Charlie Manuel or Manual Labor?

Now that the Boston Red Sox have won a World Series and an 86 year old curse has been lifted on superstitious Beantown, focus turns to a new baseball season. The Phillies opened up the 2005 campaign with an 8-4 victory over the inaugural Washington Nationals. Do I hear the sound of one hand clapping?

The Phillies need to rebound and forget about last season’s disappointing season. Nobody could have been more disappointed than I. I split a 17 game plan with friends. I didn’t see those Fighting Phils fight hard enough to eek out one win. My package included three games with long rain delays. I broke a cell phone diving for a foul ball. My son got sick the night he and I went to a ballgame. I didn’t get to see my favorite player, Jim Thome, hit ONE ball out of the INFIELD the entire season which included a 16 inning marathon against the Baltimore Orioles. Adding insult to pinstripe injury, the best sports moment occured when a horse, Smarty Jones, won the Kentucky Derby on Phanavision before a game.

The Phillies season ended with manager Larry Bowa getting ousted. While it is not unheard of for an underachieving baseball team to fire their manager, whether the players are more to blame or the skipper is the subject of sports debate from gym locker rooms to talk radio. This brings me to the following unofficial survey. I asked a mildly mentally retarded, devoted Phillies fan who she thought was more responsible for the disappointing season the ballplayers or Larry Bowa.

She responded incredulously, “Joe, in case you don't know, Larry Bowa hasn’t played for the Philadelphia Phillies since 1980 or something.”

Silly me for asking but there you have it. Only between the chalk lines matters to many a baseball fan. They believe Big Bird from Sesame Street could manage a bunch of blue chippers. The Phillies are going to have to go to bat for their new manager, Charlie Manuel, to make a ripple in the improved National League East. So it all comes down to Charlie Manuel or manual labor. You make the call.