From Matt Gelb’s article in the Philly Inquirer, here’s Charlie Manuel’s response to a totally reasonable question about, perhaps, moving Ryan Howard and his one homer in the past 111 at bats out of the cleanup spot:
It’s not Manuel’s fault that he’s got one legitimate power threat these days and so much aging, expensive and often injured baggage filling out the roster. But it is his obligation to keep his cool, isn’t it? To be the guy who keeps his players’ spirits up even as the team’s winning-percentage goes down?
“What the [expletive] are you getting at?” Manuel said. “Who’s going to hit there? Let me ask you a question. Let me turn that around some. Write what you want to write.”
It was suggested that Domonic Brown could bat there.
“I could put anybody in there, OK?” Manuel said. “Really, if you think about it. I’ll do the managing. Whoever hits there, hits there.”
It’s not Manuel’s fault that he’s got one legitimate power threat these days and so much aging, expensive and often injured baggage filling out the roster. But it is his obligation to keep his cool, isn’t it? To be the guy who keeps his players’ spirits up even as the team’s winning-percentage goes down?
Sounds like that’s becoming increasingly difficult. It also sounds like a manager who is slowly starting to realize that there does not appear to be a resurgence in sight for the Phillies as we’ve known them for the past several years.
