Culture of complacency has got to end
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by Bberg11
From my blog, The Lazy Athlete
As anyone who reads my blog knows, I've haven't been out for Pat Gillick's blood by any stretch of the imagination. Many around here want to blame him every time the Phils lose a game. While I still feel the guy deserves a little more time before the hammer can come down, he said something today that really dropped him down in my book; to paraphrase:
> I would be happy if we finished this homestand with a 4-2 record, but 3-3 would be acceptable.
This statement, I've come to realize, epitomizes the main problem with the Phillies organization for the last 124 years (aside from being very bad for much of that time). This Phillies ownership in particular does not seem to want a championship. They seem to be content with being OK. This is NOT ok.
Since Gillick was given the general manager job almost two years ago, I have been patiently waiting for him to work his magic like he has done in other cities. And I thought we were getting there. There were a number of mistakes made by previous management that he had to fix/work around before he could really turn this team into a contender. And, let's face it: the Phils have a fun, exciting young team that is 5 games out of first in the East (just two out of the wild card). And they've done this with enough talent on the DL at some point to field a team that could probably beat the Pittsburgh Pirates...ok, bad example. Anyway, my point is that they don't need that much more to make the playoffs.
And that is where the culture of complacency comes in. What indications have the people in charge down in Philly given us that they won't stop there? Judging by Gillick's comments (in addition to a long history of "penny pinching"), they will stop there. 3-3 is acceptable?! No championship caliber team should EVER accept mediocrity. And that is exactly what Gillick is doing. Now I know Gillick is an honest guy who speaks his mind. And, quite frankly I like him for it. He is a straight shooter. Last season, after trading away Bobby Abreu and Corey Lidle, among others, he stated that he did not think the Phils would be true contenders until the 2008 season. And what did the team do? They caught fire, and made another run at the playoffs. Eventhough they came up short, there was a lot of hope for this season.
There are some who believe that Gillick's comments, both then and now, were meant to inspire and motivate the team; a little bit of reverse psychology I guess. However, like I said earlier, Gillick is a guy who speaks his mind. He generally doesn't play those types of mind games. So when he says that a .500 homestand is acceptable, I have to believe that is what he truly feels.
This is clearly a problem in a city starved for a championship. Take a look at the Flyers and Eagles, the two teams that have had the most success over the last decade. They don't talk about making the playoffs the same way the Phillies do. To those two teams, making the playoffs is just the start, not the destination. The Phillies organization, while they won't flat out say this, have made it clear that their goal is simply to make the playoffs. The Flyers, even coming off a league worst, and franchise worst, season, are talking about making the playoffs....and doing some damage once they get there. And the Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie, just today, mentioned how he expects playoffs, and the main goal is to win the Super Bowl. For both of these teams, anything short of a championship is a disappointment. Unfortunately, the Phillies' management doesn't live in that culture. Hopefully when/if they make the tranisition to a championship-based goal system, it won't be a case of culture shock.
