[miami_fan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2841584

As baseball season began, the Philadelphia Phillies were being eyed as a contender in the National League East. In fact, outspoken shortstop Jimmy Rollins said the Phillies were the team to beat.

But the Phillies have stumbled out of the gate to a 3-9 start -- trailing the Washington Nationals in the NL East. And the losing may already be taking its toll.


After the Phillies were drubbed 8-1 by the New York Mets on Tuesday night, manager Charlie Manuel blew his top in his office, letting loose with a profane tirade and challenging WIP-AM talk show host Howard Eskin, a longtime critic of Manuel, to a fight. Later, in the team clubhouse, he had to be restrained from going after Eskin by two Phillies coaches.


In an interview on ESPN2's Cold Pizza, Eskin acknowledged he doesn't think Manuel is a good manager, but says his opinion is based on Manuel's game management and isn't personal.

"His problem shouldn't be with me, it should be with the players that are ultimately going to get him fired," Eskin said.


The blow-up started during the postgame news conference when Eskin suggested that Manuel throw a clubhouse tirade to shake up his stumbling team.


"I do at times, but it's a timely thing," Manuel said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We're still hustling. We're still playing hard. We might be trying to do too much. For me to go in there and stand up and throw a fit, I can go in there and tear the whole ... locker room up. I could come here and throw every ... chair in here out. What the hell? I don't see how that's going to do me any good."


"I think they see me angry more than you think they do. I think you probably don't see me angry. I can show you I can get angry, if you want to," Manuel told Eskin. "Why don't you drop by my office? I'll be waiting on you. I'll be waiting on you. I'll walk down there right now."

The exchange between Manuel and Eskin continued in Manuel's office and the Phillies' clubhouse, where Manuel had to be held back by coaches Milt Thompson and Mick Billmeyer.

Eskin said when he got to Manuel's office, the manager was waiting for him with a challenge.

"I don't like what you've been saying about me for three years and I'm gonna drop your ass right there," Eskin quoted Manuel as saying.

Eskin said he told Manuel he should be angry at his players, not him -- and that it's not fun coming to games and seeing the Phillies lose.

"We're going to win!" Manuel replied.


The Phillies were listless on Tuesday night, despite starting pitcher Freddy Garcia making his debut after opening the season on the disabled list. Philadelphia stranded 12 baserunners, and in the sixth inning, members of the team had to be waved off the field despite recording three outs. The bullpen allowed the Mets five runs in 4 1/3 innings.

The Phillies' problems? Their best hitters aren't hitting and the team is batting .200 with runners in scoring position. The pitching staff is last in the National League with a 5.38 ERA and a .279 opposing batting average, and the bullpen is 0-3 with a collective 4.42 ERA.



The Phils are sporting their worst start since 1997, when that team stumbled to a 3-10 record and finished 68-94. It's a continuation of a maddening trend for the Phillies, who haven't posted a winning April record since 2003.


"We're a lot better than that," center fielder Aaron Rowand said, according to the Philadelpihia Daily News. "We're going to win a lot more games than that [1997 team], I guarantee you."


As for the the team's famously caustic fans? They mounted an "E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!" chant in the seventh inning, choosing to praise the city's successful NFL team rather than bury its baseball team.

I wish this would have been caught on tape. Hal McRae might have had some competition.