Paul Hagen wrote a story in yesterday’s Philadelphia Daily News informing fans to expect a few fireworks in free agency. Hagen tells us that he doesn’t think that there will be any introductions of any new Phillies anytime soon.

Tom’s Take: It’s not really much of a surprise that he writes that; no one is really expecting the Phillies to come out of the gate to sign a top-notch free agent. They’re looking at third base, bullpen and bench, and all three positions will require some homework being done before jumping on the perceived top option.

Mike Potter reported that Omar Vizquel is no longer an option for the Phillies as he signed a one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox as the first notable free agent signing. Vizquel will be a backup in the Windy City.

Tom’s Take: Vizquel was an intriguing player that many believed that the Phils could be targeting to come off the bench, and backup Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley at shortstop and second base. Players like Jerry Hairston Jr. and Fernando Tatis as potential targets.

Hagen reports that the Phillies say that the rumors of Pat Gillick returning to the baseball front office with the team that he built his reputation, the Toronto Blue Jays, are all false.

Tom’s Take: Gillick is a god in Philadelphia for putting together the pieces that Ed Wade left him, and getting the city their first championship since 1983, and the organization’s second title in their history. He knows how to build winning baseball teams, and I hope he goes to Toronto if he does return because my god, I don’t want him anywhere close to the National League.

Yoon Chul, a staff reporter for the Korean Times, writes that free agent Chan Ho Park wants to start in 2010. Park is a free agent, and the Phillies want him back, but only as a reliever.

Tom’s Take: It’s so obvious to everyone that Park is best suited for the bullpen. The Phils know it, every MLB team knows it, and Park knows it himself. He wants to start so his friends and family in Korea can see him pitch, and I understand that, but you also want to pitch in the States so he’ll ultimately end up in the ‘pen.

Todd Zolecki relays that FOXSports.com reported that the Phillies are the favorites to land Mark DeRosa. Zolecki says that it makes sense that he signs with the Phils because he’s a Penn-graduate and has been linked to the team before.

Tom’s Take: Anyone surprised? A lot of people thought that he’ll be the guy that he Phillies would be going after in free agency. They’ve liked him in the past, and he’s now available for them again. You know what they say, third time’s a charm.

Pat Gillick said he always believed in making at least one big move even after winning a title. He said you need to do it to say on top.

Last year, that move was Raul Ibanez. What does this offseason have in store for the Phils? What do they need to do to stay on top of the NL and close the gap between them and the Yankees?

Following are a few thoughts, some obvious and others may shock you.

Could Shane Victorino be moved this offseason?

• Beef up the bullpen. Sign a guy as a set-up man who you can move to closer if needed. Brett Myers may be that guy. Also, resign Chan Ho Park and make get a lefty reliever in case JC Romero isn’t ready to go.

• Overhaul the starting rotation. Cliff Lee is here, and so is Cole Hamels. JA Happ figures to be the third guy. After that, are you comfortable with Joe Blanton and his increased wages due to arbitration? The Phils need to find legit guys to fill the back end of the rotation.
• Do not resign the Pedros. Martinez was a great guy for the role he filled. However, he can not be counted on to last a whole season and be effective. Resign him, and you are basically filling the 5th spot with Jamie Moyer. Again. Feliz is a vacuum at third, but he didn’t hit as well this year and is 34 years old. Adrian Beltre is four years younger and a decent defensive player. Maybe take a look at hime.
• Spend the money to get a legit infielder/bench guy. You need someone to take the pressure off of Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. They are over 30 and need breaks during the season. One name thrown around in the media is Marco Scutaro from the Blue Jays. He just enjoyed a cfine season hitting .282 with 12 homers. He will cost more than Bruntlett, but can fill the role.
• Trade Jayson Werth or Shane Victorino for a starting pitcher. This is a huge gamble that many fans will question. However, this is exactly the type of move that Gillick was talking about, and it will help the payroll. The Phillies will not spend a lot more money, yet they have players who will see major bumps in arbitration this offseason. The fact is, after next year, you won’t keep both of these outfielders anyway. The values of those two players will never be higher and now is the time to bring up Michael Taylor. Platoon him with Ben Francisco in right to start the year. Taylor is a legit top-10 prospect with power. It’s only a matter of time until he is ready to play everyday. And, you still have Dominic Brown coming up through the ranks to take Ibanez’s spot in 2011 or 2012. The Phillies are set at outfield for the foreseeable future.
• If you are able to trade one of the outfielders, make a run for Joe Mauer at catcher. We all love Chooch, but he is what he is. Mauer is a legit weapon at the plate, and could ultimately make a move to first when he gets older and Ryan Howard leaves via free agency. Craig Biggio made a similar move to second midway through his career. (EDITED: Mauer is not a free agent until December 2010. The Phillies will not pursue him in a trade.)

