Please Charlie Don’t Go National?

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While a chunk of Philadelphia Phillies fans anxiously await turning over the keys of the organization to Ryne Sandberg, there may be one city even more eager–Washington, D.C.

The 2013 Washington Nationals are a disappointment.  The roster is loaded with solid veterans and future superstars.  Yet, as of this writing, they remain four games under .500.  The hitting coach has been replaced much to the chagrin of manager Davey Johnson. It appears to be acknowledged by all relevant parties that this will be Davey Johnson’s last year as skipper.

With a roster such as the Nationals and the high expectations of its fanbase and MLB fans/bloggers/analyst everywhere, would it make sense to take a chance on a young, unproven manager? Or, would it be more likely that GM Mike Rizzo goes for a proven, winning manager to lead his talented squad into the MLB playoffs?

Charlie ManuelCould they lure Tony LaRussa out of retirement? Possibly.  Doubtful, though.  Could the Nationals be interested in a skipper, who has proven success in their own Division and one who had won five straight Division Championships, Two NL Championships and a World Series, such as Charlie Manuel? I fear so.

Is it time for Charlie to leave Phialdelphia? I’m not sure.  I’m not sold on Ryne Sandberg and I was never really sold on the roster that Ruben Amaro provided for Manuel this year. I am sure that Charlie manages a clubhouse as good as any manager/coach during my lifetime as a fan of Philadelphia sports.  In my heart, Charlie deserves another shot with a real lineup.  However, if the Phillies become sellers and go younger, a move might make more sense.

I see some similarities between the current makeup of the Nationals and the Phillies when Manuel took over managerial duties.  The Phillies had a solid group of veterans (Rollins, Utley, Burrell) as do the Nationals (R. Zimmerman, Werth, Soriano).  The Phillies had a group of young developing players (Victorino, Hamels, Howard) as do the Nationals (Harper, Strasburg, Desmond).  Baseball legend Larry Bowa seemed incapable of getting his squad over the hump, as does legend Davey Johnson in Washington.

geraldotweetIs Charlie too old? If the Nationals hired him before the end of the year, he’d be 69 years old.  When the Nats hired Davey Johnson, he was 68.  A hire of Charlie would actually be a youth movement by Rizzo.  Charlies is 1 year and 26 days younger.  The Rolling Stones just finished a world tour.  Charlie would be the second youngest Rolling Stone.  As Geraldo said when he recently tweeted a half-naked picture of himself, “70 is the new 50.”

Charlie would seem like the perfect candidate to lead the Nationals to the next step, as he did in Philadelphia.  This is my fear.  I’d love to see Charlie be successful elsewhere if he wants to continue managing and the Phillies move on to Sandberg. I just don’t want to see Andy Feffer, Jayson Werth and Charlie Manuel arm-in-arm on a float during a parade through our nation’s capital.  Please Charlie, don’t take on the Natitude!