Any method to coaches’ madness???

Charlie Manuel and Andy Reid are both considered among the top managers and coaches in their respective leagues, so why do they constantly confuse and disillusion their fans with illogical strategies?

If this is the heyday of pro sports in Philadelphia, then this week may well be the peak. The Phillies are back in the playoffs, performing at odd hours with their usual resiliency. The Eagles are merely toying with their inferior opponents, their success never in doubt.

And yet, their tacticians are a source of endless bewilderment. They win, yes, but never in a way that is easy to explain.

Charlie Manuel, with one world championship safely secured, occasionally dazzles with his brainstorms. His use of Ryan Madson Sunday in the seventh was brilliant, but just as often he makes no sense at all with his strategy. A case in point was in Game 2 against Colorado, when he used two starting pitchers as relievers, double-switched when he didn’t have to, and generally made a total mess of a rather simple game.

The manager was so angry after the loss that he started spouting his résumé to the media, including 47 years in baseball and 20-plus years in the big leagues. How often does a reigning world champion feel the need to defend himself with such fervor? Actually, never. But Manuel had to do it because his decisions were so utterly clueless.

Hey, at least Manuel has a championship on his résumé. Andy Reid totally bungled his one trip to the Super Bowl. Will anyone ever forget those bewildering last 10 minutes in 2005? And he still seems allergic to basic logic too often. How ridiculous was Reid’s obsession Sunday with the shotgun formation in the second half of a game they had already won? Reid did remember that Donovan McNabb was still recovering from a broken rib, didn’t he?

The dumbest new wrinkle Reid has offered is the Wildcat, his lame excuse to devise plays for Michael Vick. So far, it’s hard to imagine a bigger bust than this Wildcat nonsense, but Reid remains committed to it. In fact, the only thing that has stopped his deep and talented offense is Reid’s own Wildcat.

It all makes no sense, really. Manuel is enamored with a closer, Brad Lidge, who poses the biggest threat to his own team’s success. Reid feels the same way about Vick, who has already proven he is far more trouble than he’s worth. Manuel can’t master the double switch. Reid hasn’t figured out how to run the ball. And they both win. They both make the playoffs, and they both challenge for their sports’ championships on a regular basis.

So, how should the fans deal with this confusing situation? I’ve decided to stop trying to figure it out. Winning heals all wounds, including the ones we get from constantly scratching our heads.

– Angelo Cataldi is host of 610 WIP’s Morning Show. He can be heard every day from 5:30 to 10 a.m.

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