 Tuesday after the Phillies game, Howard Eskin of WIP Radio and occassional ESPN sports commentator, and also locally on one of the local tv sports reports, started asking some tough questions of Charlie Manual and the lousy start that the Phillies have had. In Philadelphia you either love Howard or hat him. He can be obnoxious, overbearing, and quick to insult, but he usually has the facts straight and has some 'inside soureces'.
Howard has been on Charlie's back almost since he came to the Phillies, thinking that he was not the best choice for the manager spot. There may have been better, there may have been worse. The last manager before him, Larry Bowa, took the team to the last week of the season, being in position to make the play-offs, but because some players didn't like his agrresive and disciplinarian style, Larry got let go. Charlie is more well liked by the players, but that isn't translating into wins on the field, either, last year finishing just out of the play-offs again. The team isn't performing up to what level it should be, the team is a hitting team but except for a couple of exceptions, it isn't hitting.
As I said Howard has not been a rooter for Charlie, and the other day, he took it to what Charlie thought was too far. Charlie first walked off from the interview room and then later was heard to shout expletives to and about Howard. Howard was questioning Charlie's managerial style and kept at him beyond what many would seem to have been the point of no return. I know Howard is a reporter and commentator on his radio show and on tv shows, but how far does he have the right to go and was it a personal vendetta and personal jabs at Charlie rather then doing his job of gathering the information to report to his audience.
Both Howard and Charlie have had the chance to comment on the situation, and both put it more on the other. I can't wait to see what else comes of this and if Charlie can light a spark under the Phillies and get them back into the form they showed at the end of last year to keep them in the pennant chase.
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