Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News quotes Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg who spoke at an offseason banquet about the Phillies’ 2014 troubles. The skipper:
“I didn’t think we had a good clubhouse last year . . . I don’t think it was conducive to winning,” Sandberg said. “I don’t think it was about winning a baseball game that day, in some regards. I think there were some distractions there.”
When pressed, Sandberg wouldn’t give tons of specifics, but the upshot seems to be that the veterans were more of the problem and that they didn’t let the younger players relax. He didn’t name names, but he’s more optimistic about this year, so may one deduce that players who have departed were the issue?
Or does the more pertinent question involve why Sandberg is talking about the clubhouse atmosphere as if the team’s manager is merely a passive observer?