The Phillies do have some tweaking to do, and will likely make a big move if Ruben Amaro stays with the Gillick formula. When that shoe drops, questions will be asked and heads will shake. However, how can you argue with a formula that has brought us two the doorstep of back-to-back world championships?

Morrow Saves First after Return

The first losing streak of 2009 is over, but if the past is any indication of the future, there will be more like this. Over the last five years, the Mariners have suffered more losing streaks of six games or greater than any team I can remember. During that time, any whiff of contention has been swept away by these droughts. And the hallmark of them all has been lack of hitting.

So what have we learned? That building a team around pitching and defense is fundamentally flawed. Why? Because if pitching and defense account for two-thirds of a GM’s effort, it’s effort spent affecting only half the game. This disproportionate energy perfects half the opportunity to win,while the other half  is given just one-third of the focus.

When a team built this way has any deficiency in either pitching or defense, there is nothing left to overcome a bad break. If the pitching falters, the defense goes with it, and as we all know, a booted ball can run any flamethrower back to the showers. Usually GM’s talk about P&D as a priority when they are trying to save on payroll, because as we all know, bats come with a price. Bottom line, the only way to win is to score runs, and while 1-0 and 2-1 victories are sweet, teams like Texas turn those same performances into 2-9 disasters.

What went wrong with the Mariners? This is a club that’s not afraid of spending money, why haven’t they been able to build a lineup with some power? Why all this focus on small ball? A lot of the problem goes back to poor decision making in the wake of Pat Gillick’s departure. And Jackie Z will have to shore that up. For now, the addition of Sweeney and Branyan helps bolster a line-up that needs some punch anyway it can get it. And Griffey, though his best days are gone, brings a Midas touch that cannot possibly be quantified.

With a day off Monday and sitting at an even .500, the Mariners travel to Texas, where they have an opportunity to redeem themselves and regain first place in the AL West. If they succeed, there should be no reason for the front office not to place every ounce of support toward the pursuit of this division. If they don’t, then Mother’s Day turns out to be just a lump on a long losing era.

As voted on by fans, three members of the Phillies’ family are now proud owners of some Internet hardware.

Pat Gillick, Charlie Manuel and Brad Lidge all won their respective races for executive, manager, and closer of the year in MLB.com’s annual This Year In Baseball awards presentation.

Lidge beat out the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera, 44 percent to 23 percent, while Manuel beat the runner-up Rays’ Joe Maddon as Gillick bested Boston’s Theo Epstein.

Icing on the cake, really.

Chase Utley’s deking throw to first and strike to home to nail Jason Bartlett was also named the top postseason moment. It is a great play, but I cast my vote for Matt Stairs’s NLCS home run.

Maybe Pat Gillick is the best executive in the history of baseball. The dude just shows up at baseball franchises around North America, builds playoff teams (usually including Jamie Moyer) and then tips his hat and rides off into the sunset. With the Phillies’ World Series victory this season, his resume as a GM now includes three World Series titles and 11 LCS appearances. Beyond his success at building winners, however, what makes Gillick so cool is that he doesn’t hang around long enough to let his creations go stale. As he will not be returning to the Phillies for a fourth season in 2009, his past three tenures as a general manager will have lasted for three, four and three years apiece, with a total of six postseason appearances coming during those 12 years. Pat Gillick is the Ricky Gervais of baseball executives.

Continue reading at Bleacher Reports...

Give him credit, when Marty York bangs the drum, he does it loudly and consistantly.

He has been talking about Pat Gillick returning to the Blue Jays, and now, when all other outlets are dismissing the possibility, Marty writes:

“Don’t be surprised if:

- Pat Gillick, 71, who led the Phillies to the Series championship this week as their general manager, resurfaces as a high-level consultant with the Blue Jays.”

I am not sure why he would take the same role he has with the Jays that he has with the Phillies, but,well let’s see what happens…

Marty also suggests that the former captain of the Maple Leafs who used to wear #13 shall:

“- Mats Sundin, a highly coveted NHL free agent, signs for megabucks with the Ottawa Senators before January.”

