Charlie Manuel Wants To Manage Phillies After This Year

It’s long been assumed that this season will be Charlie Manuel’s last with the Phillies—and there’s been plenty of speculation that he might not even last the season if the team duplicates the horrid start it got during the 2012 season. In any case, a rebuilding season or two appear to be right around the corner; Manuel wouldn’t want to stick around for that, would he?

Well, yes, as a matter of fact.

Manuel, who is in the final season of his contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, made it clear he wants to continue as manager beyond this year. Retirement plans haven’t even entered his mind.

“I still want to manage,” Manuel told The Associated Press on Thursday. “I’m not ready for somebody to tell me to go home. I’m not ready to quit managing. I’m not ready to get out of the game.”

ESPN’s Bill Simmons a few years back come up with a five-year grace rule for championship-winning teams—fans are barred from griping about the team’s performance, no matter how badly it declines, for a half-decade after winning (say) a World Series. The 2013 season will be last in that window; Manuel might want to get out before experiencing some really rough years here.