also posted at Huge Tiny Mistake
Sez Bob Ford:
 

All he has done is hold together a team that should be splintered and sinking. He has helped keep the Phillies in contention despite a season-long plague of injuries and slumps. The Phils didn't panic or give up or shrug at the unfairness of it all and take the easy way out. They have played every game hard, regardless of who was in the lineup and who wasn't. That may sound like a small compliment, but in professional sports it is not.

Manuel has done all this without a shred of personal support from the team's front office. He is operating on the final year of his contract, and general manager Pat Gillick has given no indication that he is even aware of his manager's role in the team's success. Of all the oversights committed by Gillick, this is the worst.

The man should get a new contract, and he should get it today. Call a news conference and do the right thing, Pat.

It is somewhat redundant to list what the Phillies have endured this season. Every day has been a new chapter, a new exercise in what-can-happen-next. They have used 12 starting pitchers and 25 pitchers overall.

Players have checked in and out of the disabled list as if it were just another road hotel on the schedule. Yoel Hernandez went on the DL last week almost before anyone knew he was back on the roster. He replaced Mike Zagurski, who also went on the DL before having time to unpack from the minors.

Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Jon Lieber, Freddy Garcia, Tom Gordon, Brett Myers, Adam Eaton, Ryan Madson and on and on. The roster of those who haven't been on the disabled list this year is much shorter than the one of those who have. That's not a good year.

He makes a good argument.  Actually, a great one.  This team's had so many injuries, so many setbacks, that they are bound to lose this season.  They have no business being in the playoffs, let alone being in the NL Wildcard hunt.  And yet they remain 3 back in the standings, despite losing so many key cogs on both sides of the fence.  No other team has lost as many pitchers, and no other team has had to dig so deep for starting pitching.  Hell, the only starting pitcher that has been in the rotation all season long has been Jamie Moyer, and he officially sucks now.  This job ain't easy, folks.

Charlie's had very little help from the front office, and yet barely shows signs of frustration to the public or the media.  The man is a professional, no matter what many fans may believe.  Yes, he had a tiff with Howard Eskin, but that's Howard Eskin.  I believe that a manager gets one free blowup a season, and he used his on a worthy target.

So lay off Charlie ladies and gents.  He has a very tough job, and he's doing alright at it.  Managers tend to be overrated anyway in my mind, and he seems very adept at managing the locker room VERY WELL.  Players like him, and it looks like they are playing for him.  They just don't have the pitching.