Thursday, March 10, 2011
Posted: 8:49 a.m.Updated: 11:56 a.m.
By John R. Finger
CSNPhilly.com
CLEARWATER, Fla.Ruben Amaro Jr. remembers the first time he ever saw Charlie Manuel. Not surprisingly, Manuel was excited about hitting.
He was the manager for Colorado Springs and I was playing for Edmonton, and the one thing that was amazing about him that I would notice was that when opposing teams would hit home runs or get big extra-base hits, he would be up there on the top step clapping for them, Amaro said with a smile before launching into a Charlie impersonation. Hed say, Thats the way to hit the ball, son. His own pitchers probably werent very happy with him.
Later, Amaro said, Manuel did something not so wise.
One of the worst things he probably ever did was to recommend me to Cleveland when he was managing in Triple-A for Charlotte, Amaro remembered. Ive known him for a long time. He was my hitting coach in Cleveland in 1994 and 95 and Ive had a great relationship ever since.
Its been such a great relationship that all of the years later, Amaro has given Manuel two contract extensions. The latest one was officially announced on Thursday morning at Bright House Field, and it will keep Manuel in charge of the Phillies until 2013. It's technically a two-year extension, but Amaro revealed that he terms of the 2011 contract were torn up and reworked.
The new contract reportedly is worth 3.5 to 4 million per season. Though the money has changed, its unlikely that Manuel will change, too.
MLB
You know what, he really hasnt changed a whole heckuva a lot," Amaro said. "Hes dedicated to what he does, he loves the players, and hes willing to work with the players. Even me, I was a guy playing on a team that had several All-Stars, and he worked with me as if I was an everyday player. He treats people very, very well and hes been consistent in how he treats people.
The old salty baseball men will explain that consistency is the best attribute to have for a successful career. Exhibit A in this scenario is clearly Manuel, who despite a less than stellar career as a major league player (though he was big in Japan), has been one of the most revered men inside the game. In fact, in 127 seasons of Phillies baseball, Manuel likely will go down as the best manager the club has ever had.
With Manuel at the helm, the club won just its second World Series. Along with Atlantas Bobby Cox, he is the only other manager in National League divisional play to win four straight division titles. Moreover, Manuel is the only Phillies manager to guide a club to the World Series in consecutive seasons, and he ranks third behind Tony La Russa and ex-Phillies manager Terry Francona in postseason victories among active managers.
Rocky beginning
Still, even though Manuel has just secured his second contract extension with the Phillies, its kind of funny to remember how the news of his hiring was greeted in some circles. Back then, who would have guessed that Manuel would last a decade in Philadelphia?
The consensus was that Jim Leyland was the best manager available, and there was quite a bit of backlash when the Phillies chose Manuel instead. However, six years later, those complaints have subsided to the point where Manuel just might be the most popular man in a Phillies uniform.
I knew it was going to be tough, but at the same time, with some of the players we had, I knew we could win, Manuel said. I knew if we won, the fans would be behind us and the media would come around, too. So far things have worked out pretty good, but there is still a ways to go in this journey.
Just like that and Charlie has become one of those venerable ol salts running a team just like Earl Weaver, Sparky Anderson, Tommy Lasorda, or even Charlies old manager, Walter Alston. No matter how tough some seasons became, those old ball skippers were given the time and the patience to make it work. In that regard, the Phillies were very smart in exercising patience with Manuel.
Know why? Because along with winning lots of ball games, Manuel actually changed the culture of the organization. Gone is the idea of the Phillies being the not-so-lovable losers, piling up more than 10,000 losses and lagging behind the times. The Phillies say thats all different now, and Manuel gets some of the credit.
A change in the culture
When Charlie first got hired, we had to change the attitude and the mind set, Amaro said. Thats not just with the players, but with regard to everybody. That includes the clubhouse people and the people on the training staffit was across the board. Instead of the glass being half-empty some of the time, weve gotten to the point where its half full. Charlie deserves the credit for that in the clubhouse.
In fact, the old throwback from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is very much a progressive, modern manager. His players are relaxed and the atmosphere around the team is such that all the ballplayers have to do is worry about the game. Part of how this is fostered is that Manuel takes the slings and arrows. He puts himself out in front so that all his players have to do is show up for work without a sideshow-type distraction.
Over the course of my baseball career those are things Ive learned, Manauel said. Being consistentIm me. Thats who I am. Im comfortable with who I am and I pull for everybody. Even with the media, hey look, I pull for you. Thats just how I am. Thats communication and delegating and sometimes leadership goes unnoticed because guys are allowed to do their thing. Thats the quality I bring. I have a lot of passion and love for the game and the Phillies have been a great fit for me.
Team president and general partner David Montgomery says this golden age of Phillies baseball has been fostered by Manuels attitude.
I only know baseball, but with the length of our season, how you handle your club, the relationships with the players is one segment, how you handle the media is another segment and then, the X's or O's is another, Montgomery said. I believe the most important segment of that is the relationship is manager has with the players and the coaches.
One of the reasons why we have been such a great second-half club under Charlie is because players in February are still getting along together in August and September. There are no factions in our clubhouse. The players deserve a lot of credit for that, but Charlie is the leader and deserves a lot of credit for that. We hang together.
Nevertheless, the bottom line matters, too, and there is a good chance that when Manuel finishes his seventh season with the Phillies in October, he could have more wins than any skipper in club history. He needs 102 more to tie Gene Mauch (646) atop the all-time list in two fewer seasons. When Manuel completes his current deal in 2013 at age 69, he will also tie Mauch for the most years in the Phillies' managers seat during the modern era.
It feels good, Manuel said. It feels good that someone believes in me and has given me this opportunity. If I worked hard before, now Im going to work even harder. We still have a lot of winning to do.
I want to stay in Philadelphia for as long as Im in baseball. Im a Phillie and I look at myself as a Phillie. Yeah, I was with the Indians and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, and the Yakult Swallows, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Im a Phillie. When I cut my arm, its going to come out red, not blue. Thats how I look at it.
Another way to look at it is that only Manuel, Dallas Green and Connie Mack have brought World Series titles to Philadelphia. Thats pretty good company.
"More than likely I'll probably stay around as long as they'll have me," Manuel said. "I don't think I'm going to catch Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. I'd like to, but he's got a head start on me. But at the same time, I think I made it pretty clear to Ruben, I'm not planning on getting out in the near future."
E-mail John Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com.
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