Happy Monday, friends. No pre-amble today, plenty of good baseball ahead this week, but for the moment, let’s revisit some of the best links from over the weekend.
- Joe Girardi might not have been the problem, but Tom Verducci explains why the Phillies had no choice but to fire him.
- Interim manager Rob Thomson talks about the bittersweet day he took up the mantle after Joe Girardi was fired. Story by Sam Blum. (The Athletic subscription required.)
I’m not usually a big anti-umpire guy but this is actually straight up embarrassing.