The Strategery of Charles F. Manuel

First things first: Charlie Manuel is a well-liked individual. Until Freddy Garcia's Jimmy Carter-esque "crisis of confidence," Manuel's players have avoided public criticism of their manager. Plus he was damn right about Garcia. The point is that there is a lot that the fans and, I suspect, even the media don't see when it comes to the way Uncle Cholly relates to his charges.

That's why it's so unfortunate that Manuel isn't such a great on-field tactician. In-game strategy is perhaps the most visible function of a big-league manager. It's also the most tangible one in the minds of the aforementioned fans and media--the decisions made in the moment, directly contributing to wins and losses are impossible to ignore. Just ask Grady Little. Nobody cares how Manuel is helping to tweak Ryan Howard's swing in BP while he continues to platoon Rod Barajas with Carlos Ruiz.

(The man does know about hitting. He is often credited with fixing Jim Thome's swing, though that may be something of a mixed blessing as Thome has mutated into a Dave Kingman-type player over the last decade. Just be careful, Ryan!)

It also doesn't help that Charlie went to the George W. Bush School of Public Speaking. I think this causes us to judge his strategic moves a little more harshly than we normally would. Tony LaRussa is an absolute putz when it comes to managerial strategy, but since he's articulate and respected for winning so many games in a weak division with juuuust enough talent, he gets a 300-page ego stroke from Buzz Bissinger.

Basically, I like to think that there are two sides to Manuel the manager. One is the private sage, a sort of offensive savant who, anywhere he goes, makes sure his team does not fail to score runs. The other is the public bumpkin, out-maneuvered by his opponents and second-guessed by an equally caustic press corps and fanbase. This season, I'm afraid that we're seeing the weaker half much more often than the stronger half.

The games on Wednesday and Thursday against the Reds presented two nearly identical situations: with the Phillies trailing late in a torrential downpour, a Phils slugger is called out on a questionable strike three. Both incidents were suspicious enough to assume the umps were fudging some calls to move the game quickly to its conclusion, or end an inning so they could award the Reds an official victory on account of the weather. Both times, the batters in question (Howard and Burrell) had their own choice words for the home plate umpire.

But neither time did Manuel, the man leading the majors in ejections, even come out of the dugout to protest. The outcome of each game was still clearly in the balance. The Phillies were risking two losses despite playing less than nine full innings each time. If that isn't a time to get in the umpire's face and, at the very least, bring attention to the officiating crew's attempts to cut corners, then I don't know what is. Even as a simple stalling tactic, an ejection has merit in this situation.

Luckily for Charlie, both situations ultimately resolved themselves in beneficent confidences of dumb luck. This guy's like a real-life Forrest Gump--a cornpone messiah, if you will. After Howard's strikeout on Wednesday, Jose Mesa gave up a homer to put the game out of reach anyway. On Thursday, Jimmy Rollins keyed the tying and winning rallies, despite Manuel waiting until the last possible moment to substitute Jayson Werth as a pinch runner for Barajas--a decision he balked at since Werth went on the DL yesterday. Turns out the Phillies didn't want to change the retroactive date to Thursday instead of Tuesday, which is the last time Werth had been in a game.

It's Jayson Werth, people. I think we'll keep the ship afloat even if he comes back a couple days later than expected.

Werth's roster replacement, the immortal Chris Coste, homered in his first plate appearance. Figures.

Group Therapy: Surviving the Sixers Draft

Billy King did an excellent job of doing what other teams' GMs told him to do at last night's NBA Draft.

Three of four Philly picks were flipped to other teams shortly after they were selected, making the Sixers one of the busiest draft-night franchises. But considering the sheer volume of trades made annually, the NBA Draft hits its "crapshoot phase" somewhere between picks 20 and 25. Methinks it could be a lot of sound and fury when the foreigners start going like ham sandwiches at a hobo convention.

The Philadelphia 76ers 2007 draft, more or less as I saw it:

Pick #12: The only guy the Sixers picked and kept was Georgia Tech product Thaddeus Young, kinda surprising with Julian Wright and Al Thornton still available (and, sadly, one pick too late for Acie Law). I liked this decision the more I thought about it since Thornton went to an institution that awarded a degree to this individual and both Thornton and Wright have been hyped up the wazoo. Never underestimate a smart(er) person with something to prove. Plus he reminds me of the last famous Thaddeus in Pennsylvania; no matter what Young's political affiliation is, a Radical Republican reference must be worked into his nickname.

