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Manny Ramirez Returns To Cleveland

Aug 20, 202338 min
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Episode description

A look back at the Guardians late inning comeback this week against the Tigers, and conversations with second baseman Andres Gimenez, and the newest addition to the rotation Noah Syndergaard. Plus, it's Hall of Fame weekend in Cleveland, Manny Ramirez and the late Dale Mitchell being inducted on Saturday. We'll look back at two of the great careers in Cleveland baseball history. That's all on this edition of Guardians Weekly with Jim Rosenhaus on the Cleveland Guardians Radio Network.

Transcript

Welcome to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Guardians Radio network. Guardians Weekly is front to you by Progressive helping Guardians fans save hundreds on car insurance. Hi, everyone, welcome to Guardians Weekly. Jim Rose and House along with you from Progressive Field, Downtown Cleveland Guardians in the midst of a homestand taking on the Detroit Tigers this weekend. Good show lined up for you today is in just

a little bit. We will hear from Guardians second baseman Andre Cimenez as well as starting pitcher Noah synderguard We'll also check in with third base coach Mike Sarbaugh and assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez with their thoughts on Manny Ramirez at different stages of his career, with Manny heading into the Guardians Hall of Fame on Saturday evening, and Bobby d Guardian Senior Vice President, has some great stories about

not only Manny Ramirez, but also the late Dale Mitchell, who will be inducted as well today, So a lot of good stuff coming up. We'll also visit with Raphael Collins, who is part of the Community to Impact team for the Guardians and he was part of a great trip for the RBI Softball girls who were in the RBI World Series down in Florida last week. But first a quick look at the week on buy and it's been a short week with a couple of off days, one scheduled one of postponement, but a

two game series down in Since and Ddy. The Guardians won the opener behind Logan Allen shutout, pitching a three nothing victory before dropping the second game in Cincinnati, and then after coming up short in the first game of a twin bill on Friday night against the Tigers. The Guardians were trailing late one nothing eighth inning. That is when they were able to come from behind, thanks first to Brian Rokyo with the game tying hit one nothing Tigers first and second

for Cleveland. One out in the eighth, the one two pitch a swing in a liner back up the middle, Bay sit in the center Gonzalis around third scores the tying run. So Brian Rokio made an adjustment. They shortened that swing and hit a liner up the middle and the may sit to center ties the ball game at one. And now you've got to find a way to win this game. Right here in the eighth and after Rocchio's hit, it was Will Brennan who came up big sis Naril. He's ready here it

comes swung in and ritt in a deep center field. This ball's over the head of Feeling, pangs up against the wall. It'll score Calhoun and Rocchio and a two run double to deep center off to bed of Will Brennan and the Guardians have a three to one lead. Oh what an't it bed for Will Brennan and he pounds a two run double over the head of Feeling in

center. It's a nice win for the Guardians in the nightcap of the double header to salvage a split heading into Game three of the series on Saturday night with a seven ten first pitch well. One of the keys offensively a year ago for the Guardians was certainly second baseman andre c Minnez. He's had moments this season, but been kind of up and down. Last weekend, though, down in Saint Pete against the Rays, he was red hot. Had

an eight hit weekend, including four on Sunday. We caught up with him after that and he talked about what has helped him lately get locked in at the plate. Tampito I felt like what you mentioned, this year has been kind of like a roller coaster, but I feel in reality this is different with this series, was that the results were kind of like a little bit in our side, the lot was on our side. But in general it's the same preparation, the same routines that we've been doing the whole year.

So obviously that help us a little bit to get the results you wanted. But as you mentioned, there's definitely has been a roller coaster. Has it been a real positive learning experience though? About you know, the ups and downs of the game that can be really challenging, see Clara, to everyone, important to always take it as a as a learning experience. You know, the most importantly that it doesn't only happen to me, happens to a

lot of players. And obviously the important part of these learning experiences if you made the mouth of it, if you try to learn from them and use them not only for this year but also for my career. So I think, you know, it's very important to to get all those lessons and make it as a good learning experience. The team offensively had a good weekend too without Jose Ramirez, and I know that can be difficult because he means so

much to this lineup. But but why do you think things clicked in offensively as a team over the weekend? Siller like okay, kay, efficient as many more. I think we're recognized not having him in the lineup. Ramiers is obviously something that each one of us had to take take up a little

bit of responsibility. So that's why I felt like what worked. Everybody felt like they had to pinch in a little bit more of their offensive responsibilities knowing that we didn't have Ramiers as we know, as a leader of this offense. So I felt like the conclusion was that we had to put it together and contribute something else as an offense as a group. So I felt that's

what happened this series. Andre is some tremendous plays defensively. You have a gold glob already, but it seems like this year you become even stronger defensively with a challenge. How how has the shift or lack of shifts impacted how you play defense and what you can do? See sinto sin Yeah, I always just being kind of an adjustment, you know, being without the shifts.

