Does Bowa have more in the tank with Phils?

PHILADELPHIA -- Incoming Phillies president Andy MacPhail dropped a hint about interim manager Pete Mackanin's future on Thursday.

"I know the tradition is that the GM picks his manager," MacPhail said. "I'll just go full disclosure here; if that happens, and it takes you a while to find a GM and then he gets consumed the first month or two with a manager and coaching staff, look how much of the offseason we've lost. That's a high price to pay. So we have to keep that in mind."

If Mackanin sheds the interim label to become the Phils' manager in 2016, he is expected to ask most of his coaching staff to return. That certainly includes bench coach Larry Bowa. But does Bowa want to return?

"If I'm going to be in uniform as a coach, I would want it to be with Philadelphia," Bowa said before Friday's doubleheader against the Cubs at Citizens Bank Park. "I've got a lot of energy. I like what I'm doing. But right now I'm not even thinking about it. I'm just trying to get through these final 23 games."

The Phillies celebrated Bowa's 50th year in baseball this year. He turns 70 in December.

Does Bowa need the stress that comes with a rebuilding team? Comcast SportsNet contacted Bowa in the offseason about joining their broadcast booth this season, but he declined. There seems to be little question he would get offers to return to TV, if he wanted to leave the field. Bowa did an excellent job with MLB Network.

"Let's face it, it's been a terrible year," Bowa said. "It wears on you. You've got to sit back, take a deep breath and see where we're going. I think they've made great strides in continuing the youth movement, but I don't think we're there yet.

"I was beating myself up earlier. I knew we were going to be subpar. I knew that. I saw it in Spring Training that we were short. Usually when I go home, I wouldn't talk. I'd go down in my cave and watch West Coast games. But after the All-Star break, I learned how to take a deep breath and say, 'It is what it is.' I never thought I would say that, but this year I've said over and over, 'It is what it is. Keep working.'"

The work is what might keep Bowa on the field.

"I do have a passion for baseball," he said. "And in my mind, Cesar [Hernandez] and Freddy [Galvis] today are better than they were April 5. I get satisfaction out of that."