Heritage is about all the only two Jewish managers in Phillies history have in common.
Gabe Kapler, hired last week to replace Pete Mackanin, is a fitness-obsessed Californian whose workout-sculpted body seems to have been created by a comic-book artist. He’s just 42 years old, is fascinated by analytics, and is, by all accounts, extremely cerebral.
Andy Cohen, meanwhile, was 55, graying, and a paunchy 5-foot-8 when he got the job in 1960. A former infielder for John McGraw, he was a seat-of-the-pants, old-school, baseball lifer.
Soon, no doubt very early in Kapler’s career, there will be one more thing to set them apart.