By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Sixty-four games into his managerial career, Philadelphia Phillies fans have surmised a wide-range of opinions, attitudes and beliefs regarding the club's 54th manager, Gabe Kapler.
From stressing the importance of fitness and analytics, overuse of defensive shifts, to not establishing a defined closer, Kapler is all but the conventional big league manager that fans are used to, in the likes of Pete Mackanin, Ryne Sandberg and Charlie Manuel of recent years.
One noticeable aspect of Kapler, in particular, is his consistent positivity, even during the club's recent four-game skid from June 6-9, in which they were outscored 35-15.
"My grandmother is 102 years old. I remember her sitting at the foot of my bed when I was 7 or 8. I was sick. She told me that how I feel is a decision. That was a really important moment in my development," Kapler said Wednesday on SportsRadio 94 WIP's Angelo Cataldi And The Morning Team. "Basically, she was saying that we all have a choice about kind of the color of our lenses — how we see the world. What we choose to focus on, we focus on."
Kapler said that when he thinks about his players, all of them have "tremendous athletic qualities." but are "flawed at the same time." Kapler added that when given a choice, he believes players respond more favorably when their strengths are noted and called out.
"That's not to say that we don't identify areas of improvement, we don't see negativity or that we don't seek to improve. We absolutely do," Kapler said. "But, as a player and as a manager, it was and is much more about bringing energy that stays consistent and strong. That energy creates better outcomes, not just in this minute, but over time."
"You bring that strong, positive energy no matter what's happening around you."
Although Kapler appears to be the polar opposite as his predecessor in Mackanin, the Phillies are playing their best baseball in recent years. With 98 games left in the season, the club has a MLB third-best .656 home winning percentage and trails the division by just three games.
