Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel knows that the game of baseball is all about “what have you done for me lately?”. A World Series champion in 2008 and National League pennant winner in 2009, Manuel reportedly has been fired. The Phillies have a called a 2:30 pm EDT press conference. Reports have third base coach Ryne Sandberg as Manuel's replacement.
Manuel was the skipper for the Cleveland Indians from 2000
through the first 86 games of 2002. He led the Tribe to a division crown in
2001, but was fired a year later when the team was eight games under .500.
After a two year hiatus, Manuel took over the Phillies for
the 2005 season. After two straight NL East runner-up finishes, Manuel led the
Fightin' Phils to five straight division crowns. The 2008 squad won the first
World Series for the first time since the 1980 team defeated Kansas City. The
team lost the 2009 series to the Yankees in six games.
The Phillies won 102 games in 2011, but age, injuries, and
bad contracts caught up with them. They finished in third place last year with
a .500 record and are currently 53-67 and in fourth place in the NL East. The
team's performance had led to speculation that the 69-year old Manuel would be
let go at the end of the season.
Sandberg coached in the Chicago Cubs organization from
2007-2010, but was passed over for the manager's job when Lou Piniella retired
toward the end of the 2010 season. He left the organization to join the
Phillies, who had selected Sandberg in the 20th round of the 1978 MLB amateur
draft. After one year he was dealt with veteran Larry Bowa to the Cubs for Ivan
DeJesus. It was there he built a Hall of Fame career (inducted in 2005) before
looking to become a Major League manager.
The 53-year old Sandberg managed the Triple-A Lehigh Valley
IronPigs for two years before joining the big club as third base coach.
General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. could be the next to go
after some questionable free agent signings and contract extensions the last
few years.
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