Last week, after the announcement of Ed Wade's firing as general manager of he Phillies, there were several who wrote that while Wade probably needed to be replaced, he certainly wasn't the worst GM ever. Rich Hoffman and Sam Donellon of the Daily News wrote some objective pieces, as did several bloggers, including myself.
One writer who has chosen to take a different point of view is Randy Miller of Bucks County's Courier-Times. On Sunday, Miller penned a scathing piece on Ed Wade, exposing a man that had a short fuse, a hot temper, and far too much concern for what the media wrote and said. In the piece, Miller recounts several instances of classless outbursts by Wade at players and media. He also reports that an advance scout for the Phillies, who was fired at the end of the season, would routinely leave games in the seventh or eighth inning. According to Miller, it was, "one of the worst kept secrets in baseball."
So apparently, Ed Wade was likely a man who let his temper and insecurities get in the way of doing his job -- no one can make logical and objective decisions when they are too emotional -- and the Phillies employed at least one scout who liked to play hooky. Are these symptoms of a finely-tuned baseball organization? Certainly not. All of this paints a picture of something we've all at the very least suspected, that the Phillies organization and administration is lacking in competency.
Recently, ESPN.com columnist Rob Neyer said, "Usually when a general manager fires a manager, the problem is the general manager. Usually when an owner fires a general manager, the problem is the owner." In the last twelve and a half months, the Phillies have fired both their manager and general manager. For those of you scoring at home, that makes all of this the fault of David Montgomery, CEO and part-owner of the Phillies, the man responsible for setting the tone of the franchise.
Despite his unprofessionalism, Wade has put together a nucleus of players that is good enough to have a chance to make it to the post-season. If they ever do, it will be in spite of the culture within the Phillies, not because of it.
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The Missus asks, "If Ed Wade was such a jerk all the time, why did no one ever write about it until now? Do you think this is true?"
It's certainly logical to question the veracity of this report, I certainly did when I first read the story, and I think there are several things to consider. First, I have heard some of these things before, I just assumed they were isolated incidents. Second, Miller apparently has a tape recording of one of Wade's "best" outbursts. And third, to asnwer the first question, "why haven't we heard this before?" I think it is logical to assume that if anyone did write/report this pattern of behavior, the writer/reporter would have become the story, something I am told journalists should never do, and it is possible the writer/reporter would have been barred from access to the team.