Pick #21: Daequan Cook was kind of a puzzling selection here, even if you somehow believe ESPN's graphic that has Iguodala at shooting guard and Korver at forward in Philly's "starting lineup." Cook was then humorously traded for the guy picked one spot ahead of him by Miami, Jason Smith. And I wondered why the Heat were a mess. Smith, meanwhile, has the potential to develop into a much-needed presence on the boards, having recorded double-digit rebounds in the last eight consecutive games of last season (and in 18 games overall).

Pick #30: Right before this pick was made, Ric Bucher disclosed the full terms of the Cook-Smith deal--Miami not only gets Cook, but also cash and a 2009 second-round pick as well. I can see throwing in a few bucks to sweeten the deal, but who the hell also throws in a pick to get a guy who went all of one spot ahead of your own. I half-expected Billy King to hold up a newspaper describing the deal today and proclaim "Peace in our time."

Literally ten seconds after this happens, the Sixers pick Petteri Koponen, a 19-year-old who led his team to the Finnish League championship last year. Writing that last clause still makes me cringe. Experiencing it in real-time was far worse, a viciously delivered one-two punch. I felt like I just got out of the shower with nothing to dry myself but a hand towel, then discover that it's really John Candy's XXL underpants, a la Steve Martin in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

Pick #38: As if there were some draft gods punishing the Sixers for their ignominious flop at the first round's finish line, Nick Fazekas and Glen "Big Baby" Davis go off the board at 34 and 35. Philly picks the vowel-averse Kyrylo Fesenko until shipping him to Utah for the 55th pick, Providence's Herbert Hill. When I think about it, Utah could have been behind both of those selections. Both fit the Jazz's draft pattern: the white foreigner or the inoffensively-named guy from a non-marquee school (Dee Brown notwithstanding). The Sixers also get mysterious "additional considerations" in this trade. I speculate that this could be anything from Mormon Tabernacle Choir Tickets to Andrei Kirilenko.

Mercifully, there is another trade announcement between #30 and #38: Koponen to Portland for cash money and 2007 SEC Player of the Year Derrick Byars. Excuse me while I put on this mask, Paul Allen.

A really, really weird draft for the Sixers when all things are considered. The question now is what to do with all of these prospects. None of the picks were traded for veteran help as I had speculated, and there's no way that Philly's opening night roster includes four rookies. There's still time to deal, though, and I'm still nowhere near as depressed as Simmons.

But that, I fear, isn't much of a feat these days.

The Numbers Lie: J.C. Romero Edition

My initial reaction to the signing of J.C. Romero to a Phillies minor league contract was along the lines of, "Hey, last time I heard about him, he was actually good!" Romero was a mainstay of my fantasy teams before we came to our senses and stopped giving out points for Holds.

A guy who was a star middle reliever in Minnesota not too long ago and a member of a winning 'pen this year is a godsend to the Philadelphia bullpen, right?

Right?

"Romero, who was released June 18, went 1-0 with a 3.15 earned run average in 23 appearances this season for Boston,"

Yes! I knew it. Are the Sox that rich with talent that they can afford to let this guy get away?

"but those numbers are deceiving."

Uh-oh.

"He allowed 24 hits and 15 walks in 20 innings. Opponents hit .308 against him.

'His command had not been great,' Amaro said. 'He had more walks than strikeouts [11], but our reports on him are pretty good as far as his stuff is concerned. It's a matter of him getting back to his old form, hopefully.'"

So he's basically a sieve right now. But at least his "stuff" is good, so get a good look at that gorgeous breaking ball before somebody rips it down the right field line.

Romero hasn't actually thrown since early June, when Boston first designated him for assignment, hence his placement on the Phils' rookie league team. With the current status of the Phillies bullpen--primarily the breakdown of Geoff Geary after pitching 90+ innings last season and on a 75-inning pace for this year--I'm guessing it won't be too long before Romero gets his shot at being the Man in the Middle.

Hey, it could be worse.

Team Is Hoping Romero Can Help [Philly.com]