On Friday morning, the Phillies announced that they have "relieved Joe Girardi of his duties as manager today".  In other words, Joe Giradi was FIRED and will be replaced by the team's Bench Coach Rob Thomson and he will try to turn around a Phillies team that finds themselves 12 games behind the New York Mets in the National League East and 5.5 Games outside of the final NL Wild Card spot.  Joe Girardi made many decisions this season that drove Phillies fans crazy while many in the media questioned the Manager who lead the New York Yankees to a World Series ring in 2009. 

But the one aspect of Girardi’s managerial style that concerned me most was his lack of urgency.  Philly fans want to see a manager that inspires hope and has grit, which left Girardi’s laid-back style unappealing.  The team's devastating losses in recent weeks forced President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski to make the move to go in another direction.  Joe Girardi was 131-142 which means he had a winning percentage under 500 (.480) during his Philadelphia tenure.  The Phillies' previous skipper, Gabe Kapler, had a record of 163-109 during his tenure but Philadelphia fans did not like his approach either and now he's finding success as Manager of the San Francisco Giants.  Thomson is now the fifth Manager for the Phillies organization over the last nine seasons which has seen zero postseason appearances for Philadelphia.

I applaud the Phillies decision to move on from Joe Girardi and we will have plenty to talk about this weekend in The Locker Room with Billy Schweim!

On Saturday’s show. Mike Carlin joins me in the studio and we will discuss the Phillies firing their manager and what is next for the franchise.  The Sports Book Consigliere Dave Sharapan calls in from Las Vegas with his weekly segment and talks the NBA Finals plus NHL playoffs.  The Eagles are in the middle of their Offseason Training Activities (OTAs) as Head Coach Nick Sirianni has worked with the players for a staggered schedule this offseason instead of traditional Mandatory Mini-Camps.  In Hour Two, you don't want to miss the Beach Patrol Report - Brought to you by Groundhogs Moving Company. This week we will talk with a Captain of the Wildwood Beach Patrol Ed Schneider.  Ed will give us an update on the 2022 Lifeguard racing schedule. 

On Sunday’s show, Pete Thompson joins me in the studios we will take a closer look at the Phillies rollercoaster last several days and you DO NOT want to miss our weekly segment “On the Mound with Tommy Greene” brought to you by Aaron Bada’s GSF Golf and Performance Center.  Tommy will give his insights on the firing of Joe Girardi and what it means for the Phillies moving forward.  Plus, PT and I will talk the latest with the NBA Finals and NHL playoff talk.

All that and more this weekend in The Locker Room with Billy Schweim, every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to Noon on 97.3 ESPN radio!

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