Beat it, Bobby

By Steven Lienert

Bobby Abreu wouldn't bat lead off for Larry Bowa, but now he'll do it for Charlie Manuel?

Man, that's the straw that breaks the camel's back.

From his post home-run derby slump to the farce of his Gold Glove, Abreu is now Public Enemy No. 1.

And Manuel is No. 1A.

New general manager Pat Gillick got rid of Vicente Padilla in the offseason for a bag of balls he later discarded. It was addition by subtraction. Despite all of Abreu's talent, it might be time to Padilla him as well.

Why the sudden change of heart, Bobby? And since when are you a "team guy"?

"It's different," he said. "Now, we've got guys who can drive in runs."

Yes, he's the most productive right fielder in recent Phillies history, but he has the emptiest stats this side of Von Hayes. Batting lead off just isn't the answer.

The answer is to trade him immediately -- if not sooner -- preferably to the Angels for Bartolo Colon. Or to the Indians for Jake Westbrook. Or to the Giants for Jason Schmidt.

This would have a two-fold effect on the Fightin' Phils.

First, it would bolster the rotation. Any one of those three hurlers would fit nicely in front of Jon Lieber and Brett Myers.

Second, it would allow Shane Victorino to play everyday and bat lead off, followed by Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Aaron Rowand, David Bell, whomever's catching and whomever's pitching.

Sure, the Phillies' outfielding depth would be compromised, but Chris Roberson has proven to be a fine defensive replacement at the least, and Dave Dellucci played over 100 games in each of the past two season in the outfield for Texas.

Abreu is what Jim Thome was at the end of the last season: in the way of progress.

Speaking of progress, how much longer are Phillies fans going to be subjected to Uncle Charlie?

Last year, fans anxiously waited for the ax to drop on Ed Wade.

Different year, same story. It's not a question of if he will be fired -- it's a question of when.

What is Gillick waiting for? Manuel is an outright joke, especially when he says things like he wanted to see what Rollins could do in the lead off position. That's after watching him bat lead off for about the last 200 games.

Manuel is overmatched on a nightly basis, and with a guy like Lou Piniella still available, it's not too late to make a strong playoff push.

But it's going to take a couple of moves.

Deal Abreu. Fire Manuel.

Steve Lienert can be reached at stevel@phillysportsline.com