Athletes - Charlie Manuel

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	Athletes - Charlie Manuel

Charles Fuqua Manuel (born January 4, 1944 in Northfork, West Virginia) is the current manager of the Philadelphia Phillies and the former manager of the Cleveland Indians, from 1999-2002. Although the Phillies strongly contended in 2005 for a playoff spot in his first season with the team, Manuel has been compared unfavorably to previous manager and fan favorite Larry Bowa. His players however, largely prefer his easygoing managing style to Bowa's volcanic temper. In his first year with the team, he has come under fire from Philadelphia fans for his perceived lack of toughness with players, questionable decision making, his seeming inability to master fundamental aspects of National League play such as the double switch, and his nearly folksy manner of speaking in his postgame press conferences. In spite of the complaints, the Phillies missed out on the Wild Card by only a single game when the Houston Astros won their last contest. The Phillies did, however, achieve its highest win total in recent years with an 88-74 record.

Manuel played from 1969-1972 with the Minnesota Twins and in 1974-75 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, primarily as a pinch-hitter and left fielder. A four-sport star at Parry McCluer High School in Buena Vista, Va., Manuel's first love was basketball but saw a chance to earn more money as a baseball player. Manuel had offers from the Pirates, Tigers, Yankees and signed with the Twins out of high school in 1963 for $20,000. "Basketball was my first love, but baseball gave me an opportunity for a living. We didn't have a lot of money. Baseball became my love, my entire life."

Manuel's baseball career took off when he left the United States to play in Japan. Wildly popular for his tenacious style of play and his power-hitting abilities, Manuel was dubbed "The Red Devil" by fans and teammates.

In 1977, he hit .316 with 42 home runs and 97 RBI, helping the Pacific League's Yakult Swallows reach second place for the first time in franchise history. In 1978, he hit .312 with 39 homers and 103 RBI, powering the Swallows to their first pennant and the Japan Series championship. In 1979, Manuel became the first American to be named the Pacific League MVP after hitting .324 with 37 home runs and 94 RBI. A year later, Manuel set the record for most home runs by an American with 48 and led the league with 129 RBI in only 118 games, cut short when he was beaned in the face by a pitch.

Manuel finished his successful run in Japan with a .303 career average, 189 home runs and 491 RBI.

Ultimately, injuries -- including a vicious beaning in Japan -- cut Manuel's playing days short. He returned to the United States to work as a scout for the Minnesota Twins organization before turning to coaching. As a minor league manager for nine years in the Twins' (1983-87) and Indians' (1990-93) farm systems, Manuel compiled a 610-588 (.509) record, winning the Pacific Coast League and International League championships in his final two seasons (1992-93). He was twice named Manager of the Year (1984, 1992) and managed the IL All-Star team in 1993.

Manuel returned to the Majors as a coach in 1988 as the Indians' hitting coach (1988-89, 1994-99), where under his tutelage, the Tribe led the American League in runs three times (1994-95, 99) and set a franchise record in 1999 with 1,009 runs, becoming the first team to score 1,000 runs since the 1950 Boston Red Sox. The club also led the league in home runs in 1994 and 1995.

Blessed with a good-natured personality and loves a good joke even if it is at his own expense, Manuel is known for his toughness, too. In fact, Manuel has survived a heart attack, quadruple bypass surgery, and cancer. During his time with the Indians he worked in the dugout with a colostomy bag beneath his jacket.

Nevertheless, Manuel's fun-loving and straight-shooting style has not caught on with the Philadelphia sports fans. Often ridiculed for the Appalachian twang in his speaking voice, Manuel is ready to go through another season with the Phillies and new general manager Pat Gillick in 2006.

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