The 'Jolly Cholley' is back in town.
Charlie Manuel is back in the Phillies' dugout.
The team has turned to the man who guided the Phils to their last World Series title to try to pull them out of their offensive funk.
They could not have made a better choice.
Manuel will join the team tonight, one night after the Phils opened a home stand with a much-needed win over the Cubs.
Manuel is legendary for being a hitting guru. He's old school, and it will be interesting to see how those methods interact with the analytics-driven philosophy of manager Gabe Kapler and GM Matt Klentak.
It also will be worth noting that this does not necessarily appear to be Kapler's call.
But the team has made it clear that Kapler is their guy, and they are not planning a manager move this season.
The team also stressed that Manuel was being brought on only for the remainder of the current campaign and likely will not be retained.
Can Manuel spark the offense enough to allow the Phils to scratch their way back into the wild card?
Again, that likely depends on the hitters as much as Manuel.
Let's just say he has his work cut out for him.
You can read Rob Parent's take on the move here.
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