View source for Rick Manning

{{Short description|American baseball player and broadcaster (born 1954)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Rick Manning
|image=Rick Manning.png
|caption=
|position=[[Center fielder]]
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1954|9|2}}
|birth_place=[[Niagara Falls, New York]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=May 23
|debutyear=1975
|debutteam=Cleveland Indians
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 4
|finalyear=1987
|finalteam=Milwaukee Brewers
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]] 
|stat1value=.257
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=56
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=458
|teams=
*[[Cleveland Indians]] ({{mlby|1975}}–{{mlby|1983}})
*[[Milwaukee Brewers]] ({{mlby|1983}}–{{mlby|1987}})
|highlights=
*[[Gold Glove Award]] (1976)
}}
'''Richard Eugene Manning''' (born September 2, 1954) is an American former [[center fielder]] and current [[Sports commentator|broadcaster]] in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB), who played for the [[Cleveland Indians]] (1975–1983) and [[Milwaukee Brewers]] (1983–1987), and has been a [[color commentator]] for [[Cleveland Guardians]] telecasts since 1990.

==Major league career==
Manning, who was the second overall selection in the [[1972 MLB draft]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/manniri01.shtml|title=Rick Manning Stats - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="Manning Stats" />

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/2004/07/25/a-closer-who-needed-a-save/|title=A Closer Who Needed A Save|date=July 25, 2004 }}</ref> 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 (baseball)|Ted Cox]].

After playing five more seasons with the Indians, Manning was traded along with [[Rick Waits]] to the [[1983 Milwaukee Brewers season|Milwaukee Brewers]] for [[Gorman Thomas]], [[Jamie Easterly]] and [[Ernie Camacho]] on June 6, 1983.<ref>[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.</ref> As a member of the Brewers, he hit a 10th-inning single on August 26, 1987 as the Brewers defeated the Indians 1-0.<ref name="Manning Stats">{{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}}</ref> 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.

==Career highlights==
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.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>[http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/news_archives/vidoe-vault-indians-len-barker-pitches-perfect-game-30-years-ago ]{{dead link|date=July 2018}}</ref>

==Broadcasting career==
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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> He also occasionally provides color commentary on regional broadcasts for ''[[Major League Baseball on FOX]]'', mainly when FOX shows a Guardians game.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Awards==
*1976 American League [[Gold Glove]] Award (Center Field)<ref>{{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}}</ref>
*1980 BBWAA (Baseball Writers' Association of America) Good Guy Award<ref>[http://www.alsforums.com/als-mmd-news/events/22.html ]{{dead link|date=July 2018}}</ref>
*2014 Cleveland Association of Broadcasters Excellence in Broadcasting Award<ref>{{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}}</ref>
*[[Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame]] (class of 2017)<ref>{{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}}</ref>
*2018 [[Lower Great Lakes Emmy Award]] winner as part of the Indians broadcast team<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{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]]