, the new Manager is the perfect hire. Ryne Sandberg has been my choice to be the next Manager of the Phillies for several years. I watched him in Lehigh Valley, and watched the way he got so much out of his players, many of which were has-been's and journey men, players with no MLB future, just playing for a check. He took his first team to the finals in 2011, and kept his second team in the race all year in 2012, while they were being raided by the big club to deal with injuries. His performance as a AAA Manager warranted a shot at the big show, and he'll get it now. I'm glad it's here.
Sandberg is not Charlie Manuel. He is not a "player's manager" type who everyone loves. He demands a level of respect as a Hall-of-Fame player, and he manages like it. He's probably going to be more like an "Andy Reid" press conference, where everything is short and to the point, and while you'll understand what he's saying (sorry Charlie), he won't say much. There's less love and more demand in Sandberg's style, which frankly may be good for some of these players.
Some didn't want Sandberg. Some want other "hot" names to be new managers right now, which totally makes sense. Rays Bench Coach Dave Martinez is one name I hear a lot, which makes total sense to me, but can be revisited after the season if Sandberg doesn't do at least an adequate job, though to be fair, I almost think he just has to breath to keep the job next year (this is not a fair way to judge his abilities right now). I get the allure of others, but I feel like we have a great candidate right here.
Then there's those who don't like his third base coaching, so they wanted to not hire him. Really? For one, all the "contact play" throw outs are a product of he and the rest of the staff having no confidence in the next batter getting a hit. Also, yes he is over aggressive on sending guys on hits to the outfield, but again, when you have a bad offense, you gamble more. Besides all of that, what does coaching third have to do with managing? Nothing at all. Just throw that time out now. It has nothing to do with how he does.
All-in-all, I think the Phillies got an outstanding baseball guy who has had success in the minors managing, who has worked with some of the young guys now coming up, and who has the clout in baseball to handle the aging stars with some authority. I don't think his rougher style will bother a guy like a Chase Utley at all. Hopefully he can shake this group up enough to make them at least a competitive team, and hopefully by 2014 he can change how this team is managed enough to get a little more out of them. I am happy with seeing Sandberg as our new manager though. I think good things are ahead with him, provided the roster is shaken up a lot.
