Charlie Manuel On 2008 World Series Win: 'I Remember Just Like It Was Yesterday'
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Former Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel stopped by the CBS3 studios on Wednesday as the 2008 World Series team will be celebrated at Citizens Bank Park this weekend.
Over two dozen former players and coaches, including Manuel, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Brad Lidge, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, and others, will be at the ballpark on Sunday as the Phillies will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the championship team.
"I remember just like it was yesterday," Manuel said of the night the Phillies captured their second World Series in franchise history. "It seems like time went by, just flew by. What I liked about it, of course, we were world champions. I looked up in the stands, I saw the fans, I stayed in the dugout and watched my players celebrate."
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Manuel also has high hopes for this current crop of Phillies as the 2018 team currently sits in first place in the National League East.
"When the season started I said at the All-Star break if we can be around .500, that we'd have a chance," said Manuel. The Phillies are currently 11 games over .500 at 59-48.
"In the National League, I think the Phillies are just as good as anybody out there. I think also, too, they are going to improve these next couple of months. Once we get to where we can expand our roster, I think that's going to help us with more moves as far as the hitting goes and things like that," said Manuel.
Manuel also touted the team's young pitching, led by ace Aaron Nola.
"Our young pitching has been the surprise for me," he said. "We got guys in our bullpen, our Latin guys, who pitch an inning or two for us and they pitched in A ball and AA baseball last year and they did a heck of a job. I think we're going to stay in there and we definitely got a chance to win."
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On top of celebrating the tenth anniversary of the 2008 team on Sunday, Shane Victorino will retire as a Phillie on Friday and throw out the first pitch. On Saturday, former pitcher Roy Halladay and former general manager Pat Gillick will be inducted into the team's wall of fame.
