Phillies manager Charlie Manuel says "it's just a matter of time" before he and the Phillies agree to a contract extension. Manuel appeared on 610 WIP radio (MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has some pertinent quotes) to discuss both the Phillies and his own future with the team.
Manuel is only under contract through next season. He reiterated his preference to have his extension settled before Opening Day, or even before Spring Training, to avoid being a "distraction." Manuel seems to be looking for a two-year extension since he said he knows he can manage three more seasons, or until he turns 70 years old. After that, Manuel said he will sit down with Phillies management and see what direction the team wants to take.
Manuel has a 764-618 career record in his nine seasons as a Major League manager, including a 544-428 record in six years in Philadelphia. The West Virginia native has led the Phillies to two NL pennants and the 2008 World Series title.
Of course, he absolutely deserves the extension – the results have spoken for themselves. However, it should be noted that Manuel is not an elite in-game manager. He makes these mistakes on a fairly regular basis, and Phillies fans are adept at calling him out for the mistakes. But I can only assume this is largely overshadowed by his ability to get the most out of his players. I have no idea what his motivational tactics are, or what kind of clubhouse manager Manuel is, but whatever he does – it works.
I’m very happy that he will be re-upped, and this is coming from a Mets fan.
Whys that? Is it because the Mets most likely aren’t going anywhere near the playoffs for the next few years?
Or because the Yankees beat the Phillies in the world series? nyuck nyuck
C’mon man, is it really necessary to link EVERYTHING to juvenile smack talk? Maybe he’s happy Manuel will be offered an extension because he deserves it. But that’s probably an impossibility for you to fathom, yes?
Yes it is. Mets are my second favorite team, Im just stating the obvious…they arent going to make noise for a few years. Just like at that pitching staff, the jason bay failure, beltrans injuries, ollie, castillo and the lack of good prospects. What would the yankees beating the phils have anything to do with what a mets fan thinks?
it would lower morale for the team if he isn’t given an extension. i’m sure lee signed with the phillies with an expectation he would manage the team at least for a few more years.
He’s more worried that the all star game won’t be overloaded with Phillies this year!
Is Manuel really a good coach, or is he just loaded with talent? I can’t see him making informed and educated decisions. It’s more like gut calls that, so far, have turned out in his favor. I’m fighting myself on which way to lean, but the bottom line is that he wins, so more power to him, I suppose.
Charlie may sound dumb on the podium, but if you ever get a chance to hear him talk about hitting in interviews you know he is clearly a student of the game and not just a likable old man.
This is a really tasteless comment. Why can’t you see him making “informed and educated decisions?” Because he speaks with an accent and isn’t a good public speaker? In my opinion, baseball has become more of a glam sport where baseball knowledge is overlooked to account for good public speaking and posture. (I’m lookin’ at YOU Ruben Amaro!)
But in all seriousness, what about Manuel, in a baseball sense, is uneducated? He’s an old school baseball manager, and like you said, he wins games. Though he may not be up to date in SABRmetric stats and things of that nature, he knows how to play the game—from both a player’s and manager’s perspective.
While talent has a lot to do with his success, it isn’t always easy to get that talent to perform, so that’s when you hear that he has a tendency to draw the best performances out of his players. To be honest with you, he doesn’t get enough credit. When he was hired before the 2005 season, he didn’t have nearly the talent on the roster that he has today, and he helped to shape this team.
When he took over in 2005, he didn’t have nearly the polished roster that he does today. He had an aging Mike Lieberthal behind the plate, Bobby Abreu and Kenny Lofton in the outfield, David Bell at third base and a young core that had yet to fully develop. Add to that a rotation that consisted of Brett Meyers / Jon Lieber / Cory Lidle / Vicente Padilla / Randy Wolf, and it’s amazing that the team finished with a record of 88-74 (1 game shy of the Wild Card.)
From there, the rest is history. Manuel helped develop a young core (Howard, Utley, Rollins, Victorino, Ruiz, Hamels, etc.) that would win four straight division titles since 2007 and appear in two World Series. Even with a talented roster, it’s hard to get a team to perform to their full potential. That’s what Manuel does best, and it works.
If you’re really going to question his ability to manage a game, I’d look no further than his 2010 season. The team was plagued with injuries and inconsistency up and down the roster, and guys like Wilson Valdez and Cody Ransom saw significant playing time. Even still, the Phillies finished with baseball’s best record.
That’s a but long winded, but the point is there. It’s really tasteless to call the man uneducated when he has been, easily, one of the game’s top three managers over the last five or six years.
Well stated!
Hopefully just two years and perhaps enough time for Ryne Sandberg to takeover the reigns.
Please take your garbage elsewhere.
Charlie Manuel is easily one of the best coaches in baseball, and he deserves any kind of extenstion that he wants. Combining a couple of earlier reports with this one, the man is looking for a two year extension worth $8 million. So what’s the hold up? He’s on the verge of becoming the greatest manager in the history of the Phillies’ franchise, and it would be a shame to see him move on somewhere else. Once he’s done on the field, the Phillies should have a cozy front office seat waiting for him. He brings the best out of every player he comes in contact with. I’m a big fan of Ryne Sandberg, but as a manager, he couldn’t hold a candle to Charlie.
How is this not censored but previously when I made a comment about the Yankees it got edited by a mod to mean the exact opposite of what I wrote?!?!
Charlie may be a good coach, but a so-so field manager. He’s too predictable. Granted he has the talent to be predictable and for the most part the talent came through. Any manager looks good as long as the players perform. When they don’t, who gets it? Milt Thompson got the axe when the hitters slumped. I like Greg Gross, but I didn’t see any real improvement, so should GG get it now? Coaching only works if it’s listened to and tried. Charlie’s philosophy is to sit back and wait. Being unpredictable at times helps to keep the other team off-balance.
On a team full of stars personality management becomes paramount. He has to sometimes be tough like in 2009 when he benched Rollins and he also has to know when to show unwavering confidence, as he did with Lidge when he was going through a rough streak. Its not just Xs and Os.
True mets fans crawling out from behind the fridge. Shine a little light on this trash, it will scurry away.
In no way am I dissing Manuel, but he is after all 70 coming into the season and with a two year extension would make him 73. That’s pretty old. I love how Charlie handles the players, but he leaves me scratching my head sometimes with his lineups and in-game changes. I’ve been pouring through the intrawebs and only find some articles stating that the players in the Cubs organization truely did like and appreciate him as a manager. Can’t say much for his in game tactics, but I will be able to see him doing that in Lehigh Valley this year.