Ohh the irony if that were to happen…

By the way:

don’t forget to sign the petition at http://www.firehowardberger.com
join the facebook group
follow on twitter

You can read Marty here….

The Champs

Phillies win first World Series since 1980
For a quarter of a century, it was an agonizing cycle for Philadelphia sports fans. Hope, despair, bitterness. For 9,282 days, other places earned the right to raise banners and hoist trophies. No city with so many teams failed for so long.

Now it is over. Now it is Philadelphia’s turn. A game that began with a deluge has washed away an epic drought. The Philadelphia Phillies have won the World Series.

——————————————-

Congratulations to everyone in the Phillies organization!

… especially their GM, former Blue Jays’ boss, Pat Gillick, who has epitomized what the game of baseball is all about throughout his tenures in Toronto, Seattle and, now, Philadelphia.

Building incrementally, from within, through a developmental farm system … and, then, winning it all with both ’style & class’.

It was true about the 1986 Mets. Is it true about the 2008 version?

Every morning I walk by my bookshelf and see the cover of Jeff Pearlman’s 2005 account of the 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets. Most mornings (and by mornings, I mean anytime before 2 p.m.), I notice that glaring title of that book.

“The Bad Guys Won.”

Reading the book, you get a good idea why the ‘86 Amazin’s earned that moniker, but as an 11-year-old baseball fan, I loved that team. I loved everything about them, from the curtain calls to the ridiculous “Let’s Go Mets,” music video to the lost classic that is “Get Metsmerized.” I never would have imagined how disliked the Mets were around the league… and considering they delivered the first professional championship of my sports fandom (the Giants would deliver the second three months later), I probably wouldn’t have cared.

But it goes to show how you can see your team through rose-colored (or orange-and-blue-colored, in this case) glasses.

Many Mets fans are probably going through a similar dilemma these days as the modern-day Amazin’s are equally unpopular. Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman wrote about that very issue Tuesday afternoon. He spoke with outgoing Phillies general manager Pat Gillick, who thinks the Mets’ penchant for exuberant celebrations have made them the scourge of the division and actually aided the Phillies’ cause the last two seasons.

Here’s what Gillick had to say: 

“I think sometimes it’s good to be celebratory, but sometimes it reaches the point where they’re taunting the other the team. Everyone should have the opportunity to celebrate. But there’s a fine line, and sometimes they tend to go over the line and taunt the other team.”

Heyman goes on to detail the Mets’ issues with each division rival, even noting that Lastings Milledge is part of the problem with the Nationals. Here’s my thought: The opposition is always going to enjoy beating a New York team and it has less to do with Jose Reyes’ choreographed handshakes and more to do with jealousy.

Jealousy over how much money New York teams spend. Jealousy over how much money New York teams make. Jealousy over much coverage New York teams get. Jealousy over how much jealousy is directed at New York teams.

The bottom line, and the Yankees can attest to this, is opposing teams will always get up for playing the New York teams.

With all that said, a big enough issue has now been made of the Mets’ celebrations that it’s bound to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Teams will be insulted by the Mets’ celebrations because they’ve been told that teams are insulted by those celebrations. So rather than stir up additional sore feelings, it would probably behoove the Mets to tone down their antics in 2009.

Is that selling out? As I alluded to above, will it even make a difference? I’m not sure. You tell me.

Watching the world series game, man is it pouring… I haven’t watched a whole lot of the series, but I just got a glimpse of my favorite Blue Jay manager.. Jimy(One M) Williams…He is a coach with the Phillies.  So while the Rays would be a great story (and they are for just reaching the Series) I am routing for Gillick and 1M.

Go Phillies

Of all of the matchups that could have been, Rays Phillies is bittersweet for me. As I’ve told many people, I’ve been on the Rays bandwagon for about two months more than everyone else (I’m not sure if this is good or bad…) and I am thrilled that this team made it to the Fall Classic. But the Phillies…really? I mean they’re talented, no one can dispute that. But the Phillies? In the World Series? It makes me sick. 

