Sept. 24, 2026
Chad Tracy just had the interim-manager tag removed by the Red Sox, earning a new three-year contract that was the reward for reviving Boston all the way to a wild-card spot in the AL playoffs next week.
Andy Green also lost the dreaded interim label the other day, signing a three-year deal with the Mets even though the team is going home in a few days.
Meanwhile, for Don Mattingly . . . crickets.
The closest GM Dave Dombrowski has come to addressing the managerial position beyond the current year is this: “We have felt it’s better to wait until the season is complete.”
In fact, Dombrowski said there had been no discussions about Mattingly’s future at all – nada – despite the manager’s defibrillation of a 9-19 corpse of a team that has gone on to post an impressive 78-52 record after he cleaned up the mess left by Rob Thomson.
Why haven’t the Phillies rewarded Mattingly for saving their season by offering a lucrative new deal??
Two words: Alex Cora.
You see, Dave and Alex worked together in Boston, won a championship there, and have a bond much stronger than that of the GM and Mattingly, even though Don’s son Preston is part of the Phillies’ brain trust. My best guess is, Dombrowski wants to see how the Phils fare in the games that count the most, the playoffs, before giving up on his dream to bring Cora here.
If you think this is all a prelude to demanding justice for Mattingly, think again. I believe what Dombrowski is doing – or not doing – will serve the Phillies better in the long run than rewarding Mattingly right now.
Despite his undeniable rescue of a floundering team, Don still comes across as too much of a robot for me – too much like Thomson, who never made a comfortable decision that wasn’t pre-programmed. At this point, it’s clear that the analytics department is still running the Phillies show, like it or not.
History suggests the Phils would not be so beholden to the numbers with Cora, who is more old-school than Mattingly, and a far louder voice in any organization. That’s fine with me. The Phillies desperately need more of Dallas Green and less of Rob Thomson if they hope to end an 18-year championship drought.
If the Phils win the first round, it’s a sure thing that the pressure will build for them to show their appreciation to Mattingly for a job well done. I just hope the GM doesn’t cave to the outcry. Unless there’s a parade in our immediate future, I see no reason not to weigh Mattingly against Cora after the season.
Let’s not forget that when Thomson was put out of his misery in late April, Dombrowski’s first call was to Cora, not Mattingly, who was serving as the Phillies bench coach at the time.
Back then, Dombrowski’s first choice to manage the Phillies obviously was Cora. And I’m pretty sure it still is today.
Unless there’s confetti in our hair next month, I hope Alex Cora gets the job.
During my post-game blog post on Monday, I left DeVonta Smith off my list of positives despite a terrific game (10 catches, 117 yards) punctuated by a couple of astounding plays that featured his impeccable hands and remarkable feet.
Why not crow like the rest of the media, you ask? Because I doubt what Smith did against the Titans is sustainable, even with the welcome emergence of Dontayvion Wicks as a viable No. 2 receiver. Is Smith going to be able to replace the third-down presence of ex-Eagle A.J. Brown? I still doubt it.
The problem with playing two bad football teams to start the season is that you often draw conclusions that quickly become delusions once the schedule gets more challenging. I have always been a big fan of Smith as the No. 2 guy. I still think he’s too small to be a No. 1.
Unfoirtunately, we will not get a clearer read on the 2026 season against Chicago on Monday night either because now the Bears will be without their top two quarterbacks in that contest due to injuries. Two games into a new season, Chicago is already down to its third quarterback. – just in time to face the Eagles.
I know what I say next will be annoying to the many Nick Sirianni fans who somehow still read this blog, but there has never been, in my half-century as a sportswriter and broadcaster, anyone who is as lucky as the overrated head coach of the Eagles.
Need I remind everyone that the Commanders were without their best offensive lineman, Laremy Tunsil, for the opening game, stud young QB Caleb Williams is out for the Bears game, and the Giants – a formidable NFC East threat this season – will be missing their young QB Jaxson Dart for both meetings with the Birds this season? And let’s not forget the dubious status of QB Jayden Daniels (dislocated throwing elbow) again in Washington.
I would like to believe Jalen Hurts has avoided similar misfortune in his healthy first seven years with the Birds because he is so brilliantly coached, but even the Sirianni zealots know better than that. So much of the health of a quarterback is connected to the blockers in front of him and blind luck. Especially the latter.
The next time Sirianni can’t figure out whether or not to accept a penalty late in a close game, or when he acts the fool on the sideline after a controversial officiating decision, it’s important to keep in mind that his luck over the past six years has been astounding.
Can it continue?
Not likely.
But you never really know, do you?
As the old saying goes, I’d rather be lucky than good.
Also worth considering. . . . :
- I may be a sentimental old fool, but the most exciting news to me this week is the re-signing of former Eagles great Zach Ertz. I’m still trying to figure out why the organization let him go five years ago. Ertz was a big part of the community, a terrific role model for kids and – oh, yeah – a really good pass-catching tight end. I hope he proves again how wrong the Birds were to let him go.
- On the other hand, our patience with Dallas Goedert is being tested these days. He was prioritized over Ertz because he was younger, offering the prospect of at least several seasons of good health. Instead, Goedert hasn’t played every game of a season since he was a rookie in 2018. He has sustained injuries to both knees, his head, shoulder, right forearm, left calf, a thumb and both hamstrings. Not exactly the iron man of the Eagles, is he?
- I will have more to say about the insulting new tailgate rules at Lincoln Financial Field in future posts, but what I need to say now is, the Eagles have no good reason to fix what isn’t broken. By dictating where tailgaters can park – and finding a way to charge them more for the privilege – is disrespectful to fans who have supported the team with their hearts and wallets for generations.
- It just occurred to me that of the new Big Three on the Sixers – LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown – the one player worthy of your adulation is none of them. It’s Tyrese Maxey, a genuine team player who causes no problems, blends his likeable personality with all of the divas on the roster and actually seems to grasp how lucky he is to be making a great living playing a game he loves. Have a great season, Tyrese.
- I lost track of my favorite Eagles coach after his firing a year ago in Jacksonville. Doug Pederson spent a season out of football, and now he’s serving as a college-football analyst at CBS. Actually, that’s probably the best spot for him. The NFL has never prioritized honesty for its coaches. If Doug shows the same respect for viewers that he did for Eagles fans, he will be a major success in broadcasting.