610 just mentioned something (in a sports flash) about some reports that Hunsicker may become the new GM of Philly if they get rid of their current one. If he is going to be a GM again, wish he had stayed with us
Philly is going to become a good team if they land Hunsicker. It's funny but Richard Justice earlier in the week said that Gerry's offseason plan for the astros if he stayed would have been to make Jeff Kent the Astros #1 offseason priority due to the uncertanty of Beltran coming back. Hunsicker is one of the sharpest GM's around and helped the Astros remain playoff contenders despite a middle of the pack budget limit. If Uncle Drayton was smart he would get on his hand's and knee's and beg Gerry to come back.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/102-05122005-488365.html Is Wade on the way out? By RANDY MILLER phillyBurbs.com MILWAUKEE - An unflattering photo of Phillies general manager Ed Wade has been making its rounds over the internet. In a shot that was posted on collegehumor.com, Wade is seated in the stands during a spring training game and smiling for the camera while posing next to a young man wearing a Phillies cap. Unbeknownst to Wade, the Phillies fan slyly is holding up a sign that reads, "I'm With Stoopid." Also over Internet, Phillies fans can find fireedwade.com, a site entirely devoted to making fun of Wade's poor moves and campaigning for his dismissal. When will disgruntled Phillies fans get their wish? It could be very soon - perhaps within a month - if the last-place Phillies keep losing and fans continue to show their displeasure by staying away from Citizens Bank Park. Since replacing Lee Thomas on Dec. 9, 1997, Wade has led the Phillies to three winning seasons and no playoff appearances, and this year's team is floundering with a payroll that is the fifth-highest in baseball at $95 million. Wade already has been canned in the court of public opinion. Besides being continually bashed by legions of fans, he's repeatedly been fired by columnists in Philadelphia and suburban newspapers. The decision to change GMs will be made by team president David Montgomery, and for what it's worth, sources say Wade is very concerned about his future. If Wade goes, former Houston Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker would be the strong favorite to take over with Phillies assistant GM Mike Arbuckle also being a possibility. A team source said Montgomery believes Arbuckle would make a great GM, but that he probably would feel strong pressure to hire a bigger name such as Hunsicker, who led the Astros to five postseason appearances from 1996-2004. Wade played his last two trump cards last fall by firing manager Larry Bowa after four seasons and hiring in-house candidate Charlie Manuel over fan favorite Jim Leyland, who had the better resume. Wade first became a target for fan abuse when he received little in return while trading away stars Curt Schilling and Scott Rolen, and it intensified when his moves at the last few trade deadlines didn't pan out. But the biggest reason Wade could be fired soon is that the Phillies' attendance has declined even more than expected from Year 1 to Year 2 at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies predicted a slight drop, but nothing close to what has happened. The Phils played to 93.3 percent capacity last season compared to 67.6 so far this season. Heading into a seven-game homestand that begins tonight against Cincinnati, the Phillies are 15th in attendance with an average crowd of 29,394 through 13 dates. Last season, the Phils finished fourth in baseball by drawing a franchise record 3,026,532 for 79 dates, an average of 40,589
Might have made him unpopular at the time, but that would have been the best offseason plan in retrospect. This team with a re-signed Kent and the pursuit of a replacement CF with Beltran's departure still wouldn't have been a contender, but they'd be alot more competitive. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.
Definitely the biggest loss. Bagwell and Biggio have been great, but Hunsicker made moves year after year that kept the organization competitive and on an even keel, getting guys like Backe and Tavares and Lamb for nothing, and then brought the house down with midseason trades like Unit and Beltran. He's a top-5 GM in the league, imo. Pupura has big shoes to fill.
