Phillies Five Most Influential Moments of 2015
By Matt Veasey
Jun 13, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA;
Philadelphia Phillies ex-manager Sandberg (23) looks out over the dugout rail against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at PNC Park. He wouldn’t last the summer.
(Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
4. THE SKIP JUMPS SHIP
During his Hall of Fame career as a player, Ryne Sandberg was known for being a quiet but intense competitor. His bench coach with the Phillies, Larry Bowa, said that Sandberg retained that competitiveness as the club skipper.
However, it was clear that an ability to effectively communicate with modern players at the big league level was lacking. Sandberg also seemed to be weighted down by the combination of a 2nd consecutive last place season unfolding, as well as looming changes in the front office.
“I hate to lose. I think that’s the biggest thing that weighed on me. And with some changes at the top looming, I go back to my statement, I did not want to be in the way of anything happening and progress going forward.”
Per Philly.com’s David Murphy, that was part of what the Phillies’ skipper had to say after resigning suddenly back on June 26th of this past season. Not only did Sandberg NOT go down with the ship, and that ship clearly was sinking, but he got off with summer not even a week old.
For many Phillies fans, quitting was unforgivable, even if they weren’t happy with the way he was handling the team. Pete Mackanin would take over on an interim basis, but was eventually hired to return for the 2016 season. Where the Phillies go from here is unclear, but Mackanin has the first shot at showing he can be the longterm answer.
Next: 2015 Phillies Influential Moment #3: MacPhail-Klentak Take the Reigns