The King of Bling was keepin' it real

By Mike McDonald
Collegian Editor
April 25, 2007

Members of the media are paid to ask questions. Tough questions. Questions that the public wants answered.

When these questions are not asked, the media outlets are doing a disservice to those who read, listen or watch any type of sports or news coverage.

And when the self-proclaimed “team to beat” is radiating a feeling of complacency during an absolutely dreadful start to the season, questions need to be asked. And not just any questions—ones about why the manager has not gotten tougher with the players and demanded some results.

This question was asked of Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, and he answered it. He did so just as an insulted, “flustrated,” clueless manager would: he screamed and shouted obscenities at the person who asked it.

Some people like Howard Eskin, and others do not. But regardless, he has three real responsibilities on the air: be knowledgable, be opinionated and get ratings. Anyone who disputes the fact that he does all three of these very well either has never listened to his show or knows nothing about sports.

Eskin doesn’t like Allen Iverson, Terrell Owens, Notre Dame or cockroach Cowboy fans. And that makes people mad. He also doesn’t think Phillies management has done a good job. Wow, he really must be nuts. How could someone not like an organization that hasn’t made the playoffs in 14 years?

In a town frustrated at the fact that its baseball team’s manager is not Larry Bowa or Jim Leyland, one can understand why people want Manuel to be more vocal and expect his team to play well. It doesn’t take great baseball knowledge to be able to get in a player’s face when he makes a mistake. Manuel just hasn’t seemed to be willing to do this. He sure was willing to get in Eskin’s face, though.

Eskin isn’t out there swinging at the first pitch after two straight walks or attempting to steal at the worst possible time. Manuel should care more about what his players are doing on the field than about what a radio talk show host is saying about him. Maybe if he was willing to redirect some of that passion to his players, they would have been able to avoid the slide they experienced to start the season.

There are always going to be people who don’t like Eskin, and there are always going to be people who don’t like Manuel. But the facts are pretty simple. Eskin is a radio talk show host who is down in the locker room doing his job, as always. When he goes to the press conference to ask a question, he is not doing anything wrong. Manuel is the one who stepped out of line. Not that Eskin minded; he probably loved being a part of this battle and finding himself in the news.

Eskin was doing everyone in the Delaware Valley a favor. He stepped up to the plate and asked the question that no one else was asking. Remember last season, when the Phils were in an early-season slump? Manuel went on a May 1 tirade in the dugout in Miami, sparking a hot stretch that put the team right back in it. The skipper has not shown any signs of that all season long. Manuel’s “relaxed” clubhouse hasn’t brought any more success than Bowa’s “tense, uptight” clubhouse did. If anything, Bowa’s Phillies teams overachieved, while Manuel’s have underachieved.

There are plenty of Phillies fans who want Manuel fired (just put on WIP for five minutes and listen to any show), so the notion that Eskin was not speaking with the support of Phillies fans is ridiculous. Manuel is a bad manager. But it’s not about Eskin’s opinions. It is about his actions, and in his actions last Tuesday, he did the right thing.

Like him or hate him, you can’t say he was doing anything wrong. And if you live in this area, chances are you probably even listen to his show.

mcdonaldm2@lasalle.edu