Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is investing money into youth baseball

Charlie Manuel will strap on a pair of sunglasses and pull down the brim of his cap, hoping to achieve some anonymity on the sidelines of a high school ball field. If there’s a baseball game scheduled near his home in Florida, Manuel certainly knows about it. And there’s a good chance he’ll be there.

“I go to a lot,” Manuel said.

Manuel has been in professional baseball since he signed with the Minnesota Twins in 1963 as a teenager. He played six years in the majors, became “Aka-Oni” in Japan, and returned home to coach. Manuel climbed his way back again to the majors and managed the Phillies to the 2008 world championship, overseeing the most successful stretch in franchise history.

Manuel, who turned 80 in January, has spent his life around the game. He loves it so much that he returned to his usual perch at spring training earlier this year just months after suffering a stroke. And it’s that same love that sends him to a field with his cap tugged low when he could be sitting in a suite watching big leaguers.

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“I just like to watch the kids hit and keep up with it,” Manuel said. “I like to meet them and talk to them. I definitely enjoy it.”

That’s what seemingly makes Manuel’s latest financial decision a smart one. He was one of 20 big leaguers to invest in Perfect Game, a youth baseball and softball company that hosts showcases throughout the country and overseas. Yes, Manuel would like to see his investment net a profit. But that’s not all he is hoping for.

“My goal actually is to make this organization a little better,” Manuel said. “And see how good it can get and keep growing the game.”

Tom Gordon returned to the Phillies during the 2008 World Series after undergoing season-ending surgery. He finally reached the World Series but wouldn’t be able to pitch. He was gutted. And then Manuel told the pitcher that he wanted him to stand behind him in the dugout.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to get in your way. I want to jump up and down,’” Gordon said. “Chuck said, ‘Little buddy, here’s the deal. I’m going to look for you for information. I want you to stand directly behind me.’ Once the game started, I was right behind him standing against the wall before he went down the tunnel.”

Gordon can now ask Manuel to do the same thing. Gordon, who pitched 21 seasons in the majors, now works for Perfect Game. He runs many of the company’s events, especially the showcases near Manuel’s home in Florida. Gordon’s old manager will be one of his assets. Manuel will be there and it’s safe to assume he’ll be talking to players and coaches about his favorite topic: hitting.

“This guy has been around a lot of great players and has mentored a lot of guys,” said Perfect Game president and chairman Rick Thurman. “He has a lot to say and he’s one of the most respected minds in the game. You’d be a fool to not want to listen to Charlie Manuel talking about baseball. He’s just a plethora of knowledge.”

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Perfect Game is a leading youth baseball outfit as nearly every top pick in July’s draft will have played for the organization. They have showcases around the country, tournaments for travel teams, and the annual Perfect Game All-American Classic for high school players at a major-league ballpark.

But they also aim to increase the game’s popularity as Thurman said growing baseball at the grassroots level is the best way to produce baseball fans, as Major League Baseball continues to vie for younger viewers.

“Not every kid is going to play pro baseball,” Thurman said. “Not every kid is going to play college baseball. But I can tell you that every kid that plays baseball at the youth level typically turns into a baseball fan and loves baseball.”

Manuel talked with players like Gordon, Hunter Pence, and others he knew who now worked for Perfect Game after their careers ended. He could not believe how the company had 1,000 teams last month at an event in Houston. That’s a lot of baseball for Manuel to watch. He was impressed. Investing — former Phillies Jose Contreras and Reid Brignac are also onboard — was an easy decision.

“I’m 80 years old,” Manuel said. “I want to stay in the game, but I also want to be around young hitters. I want to get back to being able to talk baseball with people. I think this gives me a good chance to do that.”

Manuel tells big-league coaches that he didn’t feel old until he left the field. Being around the game every day, Manuel said, gave him life.

“So I think I want to hang around baseball forever,” said Manuel. “I want to meet people. I want to teach and I want to be happy when guys do good. I’ll pull for everyone of them.”

Manuel’s stroke happened just as the Phillies were preparing for last year’s postseason. He couldn’t travel to Philly, but he watched their games on an iPad. He worked every day to regain his speech, attacking it like a hitter battling through a slump. He was behind the batting cage in Clearwater, Fla., and threw out the first pitch on opening day. Manuel was around the game again.

“Guys like him are the guys who break through because they work so hard at something,” Thurman said. “They want to get back to where they were. To me, he’s more than ‘on his way back.’ He’s back.”

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Manuel’s speech is now strong, his mind is sharp, and his love of the game is as deep as always. He’s a baseball lifer, which is why he is looking for more than just a return on his investment. And if you see a guy at a high school game in sunglasses and a low brim, it might be him.

“If I go to a high school game in Philadelphia, they catch me,” Manuel said.