Time for fans to get a little tougher on Phillies

Charlie Manuel thinks Philly has gone a little soft. That means you, me, all of us.

Before last night's game against the Marlins, Manuel was entertaining the media in his office at Citizens Bank Park. The conversation turned to the love affair between the Phillies and the city and how the relationship is different now compared to the same point last season. Hardly a home game goes by without the fans telling Manuel or one of the players how much the championship meant to Philly.

The Fightin's have been at or near the top of the NL East standings for much of the season, but it hasn't always been a smooth ride. The bumps have led to a little grumbling among the fans - usually when Brad Lidge blows a save or Jamie Moyer fails to pick up his 250th win (again) or Shane Victorino gets caught stealing at the worst possible time. But compared to the always-on-edge pre-World Series days, the gripes have been weak and infrequent.

When Manuel was asked whether he thought the fans were getting frustrated with the team's inconsistency, he said not really. He said everyone's been nice. Then Manuel added something no one expected.

"We're here to win. Every guy out there knows it. They have to hold their [jobs]," the manager said. "Maybe [the fans] should get on us a little."

Can you imagine Andy Reid asking Philadelphians to give the Eagles some tough love? Actually, can you imagine anyone other than Manuel saying something like that? But as strange as it sounded, he might be right.

Just seven months ago, the Fightin's rolled down Broad Street while the rest of us watched and rejoiced and tried to convince one another that it was real and not some cruel dream. Seven months ago, multicolored ticker tape rained down on Center City and ended the drought with the most beautiful storm this town has ever seen. Seven months ago, Philly was genuinely happy, and a lot of us swore to remember that wonderful feeling when times turned tough.

Concern and consternation are usually reflexive in Philly, but lately that's been replaced by shrugs and smiles and, amazingly, patience. Championships are a powerful opiate.

We can still hold up our end of the bargain. We can still be grateful for the parade. But that doesn't mean we should avoid letting the Phillies know when they've messed up. We can be critical without being obnoxious. Feedback is good.

Lidge was perfect last year, but he's been all together imperfect this season. He has the most blown saves and the worst ERA of any closer in the majors. Moyer doesn't exactly inspire confidence, either. And the Phillies' poor home record and maddening tendency to play from behind could hurt their playoff chances if they become season-long habits. And yet, for the most part, we've let those things go because we remain giddy about last year.

It's still early in the season - for the Phils, and for us - but at some point we probably all need to stop looking back on 2008 and focus on today and tomorrow.

Charlie put it best: "The fans can thank us for last year, but we got to win this year, too."

If you missed the start of the National Spelling Bee last night, shame on you. The NSB is a guaranteed good time. What other event features participants who pass out, cry, and throw temper tantrums on national television? (I feel like there's a Mets joke to be made here.)

The best part of the NSB involves the random things the spellers disclose. Here are my favorites, which were listed on each speller's personal information page:

Madeline Stevens (Speller No. 199): "She claims a deep, burning passion for fuzzy socks."

Veronica Penny (Speller No. 40): "For luck in spelling competitions, Veronica sleeps with a dictionary under her pillow and spells with a penny in her shoe."

George Liu (Speller No. 13): "George dreams of owning a multi-billion-dollar corporation."

Back in my day, the spellers dreamed of owning multi-million-dollar corporations. Times have really changed.

My favorite fun fact came courtesy of Jonathan Schut. He's a 14-year-old eighth grader from Canada. (Incidentally, how is it a "national" spelling bee if we invite the Canadians?)

Schut is fairly certain he won't make a career out of spelling. The pro circuit has become such a grind, you know? But that's OK, because Schut has his next step all figured out: "Jonathan would like to become a lawyer and a Zamboni driver."

In the National League all-star voting, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard are all in the top five at their positions. Sadly, Raul Ibanez is not. . . . Dan Hersberg, a native Philadelphian, has started a clothing company for local fans (phillyphaithful.com). I'm particularly fond of the "September in Queens" T-shirt. . . . A Wings fan named Tim Citrone loves the local pro lax team so much that he has a Wings tattoo and even proposed to his lady at a game. It gets better. (Sadder?) For their wedding, Citrone insisted on a Wings wedding cake. His wife is one lucky woman. . . . If you were at last night's Phillies game or watched on TV, you may have seen the giant Ibanez fan club banner in Section 302. It read "Raul's Bouls." According to the four preteens who founded the club, "boul" means "buddy." So there you have it. I keep waiting for someone to take my "Raul's Ghouls" idea. Everyone would wear one of those Scream masks. No adolescent translation necessary.