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| Photos: Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia Eagles |
I've been a Philly sports fan my whole life. For the most part, I think we Philly fans get it. We are passionate and we are knowledgeable. I'd say we are right 95% of the time. But when we are wrong, we are REALLY wrong.
In a previous article I talked about how wrong we were about Nick Sirianni. Since that article, all he did was lead the Eagles to one of the most dominate Super Bowl performances of all-time...against a two-time defending champion with one of the best head coach and quarterback combos ever. It occurred to me, the last time we were THIS wrong about someone, he ended up being the best Manager in Phillies history. The great Charlie Manuel.
Manuel and Sirianni may not have much in common. Maybe they do. I don't know. But I know they have THIS in common. We wanted them gone at first, and we were WAY off on both gentlemen. Like Manuel, Sirianni could go down as the best leader in his team's history. All the guy does is win.
Remember when the Phillies hired Manuel? Most fans, myself included, wanted Jim Leyland to become Phils Manager. The former Pirates and Marlins skipper had a world series title under his belt and lots of wins, not to mention an attitude that seemed to fit our city. Manuel on the other hand, had a southern drawl and seemingly didn't communicate very well. Besides being close to Jim Thome, we had no idea why Manuel was even being considered. He did have experience managing Cleveland, including taking the then Indians to the playoffs in 2001. He finished his tenure as Cleveland Manager with a respectable 220-190 record. Still, we thought he was some dumb country bumpkin.
It didn't help that he was following Phils legend Larry Bowa as Manager. It also didn't help that Senior Advisor to the GM and former World Series winning Manager Dallas Green told WIP that Bowa was more his kind of manager, not Manuel. Manuel made a believer out of Green, and all of us. The man he replaced, Bowa, also talks glowingly about him. On the Philly Sports Convo podcast, Bowa told me Manuel took that team over the hump. I told Bowa I thought HE was the one who "set the table" for Charlie, and he didn't disagree with me. Bowa and Manuel have become great friends over the years.
Manuel became the winningest manager in Phils history. He oversaw the greatest era of Phillies baseball. Under Manuel, the Phils won 5 division titles, 2 National League titles, and one World Series. He was booed initially. Now, at Alumni Weekends, he always gets the loudest ovations. Louder than Schmidt, or anyone else for that matter.
Sirianni doesn't have the highest win total in Birds history...yet. He has the highest winning percentage, but Andy Reid has the highest regular season win total with 130. That took him 14 years. If Sirianni has any kind of longevity here, there is no reason to think he won't break that. Like Manuel, and unlike Reid, Sirianni is winning here when it counts. Just like Charlie, Nick is overseeing what could become...and what arguably already is...the best era of Eagles football. Four years...four playoff appearances...two Super Bowl appearances...and one Super Bowl title. And there is no reason to think the Eagles won't be in contention for a Super Bowl for many years.
Sure, Howie Roseman gets a ton of credit for assembling this roster. Pat Gillick and his predecessor Ed Wade, also deserve credit for that great Phils roster of Howard, Utley, Rollins, Hamels, Werth, etc. But the most talent doesn't always win. It takes great leadership. Manuel may not have been great at press conferences, but he knew how to lead.
Sound familiar? Nick Sirianni has been downright awful at some of his press conferences, including the one where he was officially introduced as Eagles Head Coach. A really bad first impression, that only got worse with pressers that talked about watering and fertilizing plants. But guess what? The players bought in. They love their coach...and they probably all have vibrant gardens now too. Know what else they have? A Lombardi. A ring. A place in Philadelphia Eagles history.
Nick Sirianni and Charlie Manuel. Two leaders of men that won us over. Two guys who have shown that a bad first impression can not only be overcome, but totally forgotten about. Two guys who gave us great memories that will stay with us forever. These two gentlemen have a lot in common. The only difference? Charlie has one ring. Nick has one...and counting.