The Phillies are 53-42 and in first place in the NL East, and in Philadelphia, Jim Salisbury noted with the team’s "window of contention opening a year before many expected, club officials are reacting." Phillies President Andy MacPhail said Managing Partner John Middleton "wants to sustain winning," but he is "not an ‘excite the town at any cost’ guy." MacPhail: "He’s not willing to give up too much of that just to make a splash." The Phillies "rank fourth from the bottom" in the NL in average attendance at 26,740 per game. But MacPhail said that he was "not surprised by the attendance and he believes there are factors behind it," as the team this season "was not projected to be a top contender" (NBCSPORTSPHILADELPHA.com, 7/14).
DYNAMIC DUO: In L.A., Tania Ganguli noted as Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and LeBron James' partnership "goes forward, they’ll work together to find the right teammates for James." Johnson will "use James as a resource." Johnson said, "We're gonna go to LeBron and say … ‘What do you think about this guy?'" He added, "The ultimate decision maker on the team and who we bring in is me. I take that to [Lakers President] Jeanie [Buss] and see what she says and whether she signs off or not" (L.A. TIMES, 7/14).
PRESSURE MOUNTING? In Ft. Lauderdale, Omar Kelly writes Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross since purchasing the team in '09 has "done everything possible" to set the team "on the right course with one exception." Ross has "never done a full-fledged reset, purging and then hiring new leadership (a vice president of football operations, general manager, head coach and his staff) from top to bottom at the same time." He has "done it in pieces," but he has "never done one major reboot, letting one person hire everyone and building with a uniform vision." That "might be what’s needed if this offseason’s moves fail to make" the '18 Dolphins "respectable" (SUN-SENTINEL.com, 7/16).
