Rick Manning
| Rick Manning | |
|---|---|
 Manning (right) with Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr. and Matt Underwood | |
| Center fielder | |
|
Born: September 2, 1954 Niagara Falls, New York | |
| Batted: Left | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| May 23, 1975 for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 4, 1987 for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .257 |
| Hits | 1,349 |
| Runs batted in | 458 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Richard Eugene Manning (born September 2, 1954 in Niagara Falls, New York) is a former center fielder and current broadcaster in Major League Baseball, who played for the Cleveland Indians (1975-1983) and Milwaukee Brewers (1983–1987), and has been a color commentator for Cleveland Indians telecasts since 1990.
Major League Career
Manning, who was the second overall selection in the 1972 MLB Draft,[1] made his major league debut with the Indians during the 1975 season. In 1976, he was recognized for his defensive play by winning the American League Gold Glove Award.[2]
In 1977, Manning had surgery for a broken back suffered sliding into second base at the now-demolished Kingdome in Seattle in a game vs the Mariners.
The injury would lead to Manning playing a major role in Cleveland's trade of Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley. Eckersley was traded with Fred Kendall on March 30, 1978 to the Boston Red Sox for Rick Wise, Mike Paxton, Bo Díaz, and Ted Cox. In the book The Curse of Rocky Colavito, author Terry Pluto noted that the trade was necessitated by an awkward situation, namely that Eckersley's wife Denise had left him for Manning after Rick had stayed with the Eckersleys while recovering from his back surgery, and in that time became romantically involved with her.[3]
After playing five more seasons with the Indians, Manning was then traded to the Milwaukee Brewers during the 1983 season. As a member of the Brewers, he hit a 10th-inning single on August 26, 1987 to defeat the Indians 1-0.[2] However, the home crowd booed because the hit brought Paul Molitor's 39-game hitting streak to an end while Molitor stood in the on-deck circle.
Career Highlights
In one of the most memorable images in Cleveland sports history, on May 15, 1981 Manning caught the final out securing Len Barker's perfect game as the Indians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0.[4][5]
Broadcasting career
Since 1990, he has served as a color commentator for Indians telecasts. Manning has the longest tenure of any television announcer in team history.
Currently, Manning can be seen doing Tribe games on SportsTime Ohio (alongside Matt Underwood). He currently resides in Chesterland, Ohio during the season, and Goodyear, Arizona (the spring training city for the Indians) in the offseason[6]
He also occasionally provides color commentary on regional broadcasts for Major League Baseball on FOX, mainly when FOX shows an Indians game.[7]
Awards
- 1976 American League Gold Glove Award (Center Field)[8]
- 1980 BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) Good Guy Award[9]
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
References
- ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/manniri01.shtml
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL198708260.shtml
- ↑ http://cardboardgods.net/category/teams/cleveland-indians/rick-manning/
- ↑ http://morningjournal.com/content/articles/2011/05/13/sports/doc4dcc6fcdc29d2604024633.jpg
- ↑ http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/news_archives/vidoe-vault-indians-len-barker-pitches-perfect-game-30-years-ago
- ↑ http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/team/broadcasters.jsp?c_id=cle
- ↑ http://www.bflo360.com/2012/01/2012-mlb-on-fox-schedule.html
- ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/gold_glove_al.shtml
- ↑ http://www.alsforums.com/als-mmd-news/events/22.html
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