Thank You, Charlie

I'm sure most (if not all) of you have heard that Charlie Manuel was relieved of his duties as the manager of the Phillies this afternoon, making way for Ryne Sandberg to get his feet wet as the interim and probably long term manager of the Phillies.

I can write about how this wasn't fair, how the timing was odd, how Charlie deserved a better farewell, and all that jazz.  While all of that might be true, I don't want to dwell on the negative here.  The fact of the matter is Charlie Manuel was a heck of a manager, and a heck of a person.

Charlie was always willing to sign autographs for fans.  When I went to the Nats game last season, he graciously signed a baseball for me.  Here he is holding said baseball, getting ready to sign it.

Charlie Manuel led the team to the 2008 World Series Championship.

He was beloved in Philadelphia, and won't have to buy a drink in or around that city for a long time.  Maybe forever.  They just told a story on the Phillies home tv broadcast about how Charlie and his wife went out to dinner tonight, and he left the restaurant to a standing ovation from everyone there.

It was always a great scene when Charlie would go out and argue with an umpire.  He was always pretty animated.  The best was when he would walk away and then walk back. The crowd always goes nuts.

Hitting was Charlie's specialty.  He loved to teach hitters how to hit, and he was quite a hitter himself in pro ball--in Japan.

This was Charlie in his younger years.

The players loved his laid back demeanor and easy going attitude.  Unfortunately some of that might have brought upon some lackadaisical play this season.

One of the more entertaining parts of Charlie Manuel's stint as the Phillies manager were his press conferences, and appearances on the pre-game radio show, "The Manager's Show" with Chris Wheeler. Charlie didn't have a penchant for speech, and you were lucky if you could understand half of what he was saying. Youtube his interviews sometime--you won't be disappointed.

Change is never easy in many parts of life, and we Phillies fans consider Charlie a staple when we think of our team.  He's an endearing guy, and someone you want to root for.  He guided the team through it's most successful period in club history, winning five NL East titles in a row, two NL pennants, two World Series appearances, and one totally awesome 2008 World Championship.  He will be missed, and certainly not forgotten.

This AP picture will go down as one of the most sad in recent Philly sports history, as it depicts Charlie Manuel leaving Citizen's Bank Park after the press conference announcing his retirement.  Charlie was a scapegoat in a way--the victim of an aging, injury riddled team struggling through the inevitability of death via an agonizingly slow decline.

While it is sad, it also marks the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one for the Philadelphia Phillies. There is no real optimism now, but maybe...just maybe...years down the line we will look back and think of this time as the starting point of another dynasty.

Thanks for the memories, Charlie.

Welcome to the big show, Ryne.