I particularly liked the shift defensively because it allowed me to play in places that I wasn't too used to playing before, and that kind of like make a little more fun because you know, a some pow in the outfield trying to make plays. I always, you know, keep me in my toes because I was on my natural position. So it's been an adjustment. I can have to acknowledge that it's been more difficult, but at the same time, it's just it's just what the game is offering, and and it's been

an adjustment so far. But we're getting resolved, but I recognize it's been a difficult adjustment. A couple of new double play partners here after the trade deadline with Brian Rokio Gabriel Arius. What are you seeing in them as they get deeper into their major league careers? No, okays, I'm moving. It's very gratifying to see them playing did the position. You know, I've been very lucky my career, throughout my career to play with people who who

played the short supposit showing very well. You know, they have that street smooth movement in them, So I feel like it's very nice to see those that nature of movement in them, both in areas and Rocky and especially that we've been able to put that play together at the right time, at the

right moment, helping the team. So I feel it's been really special, and most importantly also the fact that they're Venezuelans, so that's an extra sense of probabe for me being able to play with them and making a really good place for them, helping the team as well. Andrea is always good to Abby along. Thanks for the visit, Thank you, Ague, thank you, thank you guys, and it's always big thanks to Agie Rivero for the translation help with andre C Menez. Another player that we had a chance to

visit with this week is starting pitcher Noah Syndergard. It's been an interesting watch as Syndergard tries to recapture some of his past success when he was a hard thrower in the Mets organization, burst on the scene in the big leagues and help New York to a World Series back in twenty five team but he had Tommy John surgery not too long after that and has a hard time, or

has had a hard time, getting the good velocity back. He's four starts into his Cleveland career, and he's had a couple of good starts a couple of frustrating ones, but he says the transition has been smooth and he's glad to be a part of the Guardians organization. I think just the idea itself of having just a clean slate, fresh faces, just you know, just being in a new environment. It's really helps kind of put my mind in a better place. When you look back to the last season, you've been

with four different organizations. Now, how difficult is it to go through the things that are helpful for you and maybe discard things that are and when when you're probably hearing a lot of different things along the way just because you've changed organizations. You know, it's just funny how things work out that way. Whoever's running the universe or whoever's running the simulation. Sure, right now, I could always been my dream to ever since I step foot a daughter stadium

to play there, and you know, that's just kind of unfortunate. Didn't make the most of my opportunity I was there. But whoever's running the universe or whatever it is behind all this is had a had a better idea than I think. I would definitely agree to space off the with the last two weeks that I've been here. I think this is ultimately what I'm supposed to be. It sounds like you feel you can get back to how you were when you first broke in and even despite the injury, you feel that still

in there for you if you can unlock certain things. Yeah, I mean, because there's just not a whole lot of answers as to pointing why I would be stuff like this, Like I'm only thirty years old. I take care of my body probably to the best of any athletes around in all sports. You know, a big dude. So I think that definitely helps with

with durability and health and longevity. And it's just like I as soon as I had surgery, I was super excited and encouraged almost because I have an opportunity like no other to the twelve to eighteen months to really address some issues. And instead of just like staying the same and focus on what made me really good, I tried to change everything. And now it's just like almost

like I've forgotten who the old version of me was. And now like I've been all throughout the United States, different teams, I've been with, different coaches, and you see, like a lot of these this new methodology of teaching pitching, and it's like a lot of sitting down the mound, like all this vertical shin angle crap and hinging and riding the slope and all this

different stuff. And I'm like, that might work for some guy that's six foot hypermobile has to create a lot on the mound to do a lot, whereas me, I just relied on big levers, power, explosiveness, twitchiness. I wasn't like a big rotational guy. I was. They live that. So now you look at the delivery, they're just completely different things.