Before I get started breaking down the teams and their respective advantages and disadvantages , I’ll say this. It’s really nice to not see the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. Say what you want about the television ratings, but as a baseball fan, I’m really happy that a new team will win it all this year. Another nice thing about this year’s Series is that both teams are, for the most part, homegrown. The cores of both teams, including players like Chase Utley, Evan Longoria, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, James Shields, David Price, Pat Burrell, Jimmy Rollins, B.J. Upton, and Brett Myers, consist of players drafted and developed by each respective organization. The rest of the teams consist of players acquired through smart trades and free agent signings. Honestly, the only two players I can think of who would be looked at as “mistakes” are So Taguchi and Geoff Jenkins. But luckily for the Phillies, these two players have a relatively low impact on the game thanks to the contributions made by Jayson Werth. So basically what I’m trying to say is that this is a GM’s World Series. I’m not looking at this year’s series as a matchup between Charlie Manuel and Joe Maddon (although Maddon should be directly credited with the ALCS Game 7 win after his incredible utilization of his bullpen). I’m looking at is as Pat Gillick versus Andrew Friedman. 

With that said, let’s get started breaking this thing down position by position.

Catcher

This is a really funny one to start out with. Let’s see…Dioner Navarro vs. Carlos Ruiz. Hmm. I’m going to break a sweat here. Well, Navarro finished the year with an OPS of .757, a .295 batting average, and 54 runs batted in. Ruiz hit just .219 and drove in only 31 while finishing with a miserable OPS of .620. If there is one weak link in the Phillies lineup, it is unquestionably Ruiz. In terms of defense, Navarro has Ruiz beat, hands down. (Ruiz caught just 20 out of 65 base stealers, Navarro nabbed 28 of 45) Advantage: Rays, by a landslide.

First Base

One base, two teams, the two most important sluggers in their respective lineups. Carlos Peña was the AL’s Comeback Player of the Year last season, and has been essential to the success of the 2008 Rays. Ryan Howard was the NL MVP two seasons ago, and could repeat that distinction this year. They are similar players, except Ryan Howard is much, much better. Peña hit .247 while driving in 102 and hitting 31 home runs. Howard hit .251 with 48 long balls and 146 RBIs. In other words, Ryan Howard eats babies. He is a monster. He’s not human. But I’ve heard he’s a really nice guy. Advantage: Phillies. 

Second Base

This position is home to the two grittiest players on each team. Chase Utley is a player’s player. He gets to the ballpark early, watches reams of tape, practices that ridiculously short swing of his for hours, and leaves with the dirtiest uniform of the night (can you tell that Utley is one of my favorite players in baseball?). Akinori Iwamura is probably the game’s most underrated Japanese import, especially considering the fact that he has seemlessly made the switch from the hot corner to second base, making just 7 errors all year. Iwamura is just a solid baseball player, and he has been a core of the Rays lineup all year. His Ray-Hawk that started all Ray-Hawks can’t be overlooked either. Advantage: Phillies. Utley’s bat is essential to the team’s success. Where goes Utley go the Phillies.

Third Base

Evan Longoria is the surefire AL Rookie of the Year, and has been called the player in the American League who rival executives would pick first to build a team around. He has been compared to Brooks Robinson among others, and certainly can perform in pressure situations (hey David Wright, take notes), entering the postseason with flair. His .272 average with 27 HR and 85 RBIs may not seem that impressive, but let’s remember that this is a player who started the year in Triple-A ball. Pedro Feliz, on the other hand, is an adequate third baseman, and more than fine for what the Phillies need at the hot corner, but Brooks Robinson he is not. Advantage: Rays.

Shortstop

This is an interesting one. I suppose a lot of people would automatically go for Jimmy Rollins here, because, after all, he did win an MVP award two years ago. But Rollins, for all that he is built up to be, is nothing more than a slightly above average player, and a terrible leadoff hitter. His stats line this year (.277, 11 HR, 59 RBI, .349 OBP, .437 SLG) is underwhelming at best. Jason Bartlett, who came to Tampa with Matt Garza in a trade for Delmon Young, doesn’t have Rollins’ notoriety, but he has quietly been a rock in Tampa Bay’s lineup this year, and was actually voted the team’s most valuable player. Whether or not he deserved that is up for debate, but Bartlett has been solid for sure, hitting .286 but providing little power. Advantage: Phillies, but it’s closer than you might think.

Outfield

Agility versus power. That’s the essential distinction between the Rays and Phillies in the outfield. The Phillies are led in their outfield by Pat Burrell, known to Phillies fans as “Pat the Bat,” and known to Mets fans as “He Who Must Not Be Named.” Burrell has frustrated Phillies fans for years with his inconsistent play, but he always knows when to hit that clutch homerun, and has 33 of them this year. Shane Victorino plays a good center field, and bring both power and speed to the table. Jayson Werth has been streaky this season, but he does have 24 home runs. Whenever I think of Werth I laugh because I was sitting in the first row behind third base in Washington when, almost right in front of me, Werth fell on his ass trying to catch a fly ball. The Phillies also have So Taguchi, Geoff Jenkins, and Matt Stairs in the outfield, but their contributions are primarily off of the bench. 

