PHILADELPHIA – Larry Bowa has had an off-and-mostly-on, triumphant and sometimes torturous 50-year-old relationship with the Phillies and their managers. At various times he has yelled at, dutifully served, helped get fired, poured champagne on and loved like a father Phillies managers.
He has played his heart out for them, coached his lungs out for them, criticized them from inside the clubhouse and a national broadcast booth and for four seasons served as one himself.
Won quite a few games, didn’t win enough, got fired.
Never changed through that process.
Now, at the right young age of 73, Bowa was one of what was described Monday as “20 or 25” Phillies staff members to interview Joe Girardi during the team’s search to replace Gabe Kapler as manager.
Certain facets of Kapler’s approach, Bowa didn’t mind saying Monday, won’t be seen during Joe Girardi’s tenure.
“I think Joe is going to establish what he wants,” Bowa said immediately after Girardi met the media in a roomy bar-restaurant adjacent to Citizens Bank Park Monday. “I loved every word he said in that press conference. I thought he was dead on with the fans, with the city, and the players. He embraces analytics, but I guarantee he goes with his gut. That’s one of the things Matt (Klentak) got, I think, (along) with experience.”
Klentak, the general manager who would have preferred his personally-chosen manager Kapler been granted a third season from owner John Middleton to prove he could become more than the offbeat, hard-working, flashy .500 manager he was, would get a man who manages from the gut no matter where he turned during the search.
Girardi, who turned 55 two weeks ago, was one of three finalists for the job of experienced baseball men sporting winning legacies. Dusty Baker and Buck Showalter being the other two.
Baker wasn’t always successful as a manager, but is as well-liked of a league legend as any. He’s also 70.
Klentak worked with Showalter under current Phillies and former Baltimore team president Andy MacPhail while they were with the Orioles. At 63, he had eight years on Girardi, and one less World Series ring as a manager.
As far as Klentak’s desire for and Middleton’s demand for a manager who will increasingly incorporate analytics into every facet of the daily operation from the dugout to the scouting rooms, the kid of that group of only three candidates clearly had the edge.
Bowa didn’t see that as the only reason Girardi was clearly a front-runner.
“All three of those guys, I thought, were good baseball guys,” Bowa said. “Joe did separate himself, just the way he handled the fact that he was in New York, been with a winner, had a lot of young guys his last couple of years in New York, if I’m not mistaken.
“I know Joe gets along with everybody. When I was with the Yankees (as a coach) with Joe Torre, Joe was on the broadcast team and you could tell that he knew baseball and got along with everybody. That’s not going to be an issue.”
Bowa wasn’t necessarily making that as a comment on Kapler’s two seasons in South Philly. But you kind of got the idea that he thought Kapler’s low-key approach to discipline and demanding accountability from his players hurt him and didn’t jibe with the way Bowa thinks things should be done.
At least the way they should be done here.
“Every manager is different,” Bowa said. “Who knows? Maybe he took them into his office after the game and said, ‘Hey, that’s not acceptable.’ But I don’t think Joe would do that. He’s the kind of guy … if he has something to say, he’ll say it. His personality’s different. Gabe’s a good guy. But his personality is not the same as Joe’s.
“That’s what’s good about this city, the passion of the fans. In my mind, when you see that passion and you don’t do what you’re supposed to do, homework wise and getting ready for the game, that’s all on you. I think Gabe asked for accountability but sometimes you can ask for it in different ways. Some guys ask for it maybe in a low-key way and other guys demand it. Joe’s first meeting is going to be very important and I think he’s going to get his message across to the players, about what winning in this city is all about.”
