Larry Bowa

THEY had to fire Bowa! After the deals that got us Jones and Rodriquez and the dramatic call-up of red-hot Marlon Byrd (and after Ed Wade brought in Paul Abbott), how could Bowa not win? Just like the Schilling and Rolen trades, you are doing the right thing, Ed. Gene Reed, Levittown Loyalty as a member of the team, and loyalty as the manager, that was the Bowa trademark. Frank Conforti, Philadelphia Considering the injuries this year as well as the mediocre pitching staff, Larry Bowa did a fine job. If anyone deserved to be fired, it should have been Ed Wade.

Jimmy Rollins had heard all about Larry Bowa. He had no idea who he was, but Rollins kept hearing about Bowa from Billy DeMars, the Phillies' 75-year-old infield instructor and former third-base coach. "He'd be hitting me ground balls in the minor-league camp and he'd say, 'You're a lot better than Larry Bowa was at this age,' " Rollins said. "He kept bringing that name up and I was like, 'Who in the heck is this Larry Bowa?' That was all they'd talk about. It was just some name to me. " That changed on the first day of November when Bowa was named the Phillies' manager.

On his MLB.com radio show last year, Phillies pitcher Randy Wolf listened as Brian McRae explained his preparations for spring training in his playing days: First, he put on his cleats. Second, he stepped onto his lawn. Lastly, he stood there for about two hours and didn't move. So spring training isn't exactly perpetual motion, but everybody seems to have just enough work to do. Phillies manager Larry Bowa laid out several things he wants to see before the Phillies break camp and open their season in April, and he will be a taskmaster in getting them done.

Say this about Omar Daal: He pitched like an ace in the Grapefruit League. No one will confuse Daal with Randy Johnson or Roger Clemens, but at this point the veteran lefthander is the Phillies' No. 1 starter and, at least under the swaying palm trees, he gave his manager every reason to believe in him. "Even when he doesn't have great stuff, he competes," Larry Bowa said yesterday after the Phillies' 4-3 exhibition victory over the Detroit...

The Minnesota Twins, opening their three-game series at Veterans Stadium tonight, will feature a player who has quietly become one of the game's best centerfielders. Say hello to Torii Hunter, who may be the best unknown player in the majors. Fans who follow National League teams probably don't know much about Hunter, a fast-rising 26-year-old who last season his won first Gold Glove Award. Phillies manager Larry Bowa can fill you in. Bowa was a third-base coach with the Anaheim Angels (1999)

The most important event in the Phillies' universe today won't take place at Bright House Networks Field, where the Phillies will host the Boston Red Sox in front of a sellout crowd. While the Phils and Red Sox tango under the sun in Florida, Jim Thome will be in Philadelphia having his broken right middle finger examined by hand specialist Randall Culp. The results of the examination are expected to determine whether Thome will need to have a pin inserted in the finger. If he doesn't, he could be back in three weeks, making him ready to start the season April 5 in Pittsburgh.

Is it more than just a slump? Is it worse? Phillies manager Larry Bowa wonders whether it is. "I've been on teams when we struggled for one week, two weeks," Bowa said Sunday in Montreal. "Fifty games is a long streak. Fifty games makes you think maybe it might be one of those things where guys are just having off years. " The Phillies were 14th in the National League in hitting at .247 and tied for 12th in home runs with 44 before yesterday's games. They were sixth in runs with 236 (4.72 per game)

The interviews have been done. The words have all been spoken. Now the time has come for general manager Lee Thomas to decide whom he wants to be the next manager of the Phillies. Thomas met with Larry Bowa yesterday for the second time, completing his second wave of interviews with the three finalists: Bowa, Hal McRae and Terry Francona. So now comes the hard part. "It's going to be a difficult decision," Thomas said yesterday. "Hopefully, we'll make it in the next two or three days, but it's tough.

After weeks of rumors and an interviewing process that seemed as long as the season itself, the Phillies are expected today to name Terry Francona, the Tigers' third-base coach, as their new manager. A number of sources in the Phils' organization indicated that Francona was the choice, though general manager Lee Thomas would not confirm that yesterday. Francona is expected to be introduced as the Phillies' 39th manager of the century this afternoon. As of late last night, no news conference had been announced.