So I think if it's like if I had the same delivery and I was this kind of product, and then I'd be I have to shift my mindset then again, whereas like, but like obviously I'm not moving the way I used to. So if I can get back to there, then I don't

know. If throw one hundred again in the right of my life, that's fine, But I just I want to like be able to compete against the guys with the bat, not myself on the mount, because that's what I feel right now because I know that my body is not It's like, this is not how you're just supposed to deliver a pitch. It's it's fascinating watching you trying to get to a good spot and I know that it's gone well results why I since joining the ball club. Thanks not for coming by and

sharing, of course, thank you. It is the always interesting Noah synderguard talking about where he's been, where he's trying to get to and whether he can make that happen. Here are these last six weeks or so of the baseball season. Stay with us. When we come back, we'll talk RBI program. The girls softball team was in the RBI World Series. That's next with Raphael Collins after this. Baseball, basketball, pickleball. Those are sports

and people love sports. If you love sports, you should know this. Drivers who switch and save with Progressive could save hundreds to saving of anything to do with sports. No, the people love sports. So I'm yelling sports out hockey, swimming, golf, not all sports of the word ball in there. So save bid when you switch to Progressive those sports teams, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Welcome back to Guardians

Weekly, Jim Rosenhouse back with you from Progressive Field, Downtown Cleveland. Guardians and Tigers playing this weekend. Then the Dodgers come in on Tuesday for a three games series. So good stuff on this homestand and good stuff for the RBI program and the girls senior softball team that's fourteen to eighteen years of age. They played in the RBI World Series down in Virero Beach, Florida last

week. Rafael Collins was on site. He's the assistant director of Community Impact and Diversity Initiatives for the Guardians, and he filled us in on that softball team and why they had so much fun down in Vireau Beach. Yeah, so our senior softball team here from Cleveland, travel Dona, Vio Beach, Florida. They stayed at the Jackie Robinson Complex, which was historic Dodgertown where Jackie actually broke the colored berries. So his first games play was at this

facility during spring training. And our girls competed against eight other really really worthy, good teams across the country, so not just here in the US, but also in Hawaii. Also the Dominican Republic had representatives as well. And when you talk about the RBI World Series, how difficult is it to make it? How many steps do they have? To pass and tournaments to win things like that just to get there. Our program is really strong, So

not just our senior softball team, but all of our RBI teams. They go through a fall they play fallball, they do indoor winter workouts here at the ballpark. In the spring, we let them go back to their schools and playing. Then in the summer they practice and they play every single week of the summer. And so all that is kind of geared up to an RBI regional tournament, which for us was played in Chicago, Illinois, in the middle of July. Our girls went into the championship game. There's a

number one seed. We actually did not win that game, but they proved enough to make it to the World Series and so it represented the Midwest region along with the Cincinnati Reds, and they were one of the eight teams to survive the thirty plus teams across the country to go to Vero Beach. With all the things that Cleveland Guardians Charities does, if it didn't exist and that connection with the RBI program, would this even beyond the radar for these kids?

You know, it's hard to say. So. One of the reasons why we do this program is because it benefits a lot of people, especially inner city youth. So when we think about the underserve, we want to make sure that the resources that we get, the resources that MLB provides us, the resources that Cleveland Guardians Charities provides, it benefits the people who need it the most. And we think about that. A lot of it comes from our our Cleveland Metropolitan School District kids, and so we try to fill

our rosters as much as we can with CMSD kids. And again, these are kids that you know, we've heard from them and we've heard from their parents that this program helps them to play baseball or softball. They wouldn't be doing it without the help of us, and we're happy to do it rapt Next week it's the give Athon all part of CLA Inspires Week August the twenty

third, when the Guardians are taking on the Dodgers. How big a night is that when you're looking to do some things later on for the RBI program. This is really big for us. So Wednesday's game will be our largest fundraisers for the year. The money that we raise directly benefits programs just like

RBI. We carry sixty kids, twelve coaches, and we try to give them the experience that no one else can provide until this game goes a long long way, and making sure that we can raise money to support the kids. What are some of the things that we'll see that's different from a regular game night. Yeah, so differ from regular game night, you'll see throughout the course of the game, we'll have a lot of different things where fans

can kind of call in. If you're actually at the game, you can stop buy our tables on the main concourse and been on different auction items. You'll see different things online. Some of the kind of cool things that will be announced throughout the course of the day is last year we had a few different players make a couple of different donations which was kind of cool. So Josh Naylor actually helped contribute funds to cover our RBI uniforms this year for our

teams. And so there's a lot of really really good fun things that if you're at the ballpark around around the concourse, you'll see a lot of different tables set up. Stop by any one of them. If you're not at the game, you can go online. You can follow us on cili Inspires. On a day on August twenty third. There'll be a lot of opportunities for you to check out how to give and again that is next Wednesday to give Athon, part of a ton of things going on as part of cili