The Rays’ outfield is immensely talented. With Carl Crawford manning left, B.J. Upton in center, and Rocco Baldelli in right (he splits time with Gabe Gross), the athleticism in the Tampa Bay outfield is incredible. Crawford has had an off year, and he has been injured, so his power numbers are down. Baldelli has been injured for basically his whole career, and really at this point, any contribution from him is nice. He did hit the go-ahead RBI single the other night in Game 7 of the ALCS. Upton is an emerging star, and the anchor in the outfield. 

Advantage: Tie. Defensively it goes to the Rays, but offensively it’s more of a toss-up.

Bench/DH

The Phillies have not announced who their Designated Hitter will be, but two good candidates would seem to be Chris Coste and Matt Stairs. Both are decent power threats off of the bench, although Coste had a down year (I hate the fact that Chris Coste is on the Phillies because I really like the Chris Coste story. His book is excellent, by the way, despite the fact that it’s like reading a book written by a guy who plays baseball for a living.). The Phillies’ main threat off of the bench is lefty Greg Dobbs, who is hitting .301 with 9 HR and 40 RBIs this season. Their bench is rounded out by utility infielder Eric Bruntlett and outfielders Geoff Jenkins and So Taguchi. Hardly a threesome that inspires fear in, well, anyone. 

The Rays have been going with Cliff Floyd as their DH much of the time this year, and Floyd is certainly a power threat, with 11 home runs in just 80 games played. Willy Aybar can also hit the ball out of the park with 10 long balls in 95 games played. Rookie Fernando Perez (who went to Columbia and sounded extremely bright in an interview about Barack Obama today) is a demon on the bases, and will certainly pinch run in an important situation at some point in the Series. Ben Zobrist rounds out the bench as a utility-man who can play pretty much anywhere. He has homered 12 times in just 62 games this season. 

Advantage: Rays. Dobbs and maybe Stairs are really the only threats on Philly’s bench

Starting Pitching

If you’ve been reading closely, you’ll have noticed that, up to this point, the Phillies have gotten more love. This is where the story changes dramatically. Cole Hamels is an incredibly gifted pitcher, and will give the Rays a very hard time. But after its ace, the Phillies rotation drops off fast. Very, very fast. Brett Myers has had his moments this year, but his return to the rotation from the bullpen has not been exactly fortuitous for the greatest husband ever (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Jamie Moyer is not human, this I am sure of. But I am not sure that he will make it past the second inning facing the dangerous Rays hitters. Joe Blanton is a good number four pitcher, and he should certainly give his team a chance to win, which, for a Phillies pitcher, is all that is necessary. 

The Rays, on the other hand, have three pitchers on their staff who would all be considered aces on other teams. Scott Kazmir is a nasty southpaw who should shut down the core of the Phillies lineup. James Shields has been very good this postseason, and we all know how good Matt Garza can be after his stellar performance in Game Seven of the ALCS. Andy Sonnastine is apparently a really weird guy, but he will certainly give his team a chance to win.

Advantage: Rays (but Cole Hamels’ changeup is still nastier than the sun spots on John McCain’s face).

Relief Pitching

Okay, let’s do this quickily. Both teams have great bullpens. The basic difference is that the Phillies have established roles within their pen while the Rays run more of a mix-and-match type operation. But besides that fact, the bullpens are actually very similar. Both Andrew Friedman and Pat Gillick have assembled groups of pitchers who, for the most part, are unlikely contributors to two of baseball’s finest bullpens. Pitchers like J.P. Howell, Chad Durbin, Ryan Madson, and Grant Balfour are relative no-names who have become solid middle relievers. Dan Wheeler has been good enough to close the deal for Tampa Bay, but he is not the most dominant pitcher in that bullpen. That honor goes to David Price, the number one overall draft pick of 2007 who has dazzled with his electric stuff this postseason. As for the back end of the Philly ‘pen, well, there’s not enough you could say about Brad Lidge, who has been perfect this year. 

Advantage: This one is squarely a draw. If you’re leading after the seventh inning in this series, you’re almost definitely going to win the game.

