Charlie Manuel, the Philadelphia Phillies manager since 2005, was “fired” today.
Here’s a rather decently written ESPN writer commenting on it.
You just let go the best manager you have had the last 10-20 years.
Cleveland let him go when their team ran out of gas. Not his fault. Just like Phlly.
Quite a shame that that’s how the BB world works.
Watching the Beaves-Nationals game tonight, and the Braves announcers were just talking about Manual being fired. They (and I) were bemoaning the fact that the manager becomes the sacrificial lamb whenever a team underperforms.
Phillies have had massive injury problems, so yeah, that’s Charlies fault.
The Phillies’ average player age was about 44. Firing Manuel is a rather baffling move.
SUCKS!! Is this why they decided to do nothing around the trade deadlines?? This is their solution? WTF?
No, I don’t think the two were related. IMHO, the thinking was that they had too many holes to fill and the talent available was overpriced. Why overpay for 60 games?
There had to have been some blowup scene in the office for the team to do this to him right now. It’s rebuilding time, he might not be the right guy for it, sure - but he’s accomplished too much not to wait until it can be done postseason, with some dignity.
The general consensus among my phillys-fan buddies is that the jobs of both Ruben Amaro (Phillies GM) and Charlie Manuel were on the line, and Amaro fired Manuel in an attempt to save his own job. If the Phillies start winning, Amaro may be able to keep his job. Otherwise. otherwise.
As a Phillies fan, I’m not all that disturbed, as I don’t think he was all that good a manager. He wasn’t bad … he walked into a great situation and didn’t screw it up, which does counts for something. But he was part of the Team’s Jerk Around Dom Brown campaign, and he gave Michael Martinez three years in the major leagues, among other sins.
I give more credit to Ed Wade and Pat Gillick for their recent success, and Ruben Amaro (and father time) more blame for their recent decline. I’m glad for the move, since the sooner New Manager is hired and similarly fails to win with the fading lineup of 37-year-olds Amaro gives him, the sooner Amaro is in turn fired and the next good Phillies team becomes possible.
furt, I don’t think you’re gonna have to wait that long. My guess would be Amaro is gone too.
I can hope, but generally GMs get 2 managers before they’re canned. Amaro inherited Manuel, and it’d be unusual to fire him without giving him the chance to win with “his guy.”
Welcome to be sure, but unusual.
You may be right, but it sure seems like the opinion writers are pretty unanimous in blaming Amaro for the current state of the Phillies. I’m not sure a pretty transparent scapegoating move is enough to get him off the hot seat.
The fact that he butchered the firing is what’s got everyone pissed. Cholly’s contract was expiring and it was widely assumed he wouldn’t be coming back next year at age 70 anyway, and that Sandberg would be replacing him. But while either firing him in June (when there was still hope for the season) or letting him retire with dignity after the season is over would have been logical, firing the universally-loved guy who’s likely in the last month of his career anyway just comes across as a dick move.
But having said that … reading between the lines, Amaro just decided to make the offer of “a different role” 6 weeks early, and somehow the conversation went sideways (Manuel can be prickly). The decision itself was made many months ago, and I have to think ownership signed off on having the conversation. The sportswriters will say the things the players and fans want them to say, but ownership is likely not gonna fault Amaro for executing a plan they already signed off on.
Awww…that’s so cute! 
Seriously, ownership’s gonna do whatever they need to do to keep interest up in the team. If the fans really turn on Amaro, he’s dead.