Inspires Week. Rockael Collins, thanks a lot for coming by. I imagine you've had a fun time heading down to Florida with the with the softball team. But we appreciate everything you do to thank you. Thanks, Rosy, appreciate you. That's Rafael Collins, the assistant director of Community Impact and Diversity Initiatives for the Guardians. A lot of good stuff happening and continuing to happen

as part of the RBI program and Cleveland Guardians Charities. Stay tuned more to come after this two two pits, a swing and a long prived deep left waver Go and manywhere else has wonted halfway up the blachers and left a two run homer on a two two pitch in the twelve How about these Indians they want it in twelve innings five top four and when he hit it, he knew it. He just stood at home plate and watched it. Welcome back

to Guardians Weekly. Jim Rosenhaus back with you from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland where Saturday night, two new members of the Hall of Fame will be inducted. Manny Ramirez, who started his outstanding major league career with Cleveland, and the late Dale Mitchell, a part of the team's back in the late forties early fifties. They will be inducted on Saturday night. And we had a chance to visit with Mike Sarbaugh, the Guardian's third base coach, and talk

to him about Manny Ramirez. What a great perspective. Sarbi was a teammate of Manny's at Double A Canton. That's when the Double A club was down in Canton, and that was nineteen ninety three, and he explains what it was like playing alongside a very young Manny Ramirez. As Ramirez was making his way to the major leagues well from a young age, especially that year.

I believe he's either nineteen or twenty in Double A, and just his approach it during batting p and it was different, the way he would stay inside the baseball. He had just had a great feel on how to hit at a young age and it really stood out. And you know that year, I mean, he just he offensively, he was above everybody else and to be that advanced at a young age, it just shows you the ability he had. And I think the common theme is throughout his major league career was

the work that he put in to prepare for that. Could you see that already at the minor league level or is that something that maybe had to take hold later on in his career. Well, I think at the minor league level, especially for I keep saying the young player, but he was very young. But he just had a good idea what his approach and how he wanted to attack the baseball, and that was from batting practice to the game, and it's hard to teach that. He just had that ability to be

able to coach himself. But he just had a great feel for the barrel and just how to put the battle on the ball. So as time goes by, as a player, you're you're grinding through trying to get as far as you could, and then a real good coaching career and now at the major league level, how much did you you follow him on a regular basis

as a former teammate to see what he was doing well? When I was starting the coach in the minor leagues here and when I was an acron he came down on a rehab assignment and was able to be around him a little bit there, and and then just to follow his career in Boston and you know, just a special hitter and to be able to you know, to know where he came from and the work he put in. It's it's pretty special to see the player he turned out to be. So he's going into

the Guardians Hall of Fame on Saturday. And not everyone who's a high draft pick makes it, and I certainly not become a superstar like like Manny Ramirez did. But from from what you saw very early on, not surprised that he had the career that he did. No, you could see he had the confidence was there and especially at a young age, and to continue that throughout the years. And then once he learned how to hit, he use

the whole field. And then he gets the you know, the big leagues and learns how to hit for a little more power and just the development that you saw. But I think the big thing about him, he just he just had a lot of confidence as a hitter. When he stepped into the box, he felt good about himself. Thanks Mike. You bet that's Mike Sarbaugh, a teammate of Manny Ramirez back in nineteen ninety three at Double A

Canton. Now fast forward to the Boston years for Ramirez and one of his hitting coaches with the Red Sox was Victor Rodriguez, and during Manny's hey day in Boston, Victor says, there weren't many better than Manny Ramirez. Well, how much he took the importance for him to hit him, how we important was that preparation, how we went on, bought his business, everything that he did, hitting us with the purpose. He have a plan, he had a routine, and he stick with it. It doesn't matter if

he was aful for or fourful for. The guys stick with it. And he was always always ahead of time with the with the way you prepare for the game. I thought it was interesting you mentioned that that he helped you become a better coach howself. Of course, when you see a guy like Manny prepared, it's not like he told me how to do it. I

just saw him how to do it, you know. And and the and the and the importance they focus, the the time that he spent and the quality of work that he that he put every day on the cache, you know, taught me that the importance of how to help a young player to prepare for the game. So the quality of work, the preparation, how did that translate into the batteries box allowing him to be better than most? Well, he knew what he needed to work on, He knew who was

pitching that day, and he prepared accordingly to that. And he had a routine that he did every day. You know, he did his t he did the target target work, and you could not tell if Manny was ten for twenty or for twenty because Manny was the same, money was the same. He stick with his plan, he stick with his routine, and he knew that by doing that he was going to come out quicker than if he

