Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed a report Tuesday that he tried to hire former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora for the same role in Philadelphia after the team fired Rob Thomson. Dombrowski hired Cora as Boston's manager when he was the club's president of baseball operations, and the two won a World Series together. They've since maintained a close relationship. Dombrowski said the two spoke Saturday after the Red Sox fired Cora, and then he offered him the job when speaking again on Sunday. Cora turned down the Phillies, but the two sides could circle back at the end of the season. "I think Alex Cora is one of the finest managers in the game of baseball," Dombrowski said. "I say I've been fortunate enough to work with Hall of Fame managers like Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland. I've been very fortunate in my career. I think if Alex Cora keeps managing, he has a chance to be in that same category. That's how good he is." #phillies #philadelphia #ml...