Phillies ready for changes
A waxwork of U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama joins that of her husband U.S. President Barack Obama, marking the first anniversary of his inauguration as U.S. President, at Madame Tussauds in London. AP Photo
By Dennis Deitch |
PUBLISHED: January 19, 2001 at 5:36 a.m. | UPDATED: September 24, 2021 at 4:07 a.m.
On the gravelly, gray surface underneath, you could see where the end zones, yard lines and foul lines were painted. And you quickly understood why football and baseball players alike had thin skin when it came to playing on the even thinner turf.
Four floors above, the Philadelphia Phillies were holding a luncheon kicking off their annual p.r. caravan, talking about the infestation that led to a lifeless, 97-loss 2000 season.
They pulled up the rugs on that season before it ended when they fired Terry Francona. And, just as the Vet will receive a new, progressive turf before it becomes a 67,000-seat echo chamber in the fall of 2003, the Phillies went aggressive when they named Larry Bowa the new manager.
With Bowa as manager, the Phillies are going to need to develop thicker skin. If they're able to do that, it could prove even more beneficial than the thicker turf they're laying down between the snowflakes at the Vet these days.
Bowa, it turned out, represented the Phillies' major offseason acquisition. General manager Ed Wade decided to shore up the bullpen with three moderate free-agent signings and added some speed to the outfield by bringing in the only Brian Hunter of major-league quality they didn't have.
The nucleus of the 2001 Phillies is essentially the same that was in place following the trade-deadline apocalypse last season. Which means if the Phils are to avoid a repeat of 2000, the same players who were of 65-97 quality last year will have to bring something more to the table this time.
Not having Curt Schilling for the first month of last season hurt. But the Phillies' 2000 freefall was more a result of an offense that lost its 1999 potency and never really rediscovered it.
Blame usually starts at the top – in baseball, that means the top of the order.
This time last season, stories were written arguing that Doug Glanville could be the best leadoff hitter in the National League – and his 1999 numbers (.325 BA, 101 runs, 204 hits, 73 RBIs, 34 steals) did little to argue against it.
It didn't take long for the superlatives to end. Glanville's numbers dropped in every category in 2000. His average fell 50 points, his on-base percentage 69 points. The confidence of those watching plummeted even further.
Those attempting to defend Glanville – his erstwhile manager foremost among them – were quick to note that his father, Cecil, had suffered a stroke during the opening week of the season.
Of course, the one person who never spoke of the personal tragedy as an excuse for the bad season was Glanville.
Under Francona, it seemed there was an incessant search for excuses. There had to be a reason for each and every bad month, bad day, bad play – be it a physical ailment, or something better left to a shrink and a comfortable couch.
What ever happened to a guy having a bad season?
Just as his Hall-of-Fame career was peaking, Mike Schmidt threw in a 21-homer, 78-RBI clunker in 1978. Last season, Ken Griffey Jr. was hitting .220 into August before snapping out of it when the Reds' playoff chances were nil.
Bad seasons happen to the best of them, and although Glanville is probably not the all-that-and-a-bag-o'-chips player he was hastily proclaimed to be last spring training, it's with unwarranted haste that he has been made the subject of trade talks.
"I'd like it to be the way it was when I grew up and play my whole career with the Phillies," Glanville said. "But realistically, everybody is expendable. It's just how the business goes.
"I don't think you're ever exempt from (trade talk). I could have an All-Star season and it could get me traded."
The Phillies only can hope that they're in that predicament in August.
Glanville has received plenty of criticism for his habits at the plate. He doesn't walk enough for a leadoff hitter. The pitches he does drive are out of the strike zone. And the pitches that baffle him are in the strike zone.
The way Glanville sees it, pitchers made a smart move in the major-league chess match last season. Now, it's his move.
"You've got to keep changing if you want to improve," Glanville said. "This game is too tough not to make adjustments. I was a No. 3 hitter in college. Then when I went to the minors, all of the sudden I was a leadoff hitter. It took me a long time to change my mentality.
"I'm still learning. But I feel I have some good years in front of me."
Although he probably was overvalued at the start of last season, chances are slim that, at this point, Glanville would get the Phillies anyone in return whose contributions would compete with the odds that the Glanville bounces back in 2001. And if Glanville can resume his .300 batting-average flirtations, then there's a good chance it will trickle down the lineup.
That, more than a new carpet and new manager, may be the cushion the Phillies require.
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Dennis Deitch