Rick Manning

Manning, who was the second overall selection in the 1972 MLB draft,{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/manniri01.shtml|title=Rick Manning Stats - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} 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.

Manning had an affair with teammate Dennis Eckersley's wife, Denise; they eventually married, and then divorced. This may have led to the Indians' front office's decision to trade one of the players; there were other "official" and "unofficial" reasons given.{{cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/2004/07/25/a-closer-who-needed-a-save/|title=A Closer Who Needed A Save}} Eckersley, a future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, was traded with Fred Kendall on March 30, 1978, to the Boston Red Sox for Rick Wise, Mike Paxton, Bo Díaz and Ted Cox.

After playing five more seasons with the Indians, Manning was traded along with Rick Waits to the Milwaukee Brewers for Gorman Thomas, Jamie Easterly and Ernie Camacho on June 6, 1983.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1908&dat=19830607&id=u6EfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ytUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2103,5479870&hl=en "Gorman Thomas dealt to Tribe," The Associated Press (AP), Tuesday, June 7, 1983.] Retrieved May 29, 2016. As a member of the Brewers, he hit a 10th-inning single on August 26, 1987 as the Brewers defeated the Indians 1-0.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL198708260.shtml|title=Cleveland Indians at Milwaukee Brewers Box Score, August 26, 1987 - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Brewers fans actually booed Manning for driving in the winning run because Paul Molitor was on deck and looking to extend his 39-game hit streak. Manning's walk-off single deprived Molitor of one last chance to reach 40 games as he went 0-for-4 in the contest.

On May 15, 1981, Manning caught Ernie Whitt's fly ball, the final out of Len Barker's perfect game, in one of the most memorable images in Cleveland sports history; the Indians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0.{{cite web |url=http://morningjournal.com/content/articles/2011/05/13/sports/doc4dcc6fcdc29d2604024633.jpg |title=Doc4dcc6fcdc29d2604024633.JPG (400x493 pixels) |website=morningjournal.com |access-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615235428/http://morningjournal.com/content/articles/2011/05/13/sports/doc4dcc6fcdc29d2604024633.jpg |archive-date=15 June 2013 |url-status=dead}}[http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/news_archives/vidoe-vault-indians-len-barker-pitches-perfect-game-30-years-ago ]{{dead link|date=July 2018}}

Since 1990, he has served as a color commentator for Indians/Guardians telecasts. Manning has the longest tenure of any television announcer in team history.

Manning can be seen doing Guardians games on Guardians TV (alongside Matt Underwood). He resides in Chesterland, Ohio during the season, and Scottsdale, Arizona in the offseason.{{cite web|url=http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/team/broadcasters.jsp?c_id=cle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310152329/http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/team/broadcasters.jsp?c_id=cle|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 10, 2007|title=Broadcasters|website=Cleveland Indians}} He also occasionally provides color commentary on regional broadcasts for Major League Baseball on FOX, mainly when FOX shows a Guardians game.{{cite web|url=http://www.bflo360.com/2012/01/2012-mlb-on-fox-schedule.html|title=2012 MLB on FOX Schedule|website=www.bflo360.com}}

• 1976 American League Gold Glove Award (Center Field){{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/gold_glove_al.shtml|title=MLB American League Gold Glove Award Winners - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}
• 1980 BBWAA (Baseball Writers' Association of America) Good Guy Award[http://www.alsforums.com/als-mmd-news/events/22.html ]{{dead link|date=July 2018}}
• 2014 Cleveland Association of Broadcasters Excellence in Broadcasting Award{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2014/05/the_front_office_isnt_pushing.html|title=Manning wins award|work=Cleveland Plain Dealer|access-date=2014-05-02}}
• Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame (class of 2017){{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2017/09/rick_manning_gordon_gund_head.html|title=Rick Manning, Gordon Gund head Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame 2017 inductees (photos)|website=Cleveland.com|date=15 September 2017}}
• 2018 Lower Great Lakes Emmy Award winner as part of the Indians broadcast team{{cite web|url=http://nataslgl.org/nataswp/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Winners-List.pdf|title=2018 Emmy winners - Lower Great Lakes Emmy Awards}}

• List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders

{{Reflist}}

• {{Baseballstats|espn=200|br=m/manniri01}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070310152329/http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/team/broadcasters.jsp?c_id=cle ClevelandIndians.com: Broadcasters]

{{1972 MLB Draft}}

{{Cleveland Indians first-round draft picks}}

{{AL OF Gold Glove Award}}

{{Major League Baseball on Fox}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Rick}}

Category:1954 births

Category:Living people

Category:Major League Baseball center fielders

Category:Cleveland Guardians announcers

Category:Cleveland Indians players

Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters

Category:Milwaukee Brewers players

Category:Gold Glove Award winners

Category:Baseball players from Niagara County, New York

Category:Sportspeople from Niagara Falls, New York

Category:Reno Silver Sox players

Category:Oklahoma City 89ers players

Category:Fort Myers Sun Sox players

Category:Sportspeople from Geauga County, Ohio

Category:20th-century American sportsmen