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Phillies Skipper Back Home, Sort Of
By Matthew Stoss, Special Correspondent for Daily News-Record
For the first time in recent memory, EMU held a fundraiser for its baseball program – and the Royals hit one out of the park with the keynote speaker.
Charlie Manuel
Through a strange series of connections, starting with senior center fielder Brandon Zolman, Philadelphia Phillies manager and Buena Vista native Charlie Manuel came to Martin Chapel on Saturday night to sign autographs, answer questions and talk baseball.
"I don’t get back here very much …" said Manuel, a 1963 Parry McCluer High School graduate who guided the Phillies to an 85-57 record and second-place finish in the National League East a year ago. "But I used to hunt and fish, and growing up I used to play baseball and basketball all up through this area when I was in high school."
EMU held the event to raise money for baseball field renovations. About 100 people attended, with tickets priced at $40 per person or $400 per table (each of which held about six or seven people). In addition, a silent auction was held to sell signed Phillies jerseys, a hat and an autographed baseball.
All the proceeds, Eastern Mennonite said, will be used to pay for a new infield, in-ground dugouts and an infield tarp.
"We want to improve our facilities," second-year EMU baseball coach Mark Mace said, "and this kicks off our season, which is starting up very soon."
Family Ties
Zolman was primarily responsible for getting Manuel on campus.
His girlfriend, Kalie Manuel, is the manager’s niece. Mace, also a Parry McCluer grad, coached Kalie in basketball while she was in middle school and asked Zolman to ask her to extend an invitation to Manuel. Kalie, in turn, approached her father (Charlie’s younger brother) about asking Manuel to attend the fundraiser.
"My niece … asked if I would come and talk here, and I told her, ‘Of course. For you, I will,"’ Manuel said. "Then Mark called me and I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll be there.’ I was proud to. I want to. I think it’s a privilege. Anything I can do for the program, I’m all for it."
Manuel spoke for about 20 minutes, telling stories from his childhood in the Shenandoah Valley and his experiences while playing in Japan before taking questions, which ranged from his favorite and least favorite major league stadiums (favorite: Citizens Bank in Philly; least favorite: Shea Stadium in New York and RFK Stadium in Washington) to his thoughts on the upcoming season.
"I like our chances, especially if we can add a bullpen piece," Manuel said before taking the podium. "We got Freddy Garcia from the White Sox and we got [Adam] Eaton from Texas and we re-signed Jamie Moyer. They’ll go along with [Brett] Myers and [Jon] Lieber and [Cole] Hamels. That gives us some real good starting pitching. Probably the best we’ve had in a long time. If we can beef up our bullpen to go with the offense that we’ve got, I feel like we can make a run at it."
Several local Phillies fans, including Zach Polloni, a freshman right fielder for EMU, attended the speech.
"I just introduced myself and said ‘hi’ to him," said Polloni, wearing a Ryan Howard jersey.
Manuel expressed surprise at the sizeable number of Phillies fans, including EMU athletic director Dave King.
"I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I’ll tell you when the program’s over," he joked.
A Mighty Career
The 63-year-old Manuel has been in baseball for more than 40 years. Before being hired as Phillies manager in November 2004, Manuel served as the special assistant to general manager Ed Wade from 2003-04. Manuel also managed the Cleveland Indians from 2000-02, going 220-191 and reaching the playoffs in 2001.
At Parry McCluer, Manuel played basketball, football and baseball, in addition to running track. He also played for Staunton of the Valley League when it was a semi-pro league.
Manuel was drafted out of high school and signed with the Minnesota Twins’ minor league system as an outfielder. He spent 18 years as a pro, including stints with the Twins and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also became a star player in Japan during the late 1970s.
Saturday, Manuel saw players he hadn’t seen decades — including Jim Harlow, a teammate in Staunton.
"The last time I saw him in person was 40 years ago," said Harlow, who was a utility player for the Braves and brought a picture of the squad to the dinner. "It was a long time ago."
