Charlie Manuel is Not Happy
What’s eating Charlie Manuel? Well this week it’s the Phillies sloppy play in Florida. After restraining himself after the loss to Tampa Bay, he addressed the squad yesterday about proper execution. Manuel, who usually takes the hands-off approach to managing conceded, "I usually don’t have meetings unless I get kind of upset." Well, the Phils lost to Boston today, pushing their streak to three straight losses and 5-4 record overall. Charlie must be really upset now heading into tomorrow game against Houston which will be shown on UPN57.
The calling of a meeting comes as no big surprise as Manuel’s under a great deal of pressure this season – especially early on. The Phils open the season against St. Louis, LA at home, then Atlanta and Colorado on the road. These games will be tough and if the Phils stumble out of the gate again this season, there’s is a good chance Manuel’s managerial job will be in jeopardy. It’s clear that Charlie is not the type of manager Pat Gillick favors. Gillick’s is not likely to be the Phillies GM after his 2-year contract expires, so if he doesn’t see (playoff) results in the first year he will have an incentive to replace Manuel. So there’s a good chance Manuel won’t be around next year, but with a slow Phillies start, spring training included, he might not even make it through May.
