Philadelphia Phillies rumors: Ryne Sandberg clashing with players

Philadelphia Phillies’ manager Ryne Sandberg has always been known for his intensity. As a Hall of Fame second baseman for the Chicago Cubs with the nickname “Ryno,” he was intense and competitive. He has brought that same personality and approach to his gig as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, though it is not translating to success in nearly the way it did for him as a player.

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Not even through his first full season at the helm in Philadelphia, Sandberg might be losing his locker room. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports the following:

"“Sounds like Ryne Sandberg has his hands full managing the Phillies. Sandberg is a tough, proud guy, a Hall of Fame player, but apparently he’s a little too tough and is receiving backlash from his players. As Bobby Valentine learned in Boston, you can’t be tough on players. You have to pat them on the back and treat them with kid gloves. Sandberg has had issues this season with Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Domonic Brown, and others.”"

It is not useful to paint with such a broad brush and say that managers cannot ever be tough on players. What we should say instead is that managers have to understand the dynamics of their locker room before applying that approach.

Sandberg took over a Phillies’ team full of overpaid veterans who have more leverage than he would have liked in the direction of the franchise. He took over a team that spent too much of this season in denial about the fact that they need to rebuild, starting with his general manager Ruben Amaro.

It is not surprising to find out that such a group does not like a ‘tough’ manager. If the Phillies make the sorts of changes that are called for, they might be able to get a truer sense of how Sandberg fits long-term as their manager next season.