Larry Bowa

Larry Bowa. Baseball lifer. A self-made player, who made himself an effective hitter (.260 lifetime average with over 2000 career hits) on the great Phillies teams of the mid-'70s through 1981. 5-time all-star. Two gold gloves. Fiesty, fiery, on-field leader. Traded to the Cubs (along with Ryne Sandberg, on whose coaching staff he now serves), where his grit and consistency were part of the 1984 division champs. Managed the Padres. Coach, then manager of the Phillies -- the team whom his successor Charlie Manuel would take to two World Series. Coach on Joe Torre's Yankee staff. Did I miss his years coaching in Anaheim? Or his years as a baseball analyst with XM and MLB network. 45 years in and around the majors. A baseball lifer in the best way. I caught him Friday on a cool and misty night as the Phillies played the Mets in New York.

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