Last week, the Phillies decided to fire their manager Joe Girardi after 2+ seasons. I thought this might have happened around the All Star break, but now that it has, there are no more excuses available for the Phillies players. They have to start to perform, and so far they have. They have won seven consecutive games in the past week. Supposedly, new manager Rob Thompson, who was the bench coach, has a more relaxed personality. Maybe that's what was needed. We shall see.
Part of the reason why I had higher expectations for them this year is because they have the fourth highest payroll in Major League Baseball behind only the Dodgers, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels.
In order for the Phillies to get back in the divisional race, they probably have to extend their winning streak to 10 games or so.
The French Open tennis tournament ended with two expected champions. On the men’s side, Rafael Nadal won his 14th French Open in his 17th attempt to extend his incredible record to 22 grand slam wins. To make his championship run even more impressive, he did it while having to take pain shots in his foot before most matches. After the tournament was over, he was seriously talking about retiring. On the women's side, Iga Swiatek from Poland made some history of her own. She has won 37 straight matches on the WTA tour. She beat Coco Gauff, the 18-year-old upstart American, in straight sets in the finals. This is great progress for Coco going into Wimbledon. I hope she can maintain this level of play for a long time.
With school ending and summer really kicking in, I wanted to close this article with a local shout out. Congratulations to the Cape Henlopen High School baseball team for winning their second state championship in the past five years. They finished their season on a 20-game winning streak in which they proved that they can win games with great offensive production or pitching and defense. In the last two games they won, it was the pitching and defense. In the semifinals they beat Saint Mark’s 2-1. In the final, they won by scoring three runs in the sixth inning of a seven-inning game that until then was tied 1-1. What a way to finish!
-
A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
