SPORTS & RECREATION: Charlie Manuel

The Oracle


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Published: Oct 20, 2010

Matt Slocum

Cholly in Charge: Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel watches practice Oct. 5 in Philadelphia. The Phillies face the San Francisco Giants tonight, Oct. 21, at AT&T Park in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.

On one hand, Charlie Manuel is a 66-year-old West Virginian with a high school degree, a hillbilly vocabulary and a yen for old-school professional wrestling. In a baseball universe rapidly moving from bunting the runner over toward advanced stats like xFIP and SNLVA — two acronyms that, I promise, the Phillies manager does not know the meaning of — guys like Manuel aren't supposed to have vision. They're supposed to have visions.

On the other, the man we all call Uncle Cholly just led baseball's oldest team to more victories than anyone else in baseball.

Charlie has learned to see what his players need and then provide it. Sometimes this is tough love — how many other guys could bench a former MVP for effort and have it go over calmly? — and sometimes it is simply staying upbeat.

"[Confidence] is all he talks about," Chase Utley explained after a recent win. "It's helpful, especially in a game where you fail a lot." Whatever it is, Charlie sees it.

Besides, how can we not give our Big Vision Award to a man who sees the future? Last week, just one day before the last of his three aces would finish the Cincinnati Reds, Charlie Manuel was asked what he thought the Reds' chances were of coming back from their two-wins-to-none deficit. After fumbling over a few initial words, Manuel stumbled onto his talking point: " It can happen," he started, pausing to smile before finishing the quote. "It ain't goin' to happen, but it can happen."

The statement was completely incoherent on its face, unequivocally beloved by local fans and — as the Phils would go on to prove — absolutely spot-on. What can we say? The man has vision.

Sports and Recreation Honorable Mentions

The Philadelphia Sports Fan
From the crimson tide of fan-designed Ts, the sold-out season at Citizens Bank Park and the McNabb ovation, to Taserboy and Pukemon, the Philly sports fan added layers of complexity to its rep.

Gearing Up
The cycling program for lady ex-cons reinforces what we've said for years: Nothing says freedom like a bike.

The Philadelphia Naked Bike Ride
Year two welcomed controversy and doubled ridership.

The City of Brotherly Love Softball League
The beloved gay and lesbian league won its bid to host the 2011 Women's Softball World Series.