PHILADELPHIA -- With Charlie Manuel seated to his left, Ruben Amaro Jr. Stitched NHL Jerseys . broke down in tears after announcing he fired his manager. It was that emotional for the general manager and many associated with the Philadelphia Phillies. Manuel was let go Friday in the middle of a terrible second half, ending the most successful run in club history. Hall of Famer and former Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg, the Phillies third base coach, replaced Manuel for the start of a 10-game homestand. The Phillies didnt play any better for Sandberg and lost 4-0 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in his debut. They have lost 20 of 24. It wasnt an easy night, or day, for anyone in the organization. "You people may not know the relationship Ive had with Charlie. Hes a special person. This is difficult for me. I hope he stays in our organization," said Amaro, who took over as GM after Manuel led the Phillies to the World Series title in 2008. The managerial change didnt help Friday night. Zack Greinke (11-3) pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning and Hanley Ramirez homered to lead the streaking Dodgers to a victory over Sandberg and the slumping Phillies. "It was a roller coaster of a day emotionally," Sandberg said. "It affected me and I think it affects the players. ... Tomorrow hopefully well get back to work and the game goes on." The 69-year-old Manuel, the winningest manager in club history, was in the final year of his contract and wanted to manage another two or three seasons. "I never quit nothing and I didnt resign," Manuel said, making it clear he was pushed out the door. Manuel had been a folksy presence in the Phillies dugout since the beginning of the 2005 season. He wasnt a popular choice in Philadelphia when former GM Ed Wade hired him to replace Larry Bowa, but he became a beloved figure in a tough city. "I think were all a little upset, a little sad," second baseman Chase Utley said. "Its not easy to see the guy you play for, for nine years, not behind the batting cage right now watching batting practice. Its difficult. "Charlie brought out the most in his players. He was a man you could walk up to and he was the same every day. He was always going to give that positive energy and a lot of times that translated to the field." "I definitely enjoyed Charlie and liked playing for him," added left-hander Cliff Lee said. "I thought he did a good job. Its definitely our fault. We werent getting it done." Lee (10-6) pitched well on Friday night, but the Phillies couldnt provide any offence, finishing with three hits while getting shut out for the 11th time this season. Philadelphia hopes to turn things around under Sandberg. "Hes a quiet guy, but when he speaks everybody listens," All-Star slugger Domonic Brown said. "Guys definitely know he knows what hes talking about." Sandberg managed the Phillies Triple-A team at Lehigh Valley the previous two seasons. He was part of one the most lopsided trades in baseball history when the Phillies traded him and Bowa to the Cubs for shortstop Ivan DeJesus in 1982. "I must say that, for me, I recognize this day as Charlie Manuel Day," Sandberg said at his first news conference. "What hes meant to the Philadelphia Phillies organization, what hes meant to the fans, the championships, the World Series, hes tops in the organization for what he did here. I really enjoyed my nearly three years with him in spring training and being here in Septembers, and this year especially being with him on a daily basis. I wish Charlie the best with whatever he intends to do, and he left a big footprint here in Philadelphia." Amaro said Sandberg takes over on an interim basis and would be evaluated after the season. Sandberg inherits a team that dropped to 5-20 since the All-Star break and is 21 1/2 games out of first place. "These guys are professional players, theyre getting paid well," Sandberg said. "Sometimes players have to dig deeper, play with pride, play with heart and for the name on the front of the uniform." Manuel won his 1,000th game as manager on Monday in Atlanta. Two days later, he sat in the dugout knowing it would be his last game after Amaro informed him of the decision not to extend his contract. "I think sometimes people forget how much I love to win," Manuel said. "I think that goes unnoticed. I think sometimes I dont talk about it, because I push it to my team and how important it is. Every day, I say our No. 1 priority is to win the game. When we get away from that, we get into trouble. I love everything about managing, and I think for us, the last couple years to fall back, I get upset very much so. I want us to stay where we were at, I want to compete for a World Series every year." Manuel led Philadelphia to the franchises second World Series title in 2008 08 and brought the team back to the Series in 2009, when it lost to the Yankees in six games. Manuel was 780-636 with the Phillies and won five straight NL East titles from 2007-11. He also spent three years as manager with the Cleveland Indians, winning the AL Central in 2001. Even with an aging roster, the Phillies were expected to contend in the NL East this season, but the team has fallen apart. