Charlie and Ruben are Too Close for Contracts
By Justin Klugh
The off season is a continuing cycle of impatience. I’ve been ready for baseball to start again since mid-December, which is coincidentally when the Phillies signed Cliff Lee. Does that mean I’m just some dorkus fan, only treasuring Phillies baseball when they’ve made some blockbuster roster move? Yes. But now I’m a dorkus with a slightly premature 2011 Phillies preview on the hallowed pages of Seatgeek.
Charlie Manuel, however, is perfectly content to wait the off season out, even if he–whoopsedaisy–does not have a contract that extends into the next one.If you read this blog often enough, I’m sure you’ve gleaned by now that I am under the impression/delusion that the Phillies all hang out together, or live together, and just have a 24/7, rockin’ time. That’s why it’s not too far of a stretch for me to believe that Ruben and Charlie have a friendship bond that goes beyond signatures on papers, and that’s why everyone’s so relaxed about this.
I can see them sitting on a front porch in Virginia, sipping iced tea, and Charlie rattling off a chain of local colloquialisms that Ruben doesn’t understand, but the serenity of the evening and the soothing rhythm of Charlie’s voice are slowly allowing him to drift off to sleep. Somewhere, a dog barks.
If Charlie’ isn’t concerned that he’s not locked down anytime past this year, then neither am I. There’s got to be a list somewhere of what exactly he would have to do as the winningest manager in Phillies history to be immediately fired at the close of the season, and they are all pretty ridiculous things.
"“[Its] The same as when Jayson Werth wasn’t signed [going into last season]. It just gives people stuff to talk about. It doesn’t mean we don’t want him back.”–Ruben Amaro"
*NOTE: Jayson Werth did not come back.
So, you see? The allegations on this manner are only just starting. I’m sure after the Phillies’ first ridiculous dumb thing of 2011, this issue will be kicked up and freaked out about. Until then, let’s all imagine Charlie telling a story about when he broke his jaw in six places, or that time Kyle Kendrick got his head stuck in a toilet, and relax.