Manuel gets extension from Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies and manager Charlie Manuel agreed to a two-year extension with a club option for 2010 on Tuesday night, keeping around the folksy manager who led the franchise to their first NL East title since 1993.
The 63-year-old Manuel led the Phillies to an 89-73 record in his third season with the team. The Phillies were swept 3-0 by the Colorado Rockies in Philadelphia's first postseason appearance in 14 years.
"I am very happy to be back for another two years," Manuel said. "I'm proud of what the team accomplished this year and I'm looking forward to defending our division title and reaching our goal of winning a World Series for Philadelphia."
Manuel, who previously managed the Cleveland Indians, is 262-224 in three years. Among Phillies managers, Manuel reached 250 wins in the fewest games since Pat Moran managed the club from 1915-18.
"We love what Charlie brings to the ballpark every day, which is an upbeat, positive attitude that rubs off on the players," general manager Pat Gillick said. "He helped lead our club back to the playoffs and he and his coaching staff did a great job, especially with the injury issues they faced throughout the season with a number of key players."
D'backs' tickets available: Buying a ticket should be no problem for anyone who wants to attend the first two games of the NL championship series.
About 8,000 seats remain available for Thursday night and Friday night, Arizona Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said Tuesday.
Hall said he expected a crowd in the mid-40,000 range for the opener against Colorado and perhaps a sellout at 48,000-seat Chase Field for Game 2.
"I think we'll get there," he said. "Fans were waiting to see what the start times were."
The opener starts at 5:37 p.m. local time, with the second game beginning at 7:18.
Arizona drew a sellout in one game and a near-sellout in the other in their division series against the Cubs. Attendance was boosted by the many Cubs fans who live in the Phoenix area.
Hamilton has heart attack: Longtime Astros radio announcer Milo Hamilton was recovering Tuesday in a Houston hospital after having a heart attack over the weekend.
The 80-year-old Hamilton underwent an angioplasty, had a stent put in and was doing well, the team said. He began experiencing chest pains on Sunday at lunch and went to an emergency room, where doctors discovered an artery that was completely clogged.
"I had a heart attack and there was some minimal damage," Hamilton said in a team release. "Only time will tell how much. I'm feeling pretty good and I'm relaxed. Hopefully, I'll leave the hospital soon, likely on Thursday or Friday."
The heart attack postponed hip replacement surgery that had been scheduled for Monday. That surgery will likely be delayed for 6-12 weeks.
Hamilton has been calling major-league games since 1953 and has been with the Astros since 1985. He began working only home games in 2006.
He also has worked for the Cardinals, Braves, Pirates and both the Cubs and the White Sox.
White Sox hire Bell: The White Sox announced the hiring of Buddy Bell as director of minor-league instruction, effective Nov. 1. Bell, 56, spent the last two-plus seasons as manager of the Kansas City Royals after being hired on May 31, 2005. He also managed the Tigers (1996-98) and Rockies (2000-02).
Bell spent 18 seasons in the major leagues, playing for the Indians, Rangers, Reds and Astros. He was a five-time American League all-star and won six consecutive Gold Glove awards, from 1979-84 as a third baseman.
Denbo new Toronto coach: The Toronto Blue Jays hired Gary Denbo as their new hitting coach Tuesday, filling the only vacancy on their coaching staff for the 2008 season.