Talkin鈥� baseball got Charlie Manuel talking again.
Nine months after suffering a stroke, the 80-year-old hitting guru is back to sharing his knowledge of the game with anyone who wants to learn from a World Series champion.
鈥淲hen I was cooped up in the hospital, it was tough to take,鈥� Manuel told The Associated Press. 鈥淚t seemed like a long time before I really learned to walk again, and when I started doing things, I realized that when I talk about baseball, I feel more comfortable.鈥�
The former Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians manager recently became an investor in Perfect Game, a youth and high school baseball sports platform. Manuel, who lives in Florida, has already spent a couple weekends at their local tournaments and plans to attend as many youth games as he can.
鈥淚 was interested because it鈥檚 amateur baseball and it gives me a chance to talk to kids about the game and it doesn鈥檛 interfere with the job I鈥檓 doing now,鈥� Manuel said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always loved watching amateurs. People don鈥檛 realize when I come to Philadelphia, I usually watch 10-15 high school games a summer. I love seeing the guys who could definitely hit.鈥�
Manuel still works as a senior adviser for the Phillies and he鈥檚 already scouted the team鈥檚 Single-A affiliate in Clearwater. He鈥檚 heading to Double-A Reading next week and plans to visit the NL-leading Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Manuel got a rousing ovation when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the season opener on March 29. It was a long road after his stroke last September, and baseball played a major role in Manuel鈥檚 recovery.
The stroke damaged a part of Manuel鈥檚 brain that controls language expression, so he needed speech therapy to learn how to talk again. He was struggling to say his name and had a difficult time staying interested until the therapist asked him about baseball.
He perked up and the words began flowing.
鈥淚 think when I talk about baseball, I feel like I can talk better,鈥� Manuel said. 鈥淚 still am trying to improve on my speech, but at the same time, I think I can talk baseball. Plus, I love to help people.鈥�
It took the City of Brotherly Love a while to embrace Manuel and his down-home charm when he was hired in 2005. He ended up becoming a folk hero in Philadelphia after leading the Phillies on the most successful run in franchise history, including the 2008 World Series title. He鈥檚 No. 1 on the team鈥檚 career managerial list with 780 wins, and he finished his career with a record of 1,000-826, six division titles and two pennants.
鈥淲e loved playing for the fans of Philadelphia, and Philly is my favorite place in the United States,鈥� Manuel said.
Manuel was the ultimate player鈥檚 manager. From Jim Thome and Ryan Howard to Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, guys loved playing for him.
鈥淚 talk to a lot of my former players like Thome, Howard, Utley, Rollins, but also when I was in the hospital, I was surprised that a lot of the guys I had in the minor leagues, they called me,鈥� Manuel said. 鈥淭hat made me feel good. I was the kind of guy, if you were one of my players, I took time to work with you, and I wanted you to be the best player in baseball.
鈥淚 still feel that way. I was honest and I think that worked for me, and I got a locker-room personality. If I could get people to relax and play the game right, that was the goal. I was very fortunate to stay in the game as long as I did and everything happened for me because I had good players. I always had good talent to work with and organizations were treating me great. That鈥檚 something I鈥檒l never forget.鈥