Charlie Manuel

2005: How did Phillies fans feel about Charlie Manuel in 2005? Let's go straight to the comments section of the700level.com. First post after a posting about Manuel in May 2005, his first season: "This guy isn't a good coach. He can't even get his fat [butt] out of the dugout to argue calls. he leaves some pitchers in to long [Liber lately] and he seems to take the good pitchers out to early [Myers]. and i don't think i have seen this many philles get picked off first. " Forget the grammar and spelling - it's a message board - that guy captured the mood of the city.

After Friday's 13-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals in the Phillies' home opener, righthander Kyle Kendrick voiced his displeasure at being lifted with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth inning. The Phillies led, 4-2, but then Alex Gordon greeted reliever Jeremy Horst with a three-run triple. When Charlie Manuel was asked his opinion about Kendrick's complaint, the Phillies manager had a strong response. "I don't care what he says," Manuel said before Saturday's game at Citizens Bank Park against the Royals.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - No, Charlie Manuel would not be the first manager to enter a season without a contract extension. But because Manuel has guided four straight National League East division winners and is fourth on the franchise's all-time wins list, it would be odd if Manuel and the Phillies did not reach an agreement. The sides have negotiated since December but to no avail. "Hopefully, something happens in spring training," Manuel said Monday. "My contract, I definitely don't want it to be a distraction for our team because I definitely put my team first.

The call was soon returned Monday and Michael Young was on the other end, speaking to his new manager. Charlie Manuel greeted his third baseman, and as the 68-year-old baseball lifer is wont to do, probably generated a few fresh lineup ideas in his mind. "I could hit Michael Young in quite a few places," Manuel said. Then, the Phillies manager stopped himself. "Really," he said, "I could sit there and go over lineups all I want to. But when it gets down to it, who we have on the corners in the outfield will dictate where our lineup falls.

He sipped on a Diet Coke in the visiting manager's office at Minute Maid Park in Houston and lectured a group of reporters on pressure. Charlie Manuel had just reached the postseason for the fifth straight season, achieving a feat no manager of a Philadelphia baseball team had ever matched, and it was his chance to boast. Yes, Charlie Manuel has an ego. "I got more confidence in myself than you guys will ever know," he said. "I got an ego bigger than Houston. Seriously. Give me the players.

THE PHILLIES won 97 games this year, more than any other team in baseball, and Charlie Manuel won't win manager of the year, because the voters are always looking for who did the most with the least, because it makes for a niftier story. Yo, I'm here to tell you that Charlie Manuel is the best Phillies manager in the last 50 years. Maybe forever! Been here 6 years, in the playoffs the last 4, in the World Series twice. Won it once. His teams are 544-428 in the regular season, a .560 percentage and that is the last decimal point you are going to find in this tribute.

If he hadn't dedicated his life to baseball, Charlie Manuel would have made an excellent pro wrestler. Vince McMahon, the WWE patriarch, likes to refer to his employees as sports entertainers. That description fits Manuel perfectly. The man has both charisma and guts. One minute he's making you laugh with homespun witticisms, the next he's challenging ornery radio hosts to "stop by" his office to scrap. Give him a steel chair and a different type of uniform and he'd make Hulk Hogan tap out for sure.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Spring is a great time to scout hitters and pitchers, but it is also a great time to scout Charlie Manuel, especially when it comes to the topics that might prompt a blowup or two from him during the regular season. We've already detailed one such topic, his contract situation. On Tuesday, the Phillies manager revealed another when he reacted testily to a question about whether Jimmy Rollins was still his leadoff hitter. It's a query that Manuel has fielded numerous times since December, when his front office acquired speedy centerfielder Ben Revere from the Twins.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Charlie Manuel stood alone Saturday near first base on a back field at the Carpenter Complex. For about 10 minutes, he watched Chase Utley, Darin Ruf, and Michael Young slice balls into a stiff wind. When he had seen enough, Manuel ambled behind the batting cage and to the next field when some fans noticed that familiar gait. "Charlie!" "Hey, Charlie!" "Coach!" Manuel's arms swung at his hips and he flicked his left wrist to acknowledge the greetings.

Charlie Manuel is the first to admit he's a players' manager. It's the connotation that comes with the label he detests. The term players' manager is not a euphemism for pushover. It doesn't mean the boss is a softie or that the inmates run the asylum. While it's true that Manuel prides himself in always having his players' backs, and that he would sooner share a milkshake with Howard Eskin than upbraid a player in public, he is not so much a players' manager because he (wholeheartedly)