The Most Trustworthy General Manager In Philadelphia Sports
By Ray Boyd
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The sports landscape in Philadelphia can be summed up mostly by describing the men calling the shots for the four major teams. On Episode 34 of the Sports Beyond Measure podcast, we talked about the general managers that run the Eagles, Sixers, Phillies and Flyers and debated which of them is the king of the hill at the moment.
For sake of discussion, it was tough to make any case for Ruben Amaro Jr. Unfortunately, the Phillies are mired in one of their darker periods (despite some much improved play as of late). There is a rebuild that is often discussed with the Phillies, but it really hasn't started yet so it's hard to include Amaro in the discussion.
The other three names are all on the apparent upswing. Sam Hinkie has been orchestrating a calculated tear down of the Sixers and is beginning to hit the stage where we are seeing tangible young talents developing and things will look much brighter with the addition of another top-3 talent.
LISTEN: Vince Quinn and Ray Boyd debate Philly's most trustworthy GM on Sports Beyond Measure:
Chip Kelly (for the sake of this discussion, he's a general manager) is now calling the shots for the Eagles personnel department and can now handpick the players that run his unique scheme. With that power came one of the most drastic off-seasons of change in team history.
Ron Hextall has recently put his stamp on the Flyers by hiring a coach that no one had on their radar. The boldness that it takes to add a coach out of college is something that you only exhibit when you are very confident in your decision.
So what personnel guy do you trust the most? There is not a lot to point to yet when it comes to actual winning seasons, but each man is certainly doing it his way.
The Sports Beyond Measure Podcast is a weekly sports podcast that delivers a fun perspective on the latest headlines in national sports, Philadelphia professional sports and community-based sports. The series is hosted by 94 WIP's Vince Quinn, Ray Boyd and Eric "Turtle" Golden. You can download/subscribe for free on iTunes.