Gabe Kapler speaks at his introductory press conference. (Frank Klose/SportsTalkPhilly)
By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
New Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler will be happy to help educate players on how to become as healthy as he is. But he says he doesn't plan to implement an authoritarian dietary plan as manager.
Kapler joined Chris Carlin and Ike Reese on SportsRadio 94 WIP after his introductory press conference last week, and said that while the team will be happy to educate players on eating healthy, "there won't be any judgement:"
"It's just education, Chris. We're not the food police. Our job is to present the healthiest, most beautiful – that's a really important part of the process, are we presenting options that look attractive? – the healthiest, most nutritionally dense options for our men. And then are we educating them about why it makes some sense to choose those. And then you know what, at the end of the day, we don't choose what they eat. They do. And we're not going to pass a whole bunch of judgement on the decisions that we make. The next day, we're going to come back and we're going to do it all over again. We're going to say 'well how did you feel yesterday – were you strong, did you feel equipped to manage that velocity on that high fastball, and are there things that you can control to make sure that the next time that happens, you're better? Is one of those things being sharper in your mind, and what are some ways that you can be sharper? Is it with food? Ok.' And then we have that conversation the next day and and the next day and the next day, relentlessly over the course of time. And eventually we trust that they'll make good healthy decisions."
Much was made of former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly's sports science program. Eliminating Andy Reid's "Fast Food Fridays" probably wasn't the worst thing. After all, these are professional athletes, expecting them to eat in a half-decent manner probably isn't the worst thing. However, Kelly appeared to have a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition. Much like his offense, he tried to make players fit into his system, rather than building a system that was best suited to get the most out of each individual.
Kelly, of course, took things a step further. He micromanaged, which never leads to a positive work environment. In his first year, he made players wear sleep monitors, urging them to get 10-12 hours of sleep every night. Players peed in cups after practice, so Kelly could track each individual's hydration level. The team got lectured so much about nutrition, that LeSean McCoy was afraid to eat a piece of cake or drink at his 26th birthday party.
What the Kelly era taught us wasn't that players drinking smoothies or being hydrated was bad – it was that you can't be authoritarian in trying to help your players be as healthy as possible. You should, within reason, work to educate the players about healthy eating and living. You should help interested players craft a plan that fits them the best. It doesn't hurt to follow-up with players occasionally, especially ones that have bought in and appear to have benefited from lifestyle adjustments.
Whatever mistakes that Kapler may have made individually in Los Angeles, he would benefit from learning from them. As he comes to Philadelphia, no one is suggesting that he is in the wrong to attempt to help players be as healthy as possible. But he could also benefit from studying and learning from the missteps that Kelly made in his attempt to create superhumans that would play for his football team.
