Lopes will not return

We got the first hint in spring training, when Jayson Werth suggested that this would be Davey Lopes' last season as first base coach, and a couple of days after the Phillies were eliminated by the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS the situation had yet to be resolved.

Yesterday, though, the Phillies found out definitively that Lopes would not return for another season on the team's coaching staff.

"I found out about Davey's decision today and clearly we are disappointed that he will not be a Phillie next season," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement. "We were hopeful that he would have remained with us as he did a fine job with our baserunners and our outfielders for the last four years.  Going forward, we will immediately begin a search for his replacement."

The veteran coach, whom the club credited with turning around its base-stealing attack, told Comcast Sports Net that he and the Phillies were unable to agree upon a salary.

"We just had a difference of opinion on what I felt my worth was," Lopes said, according to CSNPhilly.com. "That's all. It was a really tough decision because I loved my time in Philadelphia, I loved working for [manager] Charlie Manuel, and I have the utmost respect for everyone in that organization.
 
"I got more enjoyment out of winning that World Series in 2008 than I did the one I won with the Dodgers as a player. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed my time in Philadelphia. I am really going to miss the atmosphere and the passion. The fans were great to me. I went from being a bad guy, a Dodger, to someone they really embraced. I really appreciate that."