Overall

These teams certainly approach the game differently, but they are both downright dangerous when they get hot. I expect this series to go at least six, and probably seven. I’m pulling for the Rays, but I have a nagging feeling that the Phillies are going to get this one done. But for all the lack of fanfare, I think this could be the finest Fall Classic we’ve seen in some time now.

PHILS WIN NL PENNANT

The Phillies are heading to their first World Series since 1993.  Seven strong innings from Cole Hamels helped Philadelphia clinch the trip by disposing of the Dodgers, 5-1, last night in Los Angeles.  The lefty allowed just a run on five hits to win for the second time in the series.  The Phils led from the start, thanks to a solo homer by leadoff man Jimmy Rollins.  Run scoring singles by Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell extended the lead in the third.  Philadelphia added a pair of runs in an error filled L.A. fifth.

PAT GILLICK

It’s vindication for GM Pat Gillick, who pieced together the squad over the last three years.  Meeting the media for the first time after his hire, Gillick described his challenge as “trying to coax five more wins” out of his team.  The Phils managed two playoff appearances despite never reaching Gillick’s goal of 93 victories.  They won 85 in ’06, 89 in ’07, and 92 this year.

The even-tempered, elder-statesmen of baseball GMs was the perfect fit for a city with schizophrenic fans, who demand wholesale change at the drop of a hat.  Gillick realized what he had and showed the patience to calmly see the job through.  His resume boasts two Jays championships, a record 116-win season in Seattle, and of course the impossible of late, guiding the Orioles to the playoffs.

The Phillies will be the visiting team, when the World Series begins Wednesday night either in St. Petersburg or Boston.

RAYS LOOK TO CLINCH IN BOSTON

The Rays need one win for their first trip to the World Series.  They’ll send Scott Kazmir to the hill against Daisuke Matsuzaka tonight in Boston.  The decision to turn to the lefty in the potential clincher came for a variety of reasons.  Joe Maddon says giving James Shields a couple of extra days rest and having him for a potential sixth game at home was key.  The Rays are also prepared to empty out their bullpen should Kazmir run into early trouble, as he has a lot of late.  He can be dominating at times and has pitched well at Fenway in his brief career.

I see this as an extremely well thought out move.  Had Shields lost in Boston, the young team’s confidence could’ve been tested by having to rely on a shaky Kazmir at home in game six.  The last thing Tampa Bay wants to do is give Boston hope.  James Shields in a game six at the Trop would definitely be menacing for the Red Sox.  A potential matchup with a struggling Josh Beckett is smart too.

SCOTT KAZMIR / DAISUKE MATSUZAKA

Speculation is fun, but it’s likely over tonight.  The Rays are hot and Matsuzaka tends to be very wild.  It’s hard for me to envision him duplicating his game one performance in a pressure-filled elimination game.  And, add in extra bad karma from tons of moaning Boston fans.  Maddon’s confidence in his young players is legendary and normally pays big dividends.  Kazmir just may turn in a career-altering big performance.

VISIT OUR FRIENDS

Sometimes, the randomness that is conveyed in the sports pages amazes me (this is a blog, I can be random here). Joel Sherman, in his latest piece for the NY Post, offers some advice to Yankee GM, Brian Cashman. “Go get Gillick,” he commands, noting Pat Gillick’s GM history, a history built upon creating winners in different locales, whether it be Seattle, Toronto, Baltimore, or, of course, Philadelphia. Gillick knows how to construct a winning ball club and has done just that in Philadelphia, where he is finishing his year and his GM career (he’s 71).

The desire to participate in a full season as a GM is no longer something he feels. He is ready to end his tenure in Philadelphia, although he has not ruled out other baseball activities for different clubs (I would assume that consulting is a possibility). Sherman knows that Cashman and Gillick have a very friendly relationship and thinks that the two should pair up and do some damage in the Bronx. I mean, why not? Gillick could truly help Cashman, there’s no doubt about it.

What’s sad about this notion, for Sherman, is that it makes no sense for Gillick. He’s retiring, essentially. Also, he lives in Seattle, so how would it work, exactly? A man retiring in order to escape the everyday rigors of the game, surely doesn’t want to travel back and forth, across the country, when he can just work closer to home. I believe that the Seattle Mariners will call Gillick and he will advise them, at least in some capacity (not as the GM). It’s fun to say, “Go get Gillick,” however, realistically, he’s doesn’t seem to be a viable option.