PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Charlie Manuel won’t be so easy to poke fun at anymore.
Second-guessed and critiqued from the day he was hired by Philadelphia, Manuel made all the right moves with this year’s Phillies. He shut ’em all up and proved ’em all wrong.
Manuel is a World Series winner.
The Phillies beat Tampa Bay 4-3 in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night, making Manuel only the second manager in franchise’s history to win a title.
The 64-year-old Manuel and Dallas Green (1980) are now the only Phillies managers with World Series rings. Green is a special adviser to general manager Pat Gillick.
Manuel wasn’t an instant hit in fickle Philly. He sounded funny to the locals and didn’t bring the outgoing, fiery attitude of his predecessor, Larry Bowa.
Now Manuel sounds like a winner.
After two consecutive NL East titles it’s not uncommon to hear chants of “Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!” echoing throughout Citizens Bank Park.
ssional triumph came with a dose of sadness. His mother died during the NL championship series, and he left a workout day to attend her funeral in Buena Vista, Va. Manuel placed a Phillies cap in his mother’s casket at the funeral.
And people there haven’t forgot him. A banner hung on the concourse near section 113 Wednesday that read “Good luck Charlie and Phillies. Buena, Vista, Va.”
Although fans needed time to warm to Manuel, the players loved him almost immediately. He had the support of former Phillies first baseman Jim Thome, and his folksy style was a welcome change from the contentious Bowa era.
Phillies pitcher Brett Myers said Manuel was a father figure in the clubhouse.
“We always look up to him and respect him for whatever he has to say,” Myers said before Game 5. “He keeps us up in the clubhouse and lets us be individuals, and that’s a pretty good guy to play for.”
Manuel’s no pushover, though. He pulled NL MVP Jimmy Rollins from a game in June for failing to run hard on a popup, then later benched him for arriving late to the ballpark for a game against the division rival Mets.
Manuel has made more of his managerial career than he did as a player. He batted .198 in 242 career games with the Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers, then became a star slugger in Japan.
He had a 220-190 record in his first big league managerial stop with the Cleveland Indians, leading them to the AL Central championship in 2001.
That’s now just a footnote in a career forever stamped with a World Series championship.
Add A Comment