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay has missed most of the season with an injury. First baseman Ryan Howard also has been out with an injury. High-priced reliever Jonathan Papelbon has struggled to close, and apart from Utley and Brown, the Phillies havent hit much. "We let down not only him, we let down the organization, we let down the fans," said lefty Cole Hamels, who is 5-13. "But I think ultimately, we let each other down. We really have to get back up and discover who we are, and what were playing for. And go out there and do it." Manuels abrupt dismissal angered many fans, who called into talk-radio stations to express their bitterness. Most blame Amaro for the Phillies decline. Amaro has made several questionable moves since replacing Pat Gillick. His decision to give Howard a $125 million contract nearly two years before he was set to become a free agent has handcuffed the team financially along with other big-money deals. "This isnt a blame game," Amaro said. "Im not here to blame Charlie for our issues. We all have a part in it." Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . He insists hes not counting. "If youre thinking hits, youre not paying attention to wins," Altuve said Sunday after leading the Houston Astros past the Texas Rangers 3-2. Wholesale NHL Jerseys Online . The Philadelphia Eagles acquired running back Darren Sproles from the New Orleans Saints for a fifth-round draft pick on Tuesday. http://www.cheapnhlcustomjerseys.com/ . The Brewers finalized a US$36 million, three-year contract with free agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez on Wednesday, adding a much-needed bat to their lineup.While the Edmonton Oilers game on Saturday versus the Vancouver Canucks wont have an impact on the standings, it will have plenty of meaning for the organization and fans in attendance at Rexall Place. The Oilers will bid farewell to forward Ryan Smyth in his final NHL contest after announcing his retirement on Friday. One of the most popular players in Oilers history, Smyth spent a total of 15 seasons in Edmonton and ranks second on the franchises all-time list with 970 games played. The Alberta native enters Saturdays matchup tied with Hall of Famer Glenn Anderson for the club career mark with 126 power-play goals. The 38-year-old ranks fifth in franchise history with 296 goals, coming in behind a number of legendary players like Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Anderson and Mark Messier, and Smyth is sixth in team annals with 631 points. "I have been truly blessed to play this game for as long as I have and will cherish the memories forever," Smyth said on Friday. "After some difficult discussions over the past week, I felt it was best to make this decision and move on with life after hockey and enjoy every minute I have with my family." Edmonton made Smyth the sixth overall pick of the 1994 draft and he stayed with the club before a memorable trade to the New York Islanders in February of 2007 after the club was unable to come to terms with the forward on a contract extension. The unpopular move was highlighted by Smyths tearful goodbye while thanking the fans and organization. Smyth finished up that season with the Islanders and then spent his next four seasons split with the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings before returning the Oilers by way of trade in June of 2011. In 1,269 career games, the veteran has totaled 386 goals, 456 assists and 842 points. He has 10 goals and 13 assists in 71 games this season. Smyths farewell should give some added energy to tonights regular-season finale for the Oilers, who are lastt in the Western Conference with 65 points and just 15-22-3 at home on the season. Fake Adidas NHL Jerseys. Edmonton began a season-closing four-game homestand with a win over Anaheim, but has followed with setbacks to Colorado and Los Angeles. The Oilers were blanked 3-0 by the Kings on Thursday. Viktor Fasth stopped 45 shots for the Oilers, including 23 in the third period. However, he was beaten for a goal just 23 seconds into the game and the Oilers were down 2-0 by the end of the first period. "You cant give a Stanley Cup contender the lead that early," said Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins. "Our top line, our best line is on the ice and a real easy assignment and its in our net. It cant happen." Edmonton has lost five of its last seven games and saw forward Sam Gagner exit in the second period with an ankle injury. It has also been a disappointing campaign for the Canucks, who were knocked out of playoff contention on Tuesday and lost for the fifth time in six games with Thursdays 4-2 setback to the Avalanche. David Booth and Henrik Sedin scored for the Canucks, while defenseman Dan Hamhuis had two assists. Jacob Markstrom gave up three goals on 27 shots, making his first start since being acquired from Florida as part of the Roberto Luongo trade on March 4. "We played well. We played hard. I thought Markstrom looked really good," Vancouver head coach John Tortorella said. Thursdays game came one day after former captain Trevor Linden was named the president of hockey operations. President and general manager Mike Gillis was fired on Tuesday. The Canucks went 1-4-0 on a five-game homestand and end the regular season at home versus Calgary on Sunday. The Canucks won their first three meetings with this season with the Oilers by a 12-3 margin, but lost the most recent encounter 4-2 in Vancouver on Jan. 27. Vancouver has still won nine of the previous 13 matchups overall. ' ' '  |
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