The BUZZ in Philly 

Charlie Manuel doesn’t have Tony LaRussa’s speaking skills or Willie Randolph’s clean-cut, fit look. But despite his southern-drawl and protruding belly, apparently what he does have is the utmost respect of his players. And this, above all, might be the most important characteristic for any successful manager ~ at least in Philadelphia.

I’ve been as hard on Manuel as anyone this season, questioning his moves up until the very end and being very critical about the team’s lackluster start, when he put so much emphasis on the importance of winning early.

But as I watched the clubhouse celebration and listened to everyone in the organization praise him, from the President on down, I couldn’t help but conclude that Charlie Manuel is the right manager for this team.

I’m not convinced at all that Larry Bowa or Jim Leyland or even Dallas Green would have taken this team as far as it came. All three probably have better managing skills, but none of them have better people skills. 

The bottom line is that teams rarely win or lose because of a manager’s strategic moves during a game or how well-spoken he is behind a podium. Teams win or lose by players on the field either performing or not. And player performance is dependent on skill……..and heart.

Players who genuinely like and respect their leader, play hard for him, every single time they step on the field. Much like your boss at work ~ if you like him or her, you work just a little bit harder than if you don’t.

President Dave Montgomery had this to say during yesterday’s celebration, via Scott Lauber of the News Journal:

“There’s no quit with this team. It’s a team with remarkable heart. That’s a credit to [manager] Charlie [Manuel] and the leadership of the players in the clubhouse as well.”

First-base coach Davey Lopes, who was brought in by Manuel to help the Phillies be more effective on the bases (the team had the best stealing success rate in baseball history at 87.9%) had this to say about Manuel, via David Aldridge of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

“He kept this club together when we could have been sliding all over the place. He doesn’t show panic. He has a tremendous amount of faith in his players. They respond to how he carries himself in the clubhouse. They love playing for him.”

You can question his grammar and be critical of his kindness that is inaccurately perceived as a lack of toughness, but there’s one thing you can’t deny, Charlie Manuel did one helluva job managing this team.

Win or lose this week he deserves to be back next season. My guess is if you privately polled every player in that clubhouse, he’d get not just a majority, but a unanimous vote.

There aren’t too many managers who can say the same, and those who can, are most likely still managing this week.

Let’s go Phils!

Jon Buzby is a nationally-syndicated columnist who can be reached through his website at www.jonbuzby.com.