Charlie Manuel Is A Mean Old Jerk

July 15th, 2009 | by SL |

You would have thought that with two representatives from the Pittsburgh Pirates taking part in the All-Star Game, at least one might see a piece of action. Zach Duke was a late addition to the roster (filling in for Matt Cain), I get it, maybe he wasn’t as “deserving” in the eyes of some. Leaving Freddy Sanchez glued to the the bench in favor of giving Orlando Hudson two at-bats in the game was just rude and the kind of garbage you could expect from old man Manuel.

Charlie Manuel reminds me of the kind of guy that would stand at his kitchen window overlooking his backyard, just in case some young whippersnapper decides to cut through on a shortcut to the general store. Ol’ Charlie would undoubtedly storm outside with a salt-gun (broom handle, perhaps) and chase the little trespasser away.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Orlando Hudson. I watched him play in Toronto for years and I would feel very comfortable calling him the best defensive second baseman in baseball, but as Brian at RTJR pointed out this morning: “Hudson is batting .283 with a .779 OPS. Freddy’s hitting .316 with a .834 OPS.”

C’mon Charlie Manuel, give the guy an at-bat. You had no trouble finding playing time for your gelmet wearing buddy Jayson Werth.

What’s done is done. Anyway, I gotta throw out a big thanks to the dudes from Drunk Jays Fans for the great party they hosted for the game here in Toronto. Cheap local beers, good people, and free hot dogs… you can’t really go wrong.