Philadelphia Phillies Manager and former professional baseball player Larry Bowa discussed his team's pursuit of three high profile free agents last night.
"Keep your fingers crossed for [David] Bell, [Jim] Thome and [Tom] Glavine," he said. "Hopefully, Bell will be signed by this weekend."
Bowa also emphasized the traits of leadership at a Fox Leadership Program event last night, including determination. And he speaks from experience -- Bowa attempted to make his high school baseball team on four separate occasions, but he was cut each time.
Despite Bowa's early failure, "hard work and dedication" led to a 20-year career in professional baseball, which included five National League All-Star selections and a World Series victory.
Although Bowa "didn't have the greatest skills, and wasn't the smartest player" in high school, he had dedication. "It all boils down to wanting it bad enough," he said. "It's going beyond the call of duty."
Bowa's story resonated with audience members.
"I thought it was inspiring because he never made his high school team and became a professional athlete," College freshman Jacob Levine said.
Bowa also emphasized that in most situations, many parties may vie for the same goal.
"You are going to have to do something better than the person in front of you," Bowa explained. "It's about going beyond the call of duty."
He also contrasted the more difficult aspects of leading a team as a coach, rather than as as a shortstop. "As a player you have more control," he said. "As a coach, you urge people to work harder."
Bowa went on to explain the art of managing various personalities in modern baseball to the roughly 100 students attending the presentation. "Each person has different buttons to push," he said.
"There are so many people who haven't faced adversity," Bowa continued, adding, "You have to be a man and face reality." He went on to explain that facing adversity at a young age is preferable to dealing with a hard day in the Major Leagues.
Bowa used his relationship with Left Fielder Pat Burrell to illustrate the process of connecting with young players.
"Pat had always been the best," he said. However, Burrell struggled upon being called up to the major leagues initially. One day, Bowa called Burrell into his office, and instructed him to imitate the manager speaking to the underachieving outfielder.
"We came to an understanding," he said. "I finally caught him off guard."
Bowa said he dislikes the more intense media coverage that now focuses on non-baseball topics, such as his players breaking curfew. He cautioned, "whether you want to or not, you have to take accountability for your actions."
Wharton sophomore Sean Mackay said he "thought the part about responsibility was relevant to the business world today."
Bowa also discussed the one aspect of the game that he feels still requires improvement -- getting ejected. Bowa was ejected on 10 occasions last season.
However, his tendency to argue with umpires stems from his philosophy of leading by example. "I rather me get kicked out of a game than one of my players," he said. "I stick up for my players."
"Winning the World Series in 1980 was a dream come true," Bowa said. "We're not that far away from [winning] another one."
