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April 19, 2009 When Charlie Manuel was 19-years old, his father, a respected minister in Northfork, West Virginia, committed suicide, leaving behind his wife and 10 children. In his suicide note, he commanded that Charlie, the eldest of his siblings take care of the family. At the time Charlie had a scholarship offer to play basketball at North Carolina. Basketball was his favorite sport, but the Minnesota Twins offered him a bonus of $19,000 to sign, so he did in an effort to support his family. He toiled in the minor leagues, but ultimately made it up to the Major Leagues for parts of 6-seasons. You’ve probably heard of Charlie Manuel because he’s the current Manager of the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, and although I’m not a Philly fan, no one was rooting harder last October for Charlie Manuel than I was. The reason is simple. In the 45-years from his initial entrée into professional baseball until his team was crowned champion on October 27th, 2008, this man has endured unthinkable setbacks and hardships and never once complained. He simply got up every day and did his job, while refusing to allow life’s obstacles to make him quit. It wasn’t long ago that Philly fans hated him, but Manuel took it stride simply saying, “When they really get to know me, they’ll like me.” And he continued to suffer in silence, like he always had. He’s endured a heart attack, kidney problems, quadruple bypass surgery and cancer. His health problems were so severe, he even needed to wear a colostomy bag beneath his uniform for one entire season which caused him to quip, “I had to make sure I didn’t run out onto the field whenever I argued with the umpire, I could only walk!” Perhaps the toughest hand was dealt when his dear mother dropped dead of a heart attack last October 10th. Charlie and she were especially close for obvious reasons, and she had predicted earlier in the season that his Phillies would win the World Series this time. “This will be the year Charlie,” she boldly proclaimed. Seventeen days after her passing, that is exactly what happened. For the record, Charlie’s father never approved of his love for sports, believing they were a waste of time, and thinking Charlie should only focus on activities that would help him in life. Over the years, it has been common knowledge that Charlie Manuel is an absolute favorite among the players that have played for him because of his incredible ability to connect with people for the greater-good, asking his employees only that they, “ be on-time, and hustle.” Now even jaded Philly fans love him, too. For the record, not only did Charlie’s dedication to sports help him in his own life, but he’s helped countless others, too. We’ll never know how good he might have been in his favorite sport, but many are thankful he committed to his second favorite because they got to know him, and yes, they all like him… (c) 2009 Novi
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