Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Charlie's Back

It's official: two more years of Goodtime Charlie. He kind of deserves it, I guess.

What is it about this guy that always seems to elicit equivocal responses? Perhaps it's because he's able to successfully mix a Danny Ozark doofusness with a George W. Bush calm and constancy in what's arguably America's most chaotic sports city. We want to see him get fired up, but we also like the way he handles his players--the way they seem to respond to his grandfatherly attention (Exhibit A: Pat Burrell). We acknowledge how he's willing to take the heat from the media to protect his players, but we can't stand it when his loyalty clouds his ability to judge an individual's endurance level.

Whatever. Apparently the wins are piling up under his watch (over 260 in just 3 seasons) and he's nowhere near as crazy as Jim Tracy.

And for those keeping score at home, Charlie's new contract lasts one year longer than Gillick's now, meaning that even if the Phils stink next year, Gillick will probably wait for somebody else to fire him.

Now let's get on with making "We're gonna win" the 2008 Phillies slogan right now.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dad thinks that Charlie should be a figurehead who handles the players and Jimy Williams should be in charge of in-game strategy. Quite frankly, I agree.