He has 11 more career starts and five more wins than Brandon Duckworth. He went 2-0 with a 1.93 earned run average in his two starts against Atlanta last season. Erase his three disastrous outings against the New York Mets and he would have been 6-4 with a 3.18 ERA. That's not a bad resume righthander David Coggin handed manager Larry Bowa and the Phillies at the start of this spring training. Bowa and company decided they needed to see more before handing Coggin the ball every fifth day. They decided Coggin needed to prove himself here in the Grapefruit League before getting the job as the team's fifth starter.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Mike Schmidt and Dallas Green were asked to pick an era Monday morning. Their first option was that enchanting time from 1975 through 1983 when the Phillies, behind Schmidt's big bat and Steve Carlton's wicked left arm, evolved from a perennial second-division team into a consistent contender that won five division titles, two National League pennants, and a World Series. The second option was this current group of Phillies, which also has won five division titles, two pennants, and one World Series.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - It was late September 2003, and the Phillies were playing Juan Pierre's Florida Marlins at whatever that football stadium in South Florida was called at the time. The Phillies trailed the Marlins by one game in the National League wild-card race when they arrived. After the Marlins won the second game of the series to all but assure themselves of a spot in the playoffs, Pierre glanced into the visitors' dugout and was amused by what he saw. "I forget exactly how we won, but Larry Bowa threw his scorecard, and all these other papers just started flying all over the dugout," Pierre said, a huge smile crossing his face.

EVER-WACKY (yet informative!) Action News alum Don Polec turns 60 in his world and ours Thursday. The comic-edged consumer-ish reporter left Channel 6 two years ago, but he's still with us. Polec, his family and, apparently, their chickens, reside in Bucks County. He has a kinda marvelous compilation of his award-winning work at www.donpolecsworld.com . What's in the stars for this local star? Work, travel, sales, truth - it's all in there. What a wonderful world indeed. Turning double-6 tomorrow is former Phils shortstop and manager Larry Bowa.

Nervous? Anxious? Trouble sleeping Thursday night? That's what these elimination games can do to a person. Do or die. Win or go home. It all sounds so scary, and no doubt a large portion of frantic Phillies fans are out there are already gnawing at their nails in anticipation of Friday night's Game 5 at Citizens Bank Park. Some free advice: Embrace this moment and enjoy the ride. Roy Halladay is pitching and the Phillies are at home. That combination makes them the favorite to win and advance.

READING - There is a possibility that we are entering the final 3 months of Jimmy Rollins' tenure as the Phillies' shortstop. The little kid from Oakland who became a man right in front of our eyes as the catalyst for the most successful run in Phillies history is a free agent at the end of the season. The guy Rollins supplanted as the best shortstop ever to play for the Phillies thinks letting Rollins walk would be a mistake. "In my opinion, they better sign him. Jimmy can still play," Larry Bowa said.

When former Phillies manager and shortstop Larry Bowa visited with fans at Citizens Bank Park Saturday afternoon, he used one word to describe the Phillies' pitching rotation this season: "Outstanding. " Bowa, who won a World Series with the Phillies in 1980, said that the team has put together the best pitching staff he has seen since he became a player in the major leagues back in 1970. "Barring injuries, they can go as far as they want to go," Bowa said. "The front office and Charlie [Manuel]

The man involved in perhaps the most infamous trade in Phillies history could finally be returning to the organization that always regretted losing him. Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg is among the candidates for the Phillies' managerial vacancy at triple-A Lehigh Valley, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Chuck LaMar, the Phillies' assistant general manager in charge of player development, said the team has just started the process of interviewing.

Bill Conlin's Phillies Modern Era All-World Series Team 1B: Ryan Howard 2B: Chase Utley SS: Larry Bowa 3B: Mike Schmidt C: Bob Boone LF: Milt Thompson CF: Lenny Dykstra RF: Jayson Werth SP: Steve Carlton Closer: (Tie) Tug McGraw, Brad Lidge PH: Geoff Jenkins Manager: Charlie Manuel Captains: Rich Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Grover Cleveland Alexander Broadcasters: Harry Kalas and Rich Ashburn  

  Larry Bowa emerged from the visiting dugout Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park and started hitting fungoes to the Los Angeles Dodgers' infielders. "Larry," a Phillies fan yelled, "you're my biological father. " "I don't think that will get him to come over," the fan's friend informed him. It did not. It was, however, proof that regardless of what uniform Bowa wears, he'll always be a beloved figure in Philadelphia. Bowa, in his third season as the Dodgers' third-base coach and his fifth working with manager Joe Torre, still bleeds a little bit red. He still lives in the Philadelphia suburbs and knows a lot about the Phillies.