Asking (again) “what possible motivation could ESPN have to hire Steve Phillips as an analyst?”, Gotham Baseball’s Mark Healey is amongst those baffled by the former Mets GM’s status as a TV and radio fixture. (link swiped from Repoz and Baseball Think Factory)



How is it that a man that perennially misread the market place, undervalued his farm system, and made poor judgment calls on talent and personnel in nearly every transaction he made during his tenure as a GM, is considered an expert analyst.

This is the same guy who has been patting himself on the back “ on the air, no less “ about œfinding and keeping David Wright and Jose Reyes.

Of course he failed to mention that scout Eddie Toledo and Assistant GM Omar Minaya found Reyes, and that Toronto GM J.P Ricciardi turned down a Jose Cruz Jr.-for David Wright deal that Phillips offered him a few years ago.

It’s really too bad that he didn’t get the Kansas City opening, because if there were ever a match made in heaven, it’s that ownership and that Talking Head.

While not disagreeing with Healey’s general thrust (ie. Phillips sucks), in the interests of fairness I’ll acknowledge that during a recent broadcast, Phillips reminded viewers he was the man that traded Melvin Mora for Mike Bordick. And he wasn’t bragging about it, either.