starts searching and moving around. And it sounded like some of those principles rubbed off on teammates and who I was maybe a particularly beneficiary of that, Oh, David Ortiz. David Ortiz. I spend a lot of time with David Ortiz, even more than Manny, and he mentioned Manny all the time. He was responsible of his roots success just by looking at Manny and the way Manny went about his business, thought David a lot of how to prepare for

the game. Victor, thank you. They welcome. Great perspectives there from Mike Sarba and Victor Rod you guys on the career of Manny Ramirez stay with us. Well, I'm more to come after this score pass out of bounds. Those are sports words. Some people hear any sports word and they can't help but listen, like drive drive is another sports word and drive verse who switch and save with Progressive could save hundreds. You might say those savings are

on par with the best in the league. You see, pars also a sports word, So I know you're still listening, and that's called covering our basis. Okay, I'm done now, but I'm serious about drivers saving big with Progressive. Now I'm really deaf. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Welcome back to Guardians Weekly, our final segment.

Jim Rosenhaus back with you from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland, and we always love to check in with Bobby d. Guardians Senior Vice President Bobb Di Biasio, who if there's history to be known about the Cleveland Baseball franchise, Bobby D knows it, and with this year's Hall of Fame class featuring Manny Ramirez and then from a much earlier era, Dale Mitchell, the late Tale Mitchell, Bobby D says that the committee that's selected this year's inductees definitely hit a

home run. Yes, we did, Rosie, and it's always exciting when we can talk about the greats and franchise history. It has been a while since we've had an induction into our Hall of Fame. The seventy fifth anniversary of the nineteen forty eight World Series champions Dale Mitchell was an integral part of that championship ball club. He's one of the best left fielders in baseball at

the time, and just felt it appropriate. I think he might be the final piece in the Hall of Fame of somebody from that incredible ball club, that Championship ball club. Dave Garcia, our manager back in nineteen eighties early eighties, would always talk about Rick Manning being a terrific center fielder, but then he'd always add that he wasn't as good as Dale Mitchell, who was

probably one of the best out defensive outfielders he had ever seen play. He matched him with Willie May's, Duke Snyder, all the great names, Larry Doby, all the great names who played in the outfield during that period of time. And Dale would win top fielding awards, you know, most put

outs and fewest airs and the fielding percentage. And I'd always asked David because I thought I knew the history of our franchise and I wasn't one hundred percent aware of of Dale Mitchell, because we all knew about all the other greats on that team, and it just stuck with us for all these years. And then when we came upon the anniversary of the World Series champion team, that this would be an appropriate year to put Dale Mitchell into the Hall of

Fame. And maybe it chose it was a different time in baseball. Then his entire career spent with Cleetland entire, Dale Mitchell Jr. And Bo Mitchell, his two sons. I was actually Rosie at the Denver Airport, snowed Lay getting to spring training this year, and Bow Mitchell works with the Colorado Rockies. Obviously you know that oddly they're here right now, we're playing as

we interview. Do this interview prior to one of our games against the Rockies, and I thought, you know, on a snowy cold day, I'm gonna call Bow Mitchell. He's a chaplain and was a chaplain for the Colorado Rockies. I said, I'm gonna call him and give him some wonderful news and just share with him our thoughts. And it was a wonderful conversation. I think they're going to have twenty plus family members come for the induction ceremony

on August Saturday, August nineteen, so that's gonna be wonderful. But he again one of the guys that didn't get all the fanfare, but was an integral part of a championship World Series, championship team. I know you know this stuff. You talked about his defense. Oh, by the way, three times finished in the top five in the American League batting average, and

his career batting average three twelve, three twelve. Yeah, he was a bat a little bit, Dad, No, he was a great player known for his defense, but also a three hundred hitter, certainly deserving of Hall of Fame recognition. Bobby d joining us, we're talking about the twenty twenty three Guardians Hall of fame class Dale Mitchell going in and Manny Ramirez goes in.

Gosh, he was such a big part of those great teams and had some unbelievable years here in Cleveland. You know, I heard Tito talk about him the other day, and the one word he used was a lovable kid. That's what he was when he was here. Just a remarkably likable, lovable young man who was blessed to be a great hitter. But he worked his tail off. That was one thing about Charlie Manuel as their hitting coach.

