Fans Frustrated in Philadelphia

Charlie Manuel has been ridiculed for his accent, criticized for his decisions and booed when he steps on the field.

Welcome to Philly, Cholly.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ first-year manager didn’t get a honeymoon period in a championship-starved city tired of rooting for a team that continually fails to meet expectations.

Though Manuel doesn’t deserve all the blame for the Phillies’ latest poor start, fans are taking out their frustrations on the folksy manager with the down-home charm and Appalachian drawl.

General manager Ed Wade also has been a favorite target for critics, but he doesn’t walk to the mound to make pitching changes -- so he isn’t jeered directly on a regular basis.

“Everybody is frustrated. I understand it,” Wade said. “If I’m frustrated, our fans should be frustrated. We’re not playing at a level where people should be happy.”

But Wade insists Manuel isn’t going anywhere. And he isn’t worried about his own job, even though fans vehemently call for Wade’s firing.

Manuel hopes a winning streak will sway public opinion.

“We need to win some games,” Manuel said. “We need to get out of last place and get our heads above water.”

The schedule isn’t helping Philadelphia, which entered a three-game weekend series at AL East-leading Baltimore with the only losing record (19-23) in the NL East. With six games coming up on the road against second-place Florida and division-leading Atlanta, the Phillies could be in a lot of trouble by Memorial Day.

“If you can stay even, somewhere along the line you’re going to have a big streak,” Manuel said. “If we can run off eight, 10, 12 games in a row, it’ll put us where we want to be. It’s a long season. We have to stay with it. I think our stretch is coming.”

Considering the Phillies haven’t won more than three straight games this season, even the most die-hard fans aren’t counting on a major turnaround.

A year after setting a franchise record in attendance, the Phillies aren’t filling the seats at 2-year-old Citizens Bank Park. Fans who show up spend most of their time booing, waiting in long lines to buy a cheesesteak or chanting “E-A-G-L-E-S.”

The Phillies finished fourth in attendance by drawing slightly more than 3 million fans last season, an average of 40,589 for 79 dates. They’ve averaged 30,683 through the first 20 games this season, and are on pace for almost 1 million fewer fans than last year.

“They have every right to be frustrated,” pitcher Randy Wolf said. “We’re just as frustrated. There’s a time to turn it around. Now is the best time.”

If the Phillies don’t start winning, there could be a sea of empty blue seats at the ballpark by the time summer rolls around and the Eagles start training camp.