Charlie Manuel finishes 2nd in NL Manager of the Year voting

The NL manager of the year award is given to the best manager of the regular season, hence the reason Lou Pinella won the award and not Charlie Manuel of the Phillies.  Pinella managed the Cubs to the NL's best record in the regular season before being making a quick exit after losing to the Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs.  Charlie Manuel proved in the postseason that he was the best manager in the league when every decision he made seemed to be the right one, from pitching changes to juggling the lineup.  

If the award for manager of the year was voted on after the playoffs, Manuel would be the obvious choice.  Instead, Manuel finished second just ahead of Fredi Gonzalez of the Marlins.  Manuel has come a long way from the bumbling fool that everyone thought he was to a guy who won't ever have to buy a meal in this town again.