Photos: 2008 Phillies
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It was there, in the home dugout at Chavez Ravine and on visiting benches throughout the National League, that Manuel absorbed the various characteristics and nuances of longtime skipper Walter Alston.
Yesterday, as he met with the media before the first game of the National League Championship Series, Manuel recounted those days, paying tribute to the man who helped shape his view of baseball.
"At that time, I felt like I wasn't interested in coaching," Manuel said. "I wasn't interested in managing. I just wanted to get to play."
That opportunity did not occur until after Manuel left Los Angeles, when he hooked up with the Yakult Swallows in Japan and became a star. He played in just 19 games during his two seasons with the Dodgers, getting three hits in 18 at-bats. He spent the majority of most games on the bench, usually sitting next to Alston.
Manuel noticed how calm Alston remained, regardless of the situation. Before games, he noted how the skipper would interact with his players, talking with them and keeping them loose.
Yesterday, he recounted a story about one of the first times he met Alston. It occurred during breakfast at his first spring training as a member of the Dodgers. Manuel, a big outfielder with an obvious Southern drawl, was handed a large plate of grits by a cafeteria staff member who was well aware of his western Virginia roots.
Manuel took the plate and sat down at a table. Soon, he was joined by Alston, who noticed the large plate of grits.
"He looked at me and he said, 'Man, you must like grits,' " Manuel recalled. "I kind of looked up and said, 'No, not really.' "
Three years into his second tenure as a major league manager, Manuel has not earned the same renown as his counterpart with the Dodgers. But in seven major league seasons, Manuel's teams have finished in first place three times and second place three times. The only time a Manuel-led team has won fewer than 85 games was in 2002, when the Indians fired him in mid-July after refusing to give him an extension.
While Manuel may not have a reputation as a brilliant tactician, many of his players credit him for keeping the team loose.
"He's always there to back you, no matter if you have a bad start or a good start," said righthander Brett Myers, who will start today's game against righthander Chad Billingsley. "He's always the first guy in there patting you on the back, [saying] hang with them, get them the next time. He shows a lot of confidence in you, whether you are doing bad or good."
A lot of that comes from Alston.
"He'd be walking down the street and see you in a restaurant, and you'd get up and go to pay the bill and he'd already picked up the check," Manuel said.
Of course, that is where the line may be drawn.
"I do pick up checks," Manuel said with a laugh, "as long as the Phillies are paying for it."
Manuel said yesterday the Phillies did contemplate keeping righthander Rudy Seanez on the roster, but opted instead to keep lefthander J.A. Happ around for another series. So, barring injury, the Phillies will use the same roster for the NLCS as they did for their NLDS win over the Brewers: 11 pitchers, eight regulars, and six bench players.
Although Pedro Feliz was in the lineup last night at third base, Greg Dobbs could get a start against one of at least three righthanders the Phillies will face. Manuel said yesterday he started the righthanded-hitting Feliz last night because he has hit two home runs in his career off Derek Lowe, and because he wanted to keep the better defensive player on the field with Cole Hamels pitching.
Joe Torre has not yet named a starter for Game 4, but a likely candidate is rookie lefthander Clayton Kershaw, who pitched out of the bullpen during the NLDS . . . Before the game, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti and first-base coach Mariano Duncan visited the plaque honoring late Phillies third-base coach John Vukovich on the club's Wall of Fame. Both men were close with the longtime coach, who succumbed to brain cancer last March. *
For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese.
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