Billy Wagner Says the Phillies Suck...and we agree

Billy Wagner says the Phillies need to break up the team. I didn't like the way Billy handled matters immediately after he left the Phillies and subsequently after he joined the Mets, but frankly this article states what needs to be said about the Phillies and its being said by someone who saw it firsthand and isn't being anonymous about it either. It's unlikely that this will stir up anything besides make Philly fans more pissed off about how much the Phils suck, but anyway its worth the read.

Former Phillies closer Billy Wagner said if Gillick breaks up the team, he's doing the right thing. The problem is the team's "nucleus,'' according to Wagner. "That team has as much talent as this one,'' said Mets closer Wagner, whose new club leads the second-place Phillies by 11½ games. "But there's something lacking there.''

And Wagner knows just what it is. He said he admires Gillick and manager Charlie Manuel, and that the problem starts at the very top. Wagner contends it stems from upper management, which insists on coddling and pampering its star young players, the result being a sense of entitlement and a poor understanding of the team concept. "You don't have the leadership you need,'' Wagner said, adding that it isn't fair to expect it yet from relative youngsters such as Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

Beyond newcomer Aaron Rowand, you don't have much fire, either. "Nobody ever gets upset,'' Wagner said. "If somebody does, he's a big mouth and nobody likes him. They take it as, 'I did my best. I'm going home.' There's nobody screaming, 'Hey, we're better than this!'"