It appears the floundering Phillies of Philadelphia fame will have a new manager this Friday eve.That's because they've fired longtime manager Charlie Manuel.
The Phillies were THE dominant NL East team in the Manuel era, which began in 2005. He managed to bring home a World Series title in 2008 and a World Series appearance in 2009, but the past two seasons have not been kind.
Plagued with an aging, highly paid, oft injured roster, the Phillies have struggled, limping through the 2013 season at 53-67.
Former Chicago Cubs legend and Phillies 3rd base coach Ryne Sandberg will take over the team for at least now, an interim basis. Should he be able to bring the team home in a stronger state then they currently are in, Sandberg may be 1st in line for the full time job next year.
We should also add, having interviewed Manuel many times over the years, he's a 1st class guy, well liked. And in this case, we think probably the scapegoat, despite the fault clearly lying at the feet of GM Rueben Amaro.
The Phillies are loaded with contract burdens such as Ryan Howard making nearly $20 million per yr and always being hurt and the Minor League system hasn't brought much in the way of reinforcements. We suspect Amaro may be the next guy to be asked to leave the island.
Here's Chollie talking to the media after his firing...
((HT: CSN Philly))
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