Philadelphia Phillies hire Joe Girardi to right their ship

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: Manager Joe Girardi #28 of the New York Yankees watches his team from the dugout during an MLB baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 12, 2017 at CitiField in the Queens borough of New York City. This game was scheduled to be played in Tampa Bay, but had to be moved to play in a neutral stadium because of hurricane damage in Florida. Rays won 2-1. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: Manager Joe Girardi #28 of the New York Yankees watches his team from the dugout during an MLB baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 12, 2017 at CitiField in the Queens borough of New York City. This game was scheduled to be played in Tampa Bay, but had to be moved to play in a neutral stadium because of hurricane damage in Florida. Rays won 2-1. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Cooper Neill/MLB via Getty Images)
(Photo by Cooper Neill/MLB via Getty Images)

Like Sgt. Schultz, Everybody Knows NOTH-ing!

No one else seemed to know about that either. Corey Seidman, however, reported the Cubs would hire David Ross to manage their team, so, seemingly, only the Mets were in competition with the Philadelphia Phillies for Girardi. “Reading the tea leaves” (meaning, apparently, Twitter), Mike Rosenstein opined that Girardi to the Phillies was likely the best bet, but he wasn’t putting any money down.

There were still six teams looking for managers. Maybe Girardi, Baker and Showalter had more interviews scheduled. You know – secretly.

The Philadelphia area had to be on edge, right?

Correct. But that concern was about Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and that team’s defensive backs. Also, about five times as many people were crabbing about letting linebacker Jordan Hicks go (to the football Cardinals) as were those thinking about the Phillies.

Philadelphia sports fans will remain solidly disgusted with their baseball team until they start next season 10-0.

If Mr. Girardi is actually signed, I thought after reading Zolecki’s piece, a few folks will wish him well, but he needs to know coming in that, in general, his starting pitching stinks. If he signs without any believable assurance of the most serious effort possible to upgrade his rotation, he is far more a fool than he has ever seemed to me.

The sun was setting on the Philadelphia Phillies Oct. 23.

By 10 o’clock, nobody had signed anyone.