Chapter Four: Give Credit Where It’s Due Department

Right about now folks get to thinkin’ about who the Manager of the Year might be. Well I know who it oughtta be: Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel. The Phillies are either in third or second place a few games behind the Mets in the National League Eastern Division despite the fact that 2nd baseman Chase Utley, right fielder Shane Victorino, pitcher Jon Lieber, reliever Ryan Madsen, and speedy fielder Michael Bourn are on the DL. Also:

• Right fielder Pat Burrell is 6-for-32 in nine games since being moved into Utley’s no. 3 spot.

• First baseman Ryan Howard is 2 for the last 17 at bats and in 18 games without Utley he’s 13-for-65 with 29 strikeouts. As our television commentator Gary, “Sarge” Matthews keeps on saying,”he’s gotta stand closer to the plate”.

• Utley 2nd base replacement Tadahito Iguchi has hit once in his last 20 at bats.

• Over the past two games the Phillies have struck out 24 times. And yet they are in second or third place a few games behind the Mets and the Braves. Why? Because they give all that they have for Charlie Manuel.

There have been continuing problems with the Phillies bullpen. But it has finally kicked in bigtime, just behind the Nats’with Jose Mesa, J.C. Romero, Antonio Alfonseca, Tom Gordon, and most importantly, Brett Myers filling their appointed roles beautifully. It was Manuel who turned Myers into a closer iin the first place and insisted on keeping him on the DL for nine weeks with a strained shoulder.

Meanwhile expensive starter Adam Eaton just hasn’t been able to handle the early innings of his games, with a 7.96 ERA for his last 10 starts.

“Yes, we’re putting Adam Eaton on the DL for two weeks, he said last night. “He’s had problems with his shoulder in at least his last three starts, lots of stiffness. He’ll get a chance to relax, rest, rethink everything and come back to us refreshed”. Heaven forefend that Manuel would give the real reason. Oh? No. But he has revealed himself to be the diplomat many did not know he was:



Eaton has been suffering from a bad case of first and second inning pitching nerves in his last ten games. I believe that such nerves cannot be unheard of. He is only 26 years old. This past Sunday night during the Phillies/Braves Game of the Week I saw Braves pitcher John Smoltz speak about the stress of pitching in the major leagues. “You can not compare that stress with what you experience pitching a rehab game in the minor leagues”! he said.

Now Eaton can be activated on August 27th when the Mets start a 4-game series with the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. He is 5-0 against them with a 1.89 ERA, a fantastic record. But will Charlie Manuel let Eaton pitch?? Meaning, will Manuel have the guts to let Eaton pitch? To the first place Mets, the guys the Phillies have to beat, and in fact the guys the Phillies usually do beat!

Both Eaton and Manuel will have had about two weeks to think it over.