It didn’t totally come as a surprise, but it wasn’t expected to happen before the season ended. Today the Phillies fired Charlie Manuel, the winningest manager in the history of the organization.
They just had a news conference featuring General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and Manuel. They talked about the decision by the organization to fire Manuel and replace him with third base coach and Hall of Fame second basemen Ryne Sandberg. He will be the team’s interim manager for the rest of the season.
Amaro and Manuel said they had talked on Wednesday and came to an agreement about the decision after a lengthy discussion.
“We’re making a managerial change that is in the best interest of the future of the organization,” Amaro Jr. said at the press conference at Citizens Bank Park. “As we talked a little bit further, it became evident the best course of action would be to make this change immediately as we begin to transition by offering the managerial position to Ryne Sandberg on an interim basis.”
Manuel said he understood the decision and seemed to take it without a bit of anger. He’s always been an easy-going guy without a chip on his shoulder.
“Ruben and I had coffee for 6 days in a row and I got tired of having coffee,” Manuel said earlier today. “Finally one day we were sitting there and I think I asked him, “What are we going to do? Where are we going?”
Amaro had nothing but good things to say about Manuel, who was always known as a players’ manager.
“Charlie has been clearly a very, very important part of our Phillies history, our success here,” said Amaro. “He’s won a World Series. He’s won five consecutive league championships. He’s clearly one of the most decorative managers in the history of our franchise.
“Charlie understood this decision. Making this change is not easy for me. Not easy for me personally, not easy for the organization. But it’s a change that the Phillies need to make as we look toward the future.”
Sandberg says he’s going to remind the players that they have 41 meaningful games left to play.
Sad ending to a story that we knew was coming to a close.
Thanks Charlie, you will always be a legend in this town for 2008.
Thanks for Everything Charlie…All good Things my man.
Good Luck Ryno!!!
Job well done Charlie! Thanks for the memories and the championship
, thanks for absolutely owning Eskin, thanks for teaching many people not to judge a book by the cover. I think the organization did you dirty by not letting you walk into the sunset and not allowing you to receive a curtain call but what can you do.
Hopefully Ryan sandbergh can manage a team better than he coaches third base.
it was Charlie’s fault?
Actually, on the list of faults, Charlie is somewhere near the bottom.
But, that is the nature of the business.
Ruben won’t be far behind (next year) if the team falters in 2014.
Charlie drove me crazy at times, but god I miss him already. I’ve really come to enjoy him over the years, he has a calm seriousness to him that I will miss a lot.
My guess is that he will go on the Wall of Fame next summer.
We’re running out of decent players to put on there, and Charlie deserves the honor more than most.
2008 Phillies Charlie Manuel
1983 Sixers Billy Cunningham
1975 Flyers Fred Shero
never Eagles—-> LOL wait let me catch my breath, bwahahahahaha
Classless move…….the man drenched the drought and they couldn’t let him finish out with some dignity?! Can u imagine Andy “I have to do a better job” Reid getting offed like this if he was able to give us a parade?????!!!!,!
Best Wishes to Charlie Manuel, a throwback to old-time Managing…
which is by your gut and instinct and Put your Best 9 Players out there everyday and hope your Team is better than your Opponents..
Today’s Baseball and Sports in General has gone to “Metrics” – Where
situations Players and %’s are relied upon for Coach’s/GM’s Decisions, even Putting together and Managing your entire 25 Man Roster with Salary Issues, etc,etc…
I like old Charlie with the right type of Team (which the Phils have not been the last Couple of Years due to Age,Injury,and havin too many Highly Paid and Comfortable Players as your Core) and wish him the Best..
He’s Won over 1,000 Games as a Manager, 5 Division Titles, 2 Trips to the World Series including a World Series Championship, so obvioulsy he knows what he’s doing and his System (Gut-Feel and play my best 9 everyday and swing for the Fences) has brought him Success..
Good luck to Charlie ..
Charlie manage the nationals to 3 straight division titles and a world series
You mean the Cleveland Indians .. With Jim Thome, Albert Bell, Kenny Lofton,etc,etc…
No sorry I mean he WILL become the manager of the nationals as Davey Johnson is walking away. The Nats have a great core and their leader is jayson werth who was probably in Rizzos office cpaigning for Charlie.
Completely classless, the result of the ball less, incompetent general manager who put this team together, I guarantee you Charlie’s ir freaking pissed and woul love to deck that weasel amaro for spending all that money and loading the lineup with stffs, then blaming Charlie now, well amaro, you were a nepotism draft pick, a nepotism hire as gm, l also find it hard to believe you graduated from Stanford, damn I’m pissed, where’s that loudmouth dcar, can’t wait to hear his rant
He will be in the American League next year.
Good Manager, should have been allowed to build the team he wanted.
Nationals. And he and that line up will be a thorn in our side. All the dickheads that talked about his game day managing skills will hail to him when his line up of Zimmerman werth Desmond and Strasbourg win a bunch of games and a ws
When was the last time one of our teams fired a championship winning coach? Didn’t Billy Cunningham retire? Shero left to join the Rangers.
Have we ever fired a championship winning coach?
I’m bummed. Trying to watch the Phillies; just not interested.
Dude the last championship was 30 years ago