Manuel needs to be fired

By Tim McManus
The Phanatic Magazine

It is time to part ways with Charlie Manuel.

I do not say that on the heels of a blunder, or with blood simmering from a late-inning loss.

I state it at 8:34 p.m. on Thursday, with the Phils ahead 2-0 and in line to sweep the Mets in Shea.

The promise is on full display right now. Cole Hamels in firm control, again working deep into a game with hardly any damage or sweat to show for it. Ryan Howard with an RBI to score Shane Victorino; Jimmy Rollins again infuriating the New York crowd.

It becomes clear in these kind of moments, that there is a nucleus on this team that is ripe with rare talent. A group like this doesn't come along very often, and almost never passes through this town.

It is time to give them their skipper.

Manuel, though a warm man that players gravitate towards, is not the manager of the future. He is not the man who can wring every last ounce of ability out of his players. Not the one that can be counted on to make all the right decisions on their behalf.

He is a baseball lifer, and has more knowledge about the game than I could ever hope to attain. When put in charge, though, Manuel has proven that he is prone to missteps, and he has hurt his team many times because of them.

Not everything can be pinned on him: Pat Gillick has failed in many of his moves, and the players need to be accountable for their own actions.

Still, there is no denying that when the squeeze is on, Manuel is not the man you want calling the shots. He is not the sure-footed leader that tends to be coaching in October.

(Note: Manuel was just ejected for arguing that David Wright's long ball was not a homer. Replays showed it was, and the Mets have gone ahead 3-2).

The decision to change courses does not need to be made in times of desperation. It can be done when the true value of a a team is realized. It does not have to be done just to make a push for this postseason. It can be done to nudge the future a little closer to you.

There is a young core -- Hamels, Rollins, Chase Utley, Victorino, Howard, Brett Myers -- that has as much promise as any group in the league.

To handicap them in any way is a disservice.

Respectfully, Manuel must go.

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Tim appears on this page every Thursday. You can contact him at tmcmanus@phanaticmag.com