You know, with Albert and Carlos and Jimmy and Manny, they worked hard in those batting cages in early mornings in winter Haven, and you know, to become one of the best hitters in the game of baseball. You could argue that Manny Ramirez was one of the best right handed hitters of his generation. Ken Griffey Junior from the left side, Barry Bonds from the left side, and I think Miguel Cabrera, I mean, you can you can

argue Manny's in that discussion. That's how remarkable Manny Ramirez was with a bat and Bobby d He was part of those great teams in the mid nineties. But he was the young guy, wasn't he. It took him a little bit to fit in and find his spot. Batted seventh or eighth in the lineup with jim Toby and and all of a sudden, you know he liked Jimmy crept up, you know, into the middle of the lineup to be

an impact player. Uh. I will never forget the nineteen ninety nine season where Manny drove in still a single season record for our franchise, one hundred and sixty five runs. He drove in one hundred and sixty five on an offense in nineteen ninety nine, our most prolific offense in our franchise history. In our one hundred and three year American League history, one hundred and twenty three year history in the American League, our franchise has only scored more than

a thousand runs once. That was nineteen ninety nine. He drove in one hundred and sixty five of those runs. A remarkable hitter. There was a story, if I may real quickly, Rosy share with you, Travis Freyman told me a story. When we're sitting in the dugout one day, Travis had announced to just a small group of people that he was retiring, and so I asked him, we're going to do one of those big press conferences, you know, in the press interview room and you and he goes no,

which didn't surprise anybody that he just wasn't that kind of guy. So I asked him, I said, how about some of the media just meet you in the dugout right now. I'll grab a number of the daily media over and you can explain to them, and they can sit on the top steps of the dugout and we can have a nice conversation. He goes, yeah, that would be the way to do it. And while we sat and talked, I said, give me a story about your time with us, and he goes, oh, Manny Ramirez, And I said what and

he goes, I was a victim of my regiment, my discipline. When I came off the field, I put my glove and my fielding glove and my glasses and everything in the same spot and the dugouts, so I knew exactly where to go get it to get back on the field. Then I'd go get my bat I always hit behind Manny. One game, I go to the bat rack and my gamer's gone, and I'm yelling at the bat boys, and I never yelled, and I'm like, where's my gamer?

And then I happened to look up and Manny is using my bat. My bat hits a double off the wall, and he's like, well, I can't go up to bat with the same bat that was just used. This is a little league, so I don't know what to do. So he goes, I grabbed a heavier bat. He goes, I probably used Jim Tomy's bat so I could dribble one to second base to get the runner over.

No outs, many let off, get the guy over, he goes, and I did so the next time up, I run into the dugout, put my stuff down, go grab my bat before Manny could grab it. And I watched him and he used somebody else's bat. He said he went four for four that day and never used his own bat. He goes. If that doesn't say what kind of remarkable hitter he was. I don't know what does, because you know how much we care about our bats, and I just thought that says it right there, just a remarkable hitter in

this game of baseball. No wonderful talent ended up playing with several other teams after his time in Cleveland, but he will always be remembered as a Cleveland Indian, no question. Yeah, we think so. I'll never forget when after the first draft, number one draft pick, I think thirteenth player. Overall, things were a little bit different back then in our player development system.

We're out at Baldham Wallace College with our draft picks, our first time the draft picks got together, and we're taking batting practice and infield practice, and we have the media out there and my old friend Alan Davis, who was the TV guy for Channel five and ended up working in our community relations department bi linguals, so he helped Manny in interviews for us with the group.

And Manny's sitting in the batter's box at Baltam Wallace Field, and so the Baltom Wallas baseball players are out watching our draft picks and their coach saddles up to us and Manny's hitting balls and he looked at us. He goes, I've never in all my years seen anybody hit a ball where he's hitting him in batting practice ever, and he's doing it on every swing. He

goes, that young man is special. And from day one he came to Cleveland at baltim Wallace College DACOM batting practice, we saw something incredibly special with a gentleman with a bat in his hands. Incredibly special. Bobby d Always great to have you along. Thanks for sharing on the Hall of Fame class for this year. Thank you, Rosie. That's Guardian Senior President Bob Dbasio

and that's going to do it for this edition of Guardians Weekly. As always, thanks to Brian Matzay for helping to put together our show each week. We join you next week from North of the Border in Toronto, where the Guardians opened a new road swing against the Blue Jays. Until then, this is Jim Rosenhouse reminding you that you've been listening to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland

Clinic Guardian's radio network. Guardians Weekly has been brought to you by Progressive helping Guardians fans save hundreds on car insurance.

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