Associated Press
National League manager Charlie Manuel discusses All-Star Game with media yesterday.
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National League All-Star manager Manuel at home in the spotlight now
ST. LOUIS - It was more than 30 years ago when Charlie Manuel, a big-league bit player with the Twins and Dodgers, decided to try his luck at starring in Japan. He recalls getting off the plane after a long flight and being taken almost immediately to a crowded room for a press conference, a dark space jammed with reporters and television cameras.
"It was kind of petrifying to me," the Phillies manager admitted at yesterday's All-Star press conference that was reminiscent of that long-ago scene.
A small smile seemed to play on his lips. "But I learned over the years to start liking it OK," he added.
Believe it. Manuel has never been a silver-tongued orator and he never will be. Beneath that chicken-fried exterior, though, is a well-grounded sense of self and a stubborn pride. And, over time, the success he had as an American in Japan - 189 home runs in 6 years for the Yakult Swallows - and as a manager of the Cleveland Indians and his world championship with the Phillies last season has made him more comfortable occupying center stage.
Which is where he now finds himself, as a first-time All-Star manager, charged with trying to help the NL win for the first time since 1996.
And, as he said, he likes the role just fine.
He didn't hesitate to add a fifth Phillies player to the roster, Jayson Werth, when he needed an injury replacement. His explanation was, "He's my guy." And if anybody didn't like that reasoning, well, tough.
He didn't hesitate to start Shane Victorino, another of his guys in centerfield. Yes, it gave his team three players in the starting lineup. So what?
Five All-Stars and three starters both tie franchise records.
Manuel repeated yesterday what he's been saying all along. That he wants his players to have fun, to be able to revel in their All-Star experience. But that he also intends to win, both to earn home-field advantage and to restore some pride to a league that has largely taken it on the chin in recent years.
"It's a game to relax and have fun, but fun is like having a plain cake out there," he said. "Winning would be putting icing on the cake. That's the way I look at it."
The Phillies won the World Series last season despite opening at Tampa Bay, but Manuel adheres to the party line that home-field advantage is a real incentive for the players.
"I think that home-field advantage definitely is big," he said. "I can't imagine doing anything where I wouldn't want to win. I will say that to our guys but, at the same time, I might not even have to, because I know they're professionals and I know they're going to play as hard as they possibly can.
"Winning is always a priority for me. That's the No. 1 thing. Any time I ever give a talk to my team about anything, it's winning."
He's also secure enough to delegate responsibility. He frequently mentions how he'll rely on the opinions of his All-Star coaches, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa, who have managed a total of 11 All-Star Games between them.
The added incentive, sitting to Manuel's immediate right, is Phillies chairman Bill Giles, who also serves as the honorary National League president. It has become a tradition for Giles to plaintively note that in all his years in that role - this is his seventh season - he's never won an All-Star Game.
Manuel has been around long enough to remember when the NL was dominant and to be rankled by how far the pendulum has swung.
"That's motivation and something else to play harder for," he said. "I hear that and I think our league definitely wants to win and be called the superior league."
It's an honor for anybody to manage an All-Star team. It's hard not to get the sense, though, that it means a little more to Manuel than most because he's had to work so hard for everything he has accomplished.
"Our careers were pretty similar at one point," Werth noted. "I was injured and had to sit on the bench. He's had some health problems and had to go to Japan. But when he got the chance, he made the most of it. His nickname is 'The Grinder' for a reason."
Now, honestly, Manuel seems to be thoroughly enjoying himself at baseball's epicenter for a few days. He appears relaxed and comfortable.
Somebody kidded him yesterday that he may have made a mistake loading up with Phillies because, after all, doesn't a team with so many All-Stars now almost have to repeat as world champions?
Somebody else pointed out that the Phillies have no pitchers on the roster and everybody knows that pitching is what wins.
Manuel laughed and winked. "Always got to leave yourself an out," he said as he ambled away. *
