Citizen Wade

If you had told me that five weeks into the season the Philadelphia Phillies would have a better record than the New York Yankees, I would have recommended you seek psychiatric help.  If your prediction had come true, I’d be telling everyone who’d listen (and even those that wouldn’t) about how the perennially underachieving Phillies were finally going to meet their lofty expectations.

Somehow, the Phillies do have a better record than the Yankees…yet I remain silent.As of May 6th, the Yankees are 11-18, tied with the Devil Rays for last place, though many expect them to get hot at any moment and still contend for the playoffs.  The Phillies are 12-17, alone in the basement of the NL East, where everyone expects them to linger for most of the season.

Especially everyone in Philadelphia.  But is it possible that the city of consummate underdogs is finally writing off a team as a lost cause?  Definitely.  Phillies fans are finally catching up to an organization of failed potential and empty promises.

I like Ed Wade as a general manager, I really do.  I think he had a good plan and I think he executed it well.  Sadly, it just didn’t work.  That happens, and now the Phillies need to move in another direction.  Wade made the right moves for the right players, who just happened to be a poor fit for the team.

Everything started off brilliantly, as Wade locked up Bobby Abreu long term, five more years, in a pitch to fans weary over losing Scott Rolen for 80 cents on the dollar, that the team was dedicated to locking up their remaining all-stars.  Abreu continues to be among the NL’s best outfielders.

With Abreu in place, Wade turned to the free agency market, nabbing the banner name of the year, Jim Thome, for $88 million and six years.  But it was all downhill from there.    

After Pat Burrell hit .282 with 37 HR and 116 RBI in 2002, he was rewarded with a six-year, $50 million contract.  Sadly, what everyone believed was a talented player finally reaching his peak of production turned out to be a mirage, as Burrell has since reverted to a batting average more reminiscent of his career average, .252.

Thome also failed to live up to the impossible expectations.  Sure he slugged over 40 home runs and drove in over 110 runs in his first two years with the Phillies, but those numbers didn’t lead to any playoff berths, and Thome didn’t become the face of the franchise that the organization had hoped he would.  He’s too quiet, too stoic, doesn’t have enough personality.  

And then, of course, there was the pitching.  2002 was a banner year for Vicente Padilla and Randy Wolf, as the two hurlers had all-star caliber seasons.  When Wade traded for the always-consistent and much ballyhooed Kevin Millwood to act as staff ace, expectations weren’t division title, they were World Series title.  

But Millwood proved he couldn’t handle the role he was given, and Padilla and Wolf proved, like Burrell, that 2002 was a fraud.

Then there was the opening of Citizens Bank Park, the modern marvel that was to represent the turning point for a beleaguered franchise.  And even if it didn’t, it would surely buy the Phillies a couple of years grace to turn things around, all the while keeping fans in the seats.

Except Phillies fans wanted something more than a nice place to watch a game.  They wanted a championship.  Just two years into its life, Citizens Bank isn’t sold out every night, season ticket sales are down, and attendance is plummeting.    

And suddenly, Ed Wade was left with a team of gigantic salaries, tiny stat lines, and unfulfilled promise.  No championships, no playoff berths, not even a substantial run at the division crown.

So where does a team go when its perfect plan is exposed as anything but?  The only place they can: back to the drawing board.  

The grand Philadelphia renovation began earlier this year when manager Larry Bowa was replaced with Charlie Manuel for the 2005 campaign.   It will likely continue when Wade is removed from his post as General Manager after the season.

Whoever inherits the Phillies from Wade will recieve a chance to make their mark, and find themselves in a situation that, while pressure-packed, includes many of the necessary components to build a winning ball club.  

The Phillies have a sizeable payroll budget at about $90 million per season, and the ability to pursue free agents or take on salary in trade.  But even more importantly, Wade will be leaving behind a deep minor league system fraught with bright futures.  

Already in the majors and playing well are Chase Utley and Brett Myers, AAA first basemen Ryan Howard offers 40 home run potential but might be better used as trade bait, and starting pitchers Gavin Floyd and Cole Hamels each have great stuff and dominant minor league seasons behind them.

Despite failing to deliver any memorable seasons or fantastic finishes, Ed Wade’s attempt at returning the Philadelphia Phillies to greatness wasn’t for nothing.  When the page is turned on this chapter of Phillies history, Wade’s character will be written in the role of architect.  All that Philadelphia needs for a happy ending is a capable carpenter to take Wade’s plan and turn it into a success.