Whenever the city of Gotham needed help, they would fire up the bat signal – a giant spotlight in the sky with a bat logo – in hopes that Batman would respond and come save the day.
Well, the city of Philadelphia is now sending their own talisman of hope into the night sky, crossing its fingers that Phillies managing partner/owner John Middleton might respond.
Because the time is nigh.
Middleton is the only person who can save this Phillies season – and by save it, I don’t mean get things fixed to make a run at the playoffs.
No. The Phillies are broken. They are so fundamentally flawed from top to bottom that there is nothing at this point that will separate them from the rest of the National League pack despite them being so close to an actual playoff spot.
No. Forget that.
Instead, Middleton is the only person who can save this season by holding his organization publicly accountable for the mess they have wrought.
Because this is no longer about Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto slightly under-performing.
This is no longer about an inadequate pitching staff, or overcoming a slew of injuries, or a too inconsistent offense, or shoddy defense or the worst bench in baseball or failed situational baseball, or a lack of hustle, or anything on the field.
No. This is much worse. This is an organizational failure. A complete swing and miss in philosophy, structure, approach and accountability.
And that’s what Middleton has to save at this point. The face of the team.
