CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) – Charlie Manuel had just emerged from the dugout before an exhibition game when a typical Philly fan greeted him with another insult.

“Two words, Cholly: double switch!”

Since replacing Larry Bowa as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies two years ago, Manuel has endured constant criticism from fans and media. He’s learned to ignore it and focus on trying to lead the Phillies to the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

Second-guessing Manuel’s in-game strategy when he messes up a double switch that leaves a reliever batting the following inning is warranted.

Ridiculing his accent – a thick Appalachian drawl – and poking fun at his use of grammar and elocution are unfair.

“The first year I managed in Philly, a lot of times my brother would call me and tell me what people were saying and writing,” Manuel said. “I finally told him, ‘Look, stop telling me.'”

Manuel certainly wasn’t the people’s choice when former general manager Ed Wade hired him after the 2004 season. Most fans wanted Jim Leyland, the former Pirates and Marlins manager who led Florida to a World Series title. Leyland openly campaigned for the job and was the last candidate interviewed, but it appeared Manuel was Wade’s choice from the start. Leyland eventually landed in Detroit and led the Tigers to the AL championship.

Meanwhile, Manuel kept the Phillies in contention for an NL wild-card spot until the final weekend each of his first two seasons in Philadelphia.

He guided the Phillies to 88 wins in 2005 and they walked off the field after winning their final game with a chance to get into the playoffs. But the Houston Astros ended those hopes with a victory later that day that gave them the wild-card berth.

The Phillies overcame a poor start and a midseason roster purge to take the lead in the wild-card standings with only a week remaining in the regular season last year. But they lost three of the next four games, including two of three to the last-place Nationals in Washington, and were eliminated on the next-to-last day of the season.

Manuel didn’t get much credit for keeping the team together and getting the most from his players after general manager Pat Gillick said on the day he traded Bobby Abreu to the New York Yankees that he didn’t expect the Phillies to be contenders until 2008. Instead, Manuel heard more boos down the stretch and was blamed for letting the team fall short at the end again.

“I understand people are always going to say things and there’s critics out there who don’t necessarily want to see you do good,” Manuel said. “But I can’t let it bother me, so things I don’t know or I don’t hear, I’m fine with it.”

Many of the jabs at Manuel come from outsiders who don’t cover the team on a regular basis and never enter the locker room or talk to the players. With his down-home charm and folksy personality, Manuel keeps the atmosphere light. He walks around joking with everyone from players and coaches to writers and clubhouse attendants. His players love playing for him.

“Charlie is a guy you would run through a wall for,” said center fielder Aaron Rowand, who nearly did just that on a catch last year that left him with a broken nose and broken bones around his left eye.

Though it doesn’t easily come across in his interviews, Manuel is an excellent communicator, particularly with his players.

“When someone has been around me, they get a better knowledge of me and who I am and what I bring to the table,” Manuel said.

He knows how to build a good rapport with players.

“It might take me a month or two months to get to know how to handle a guy,” he said. “Some guys you can be macho with and challenge them a bit and some guys you have to talk to them in another way to let them know you understand them and want to see them do well, but still be firm with them. Most of all, it takes honesty.”

With the 63-year-old Manuel entering the final year of his contract, the perception in Philadelphia is his job is on the line if the Phillies falter at the start as they’ve done the last two Aprils.

Having former managers Jimy Williams and Davey Lopes in house as coaches puts pressure on Manuel, though Gillick is fond of his personality and the way he handles players.

“He’s been around this game for a long time,” Gillick said. “He’s more concerned with the players and what goes on on the field. He has a lot of confidence in what he can do.”

Since spring training opened, Manuel has stressed to his team the importance of playing well right from the start. He has said numerous times that missing the playoffs is not acceptable.

“Losing is not an option,” he said.

If Manuel finds a way to guide the Phillies to the franchise’s second World Series title and end the city’s 24-year championship drought, the fans sure won’t make fun of him anymore.

AP-ES-03-16-07 1816EDT