Ain't cha never heard of Charlie Manuel? If Phillies fans didn't know the one-time Japanese baseball legend and more recent manager of the Cleveland Indians, they certainly got to know him quickly after he was introduced by then-GM Ed Wade as the Phillies' new skipper on November 4th, 2004, replacing the recently departed Larry Bowa. "We've chosen Charlie Manuel because he is a winning, championship-caliber manager," explained Wade, in an uncharacteristically prophetic moment. "Charlie has the great ability to communicate with his players and build relationships with them, yet he demands excellence."

The hitting guru, who had overseen the Indians on their historic 1,000-run season in 1999, oversaw the team's transition into one of the best-hitting clubs in the majors, with the emergence of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard as offensive prodigies, as well as the eventual turning around of reclamation projects like Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth (both of whom, lest we forget, were LA cast-offs before blossoming into all-stars in Philly). Meanwhile, Manuel did