Philadelphia Phillies boss Dave Dombrowski wasn’t evasive Tuesday, didn’t try to be politically correct and didn’t bother to soothe anyone’s feelings.
He wanted to hire Alex Cora to be the team's next manager.
He might have even begged Cora at times to be their manager, saying that not only is he one of the finest managers in the game, but a future Hall of Famer.
Dombrowski didn’t even bother to wait 24 hours after Cora was fired by the Boston Red Sox on Saturday to offer him the Phillies managerial job with Rob Thomson still employed.
It wasn’t until Monday morning that Cora, in the second year of a three-year, $21.75 million contract, told Dombrowski that he was sorry, but he was going home to Puerto Rico for the summer. He wanted to be a “full-time dad" for his eight-year-old twin sons with a daughter in graduate school.
“I thought he might take it, but as time went on over the next day,’’ Dombrowski said after making the offer Sunday, “it was apparent from his perspective that he wanted to take time with his family."
Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, was disappointed, but certainly understood Cora’s reasoning. He then had to make a huge decision himself.
Should he stick with Thomson, or fire him anyway, and determine if there’s anyone in the organization who could make a difference?
“There's no question we have the talent," Dombrowski kept saying.
So, he telephoned Don Mattingly, their bench coach and the son of Phillies GM Preston Mattingly, and asked if he’d please take over the Phillies for the remainder of the season.
Mattingly, 65, who said in January that he didn’t have the energy to manage again after stints with the Dodgers and Marlins, agreed at least ride out the rest of the season. The Mattinglys make history by becoming the first father and son to be a GM and manager for an MLB team.
Mattingly won’t be around long, just the rest of the summer, but Dombrowski still believes a change of voice is all that’s needed to have this team playing deep into October.
“This isn’t a blame game…," Dombrowski said in his press conference. “I just don’t think we’re playing up to our capabilities. I think we’re a much better club than we played. And so you make tough decisions that are tough at times….
“Four years ago, he was the right voice for us with the club that we had. There was no question about it. I just think we needed a different voice with this group where we are now."
So, Thomson, who had the finest winning percentage in Phillies’ history, leading the Phillies to four consecutive postseason berths, is out the door.
Cora will be waiting at the door and most likely will be the Phillies’ top target after the season, barring Mets owner Steve Cohen from offering a contract so lucrative that he can’t ignore.
And Mattingly is now inside the room, hoping to somehow make a difference with a team that’s grossly underperforming.
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