ESPN.com – MLB – Recap – Phillies at Expos – 08/28/2003
The Phillies are now back into a third-place tie with the Expos, pending the result of tonight’s Marlins game. What does Larry Bowa have to do to get fired? Not that I’m complaining, but this team has no business losing six games in a row like this.
Two thoughts on this:
Sure Bowa is a cancer, but on the other side of the coin just how great of a manager is Frank Robinson? The talent on that team is just ok and you combine that with the muck that surrounds that francise and you would think they would have packed it in by now. But of the 63 contenders for the Wild Card, they look like the strongest. I know I’ll be pulling for them.
Second, how much does Bud blocking the Braves trade for Vasquez hurt now? His line today: 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K. Wow. I love Russ Ortiz, but that’s what an ace looks like.
One thing about Robinson, at least his players respect him — or are willing to shut up if they don’t. Bowa’s players appear to consider him nothing but a crank, and seem on the verge of open revolt. I don’t hear Robinson badmouthing his own players, either.
They actually have a lot of the same weaknesses. They’re both grumpy, of course, though Frank has mellowed in his old age while Bowa just gets worse. Both have trouble figuring out which among several weak choices to play — always choosing the worst option, it seems. But that doesn’t matter in Montreal, ironically because they don’t have any extra players. And neither can put a bullpen together, at least neither has this year, but Robinson somehow has managed to keep it from tearing the team apart.
When I was converting the old entries earlier this week, I ran across a line about “this kid” from the Expos “looking like Maddux than Maddux”, or something like that. I never mentioned his name, but I’ll bet it was Vazquez.
Yeah, I read that too and was thinking the same thing. Who else was pretty decent on the Expos in ’98?
Yeah, I read that too and was thinking the same thing. Who else was pretty decent on the Expos in ’98?
Read this on the Phils!!!!!!!
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/6643622.htm