Bowa thinks Phillies have time to turn things around

TO CALL the Phillies' first half a disappointment would be an egregious understatement. Sitting 13 games under .500 at the All-Star break, baseball pundits across the game are starting to take notice that the team's slow start may not be just a fluke — including the team's former manager, Larry Bowa.

Bowa sounded off on the Phillies' struggles Wednesday night after he managed a celebrity softball game at Campbell's Field in Camden, where the Riversharks played host to this year's Atlantic League All-Star Game. Steve Carlton, another Phillies legend, was slated to participate in the festivities, as well, but was a late scratch over the weekend.

Bowa, a member of the Phillies' Wall of Fame, understands what it's like to play for a struggling baseball team. He reached the pinnacle as the starting shortstop for the 1980 Phillies, who earned the franchise's first World Series title, but he was also a member of the 1972 team that went 59-97, despite a Herculean 27-10 season from Carlton.

However, Bowa, who managed the Phillies from 2001-2004, said this year's team was much different from the 1972 team, and alarmingly so.

"We were all young then, and the expectations were not high. Obviously, the expectations for this year's team were extremely high, so it's tough," Bowa said. "We were young kids just glad to be playing in the big leagues, and I don't see a lot of enthusiasm out there now."

Playing out of the deepest hole the team has experienced in the National League East since 2002, Bowa said that if this year's Phillies have any hopes at making the playoffs, first they need to show some consistency. As the Phillies enter the second half healthier than they have been all season, the former skipper and current MLB-TV analyst did not consider being 14 games out of first place insurmountable.

"They're going to have to start winning two out of three games every series. They can't worry as much about winning 10 in a row. They just have to take two out of three, two out of three, every time," Bowa said. "Last year, St. Louis came back from nine games back in a month and Boston lost from [being] nine or 10 up in a month. It's not going to be easy, but it's not impossible."

Bowa was named NL Manager of the Year in 2001 and guided the Phillies to 86 wins in three of his four seasons, despite a payroll of just $60 million (compared with the team's current $174 million) before he was fired with two games remaining in the 2004 season. He was especially supportive of his successor, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, despite the fact Manuel has come under scrutiny during a season that has been catastrophically lackluster.

"It's tough to manage in this situation. No matter what you do it seems like it backfires," Bowa said. "The bottom line is, Charlie does a good job with the baseball team, but when the umpire says 'play ball,' the team has to be the one to do it."

Trying his best to keep in touch with members of his former organization, Bowa has spoken to Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Ryne Sandberg and Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins throughout the season. Rollins, who played for Bowa when he spent his first full season in the majors in 2001, has voiced his frustration to his former manager.

"He says it's no fun right now. He's used to winning," Bowa said. "This team is used to being on top and to see where they are right now is very disappointing."

Although Bowa never managed Cole Hamels, he is a self-proclaimed "Cole Hamels fan," and hopes the team will come to terms with its homegrown pitcher.

"I think the Phillies have got to sign him," Bowa said. "He's 28 years old, he's won a World Series MVP. You build franchises around Cole Hamels."

Bowa even mentioned potentially flirting with the luxury tax to keep Hamels in Philadelphia, citing the risks that free agency could pose for the Phillies.

"If it was my money. I wouldn't care about the luxury tax," Bowa said. "I think he really wants to stay here but once a guy goes to free agency he's going to be overwhelmed by the offers he's going to receive. You're rolling the dice by letting him walk. I'd give him the best contract I can."

The Phillies might want to heed the warnings of one of the franchise's most famous figures, past the managerial phase of his career but still very in touch with the game of baseball.