It was a dark day for Pete Mackanin. The Phillies had just finished a disappointing season with a .500 record, ending a run of five straight National League East titles.
The misguided initial blame for the fantastic fall was placed on hitting coach Greg Gross, first base coach Sam Perlozzo and Mackanin, who was Charlie Manuel's bench coach that season. All three were immediately fired after the final game of the 2012 season in Washington.
"It was disappointing, but I had been fired before for what I felt like was no good reason," Mackanin said last month during a Phillies winter banquet stop in Lakewood, N.