With the Philadelphia Phillies sitting in the basement of the NL East and 50 loses holding them down, questions abound about who’s to blame and who’s going to get the pink slip.
One person who shouldn’t be getting the boot is Manager Charlie Manuel. Ruben Amaro Jr. agrees as he was recently quoted as saying that the Phil’s skipper has done a “fantastic job”
Back in 2010 when the Phillies couldn’t drive in runs or hit for average it was the hitting coach, Milt Thompson who lost his job. This sent a message to the team, but untimely hitting all year plagued them. It showed in the post-season against the eventual World Series Champs. (I won’t name names, but it rhymes with Ben Francisco)
So this leads us to the question… Who’s to blame?
MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki recently reported that the proverbial heat is “being turned up on everybody”
If the Phillies were healthy I would be the first one chanting for Charlie’s head. In this town you don’t get a pass because you’ve won. We live for right now.
And right now, the players are to blame.
Sure, they are the direct beneficiaries of the snakebite, but aren’t they the guys who take the field and haven’t executed?
Even without Utley and Howard, this team should be at or around .500. That’s what they were doing for the better part of the first half, but they couldn’t keep fighting.
Perhaps it isn’t fair to say who’s to blame and point more directly to ‘what’s to blame’ and the answer is their lack of fight.
For years they’ve been known as the Fightin’ Phils. They are anything but fighters.
One person that still is and always will be is Chuck. In a recent press conference he said that he’s “a fighter” and he went on to add, “not only that I think that I’m a winner”
Although the 37 wins haven’t proven Charlie Manuel’s a winner this season, sticking with his players and keeping them together for a late season push for NL East supremacy could prove to us all that he’s still a fighter.
Point your fingers at Victorino, Lee, Rollins and Bastardo.
While Charlie’s reloading for another World Series in 2013, 2 out of those 4 will NOT be here. (Not to name names, but one rhymes with Shame and the other rhymes with… mustardo?)
Original Story:
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July 10, 2012
