Review: Baseball Night in Blacksburg with Charlie Manuel
My name is Scott Segerstrom and I am a Delaware-born Phillies fan now living in Denver. I have been fortunate enough to report for The Phillies Collector previously on Sugarhouse Casino's "Lunch with a Legend" Charlie Manuel event. Recently I attended Virginia Tech's "Baseball Night in Blacksburg" fundraiser event that featured Charlie Manuel and supports their program.
The focus of my collection is nearly-exclusively Charlie Manuel items, with the highlights five game-used jerseys ranging from 2006 to 2013. Being Denver-based now presents big challenges to collecting our beloved Phillies, so when this event coincided perfectly with a business trip to Washington, DC, I was ecstatic.
The event was held in the posh Stadium Club in Virgina Tech's football stadium. General admission tickets were $75 but I purchased the VIP-level admission at $200. This permitted entrance to a pre-event cocktail reception with Charlie Manuel that included a professional photograph. Each attendee also received a gift bag with a sweatshirt, team poster, and VIP tickets received a glass inscribed with the event's logo. Walking into the pre-event reception, I told myself the best-case scenario is that I get my 2010 game-used jersey signed and have a nice brief exchange with Charlie. However, the event went above and beyond these expectations.
There were about 50 VIP ticketholders in the stadium suite, and I was surprised to see the muted reaction from the group when Charlie entered. Charlie stood in one area and people in groups of 2-3 would come up, chat for a minute, maybe get an item signed, and return to the bar and food. I had met a few Phillies fans from New Jersey and we remarked about how this would be a controlled mob if this were closer to Philadelphia! I knew then this was a rare chance to actually converse with Charlie at-length.
Over the next 30 minutes, I was able to chat with Charlie one-on-one, occasionally pausing as people would wander over to have their photograph taken. Charlie signed the jersey for me, inscribing it with "1,000 wins"; he signed a 2008 World Series ball; and signed my Phillies hat with a personalized inscription to me. I immediately regretted not bringing more! As I asked him questions and Charlie became comfortable, he told me stories of how terrible the visiting clubhouses were of different stadiums and minor league experiences. The highlight was how he said he did not prefer jewelry, so he rarely wore his World Series ring, but that the nicest ring he ever received was a two-carat diamond ring for being Athlete of the Year in Japan. When the youngest fans approached for a photograph, Charlie would pay them dedicated attention and sign anything they wanted. It was vintage Charlie: authentic, kind, and passionate about every aspect of baseball.
At the conclusion of this event, there was a hour-long pause to allow people to visit the excellent catered barbecue buffet and bid on silent auction items. Afterward, we moved to another suite to take our seats for the program. It began with the Virginia Tech baseball coach, Patrick Mason, giving an overview of the upcoming season and evaluation of the team. Then Charlie was introduced and given free reign to tell baseball tales for a solid 30 minutes. It was at times inspirational, humorous, and retrospective, and covered his childhood all the way through his upcoming departure for spring training. He told stories of playing for the insane Billy Martin, "getting plastered" with Mickey Mantle, and facing Denny McLain as a nervous rookie. What stood out to me was his admission that he "was madder than hell" when the Phillies fired him but that he accepted that your boss always has the right to hold you accountable. The event had a brief question-and-answer portion at the end and I was lucky enough to ask the first question. I asked Charlie to talk about what the Dodgers were getting with Jimmy Rollins, and he gave a marvelous answer about how easy it was to manage Rollins, that he never pushed back on being benched for lack of hustle, and that he would be an everyday player that contributed at the top of the line-up. Overall, it was vintage Charlie for more than 45 minutes as the event ran over time and I am absolutely certain no one in the audience minded. It was clear he enjoyed himself and the crowd was effusive with applause at the end.
Ultimately, this event was just tremendous. The Virginia Tech athletic staff did a fantastic job managing the experience; the food and drinks were excellent (and free!); and Charlie outdid himself as a storyteller. I am a huge Charlie fan, and interacted with enough professional athletes to be a little wary of meeting them in-person, so it was heart-warming to see how kind and generous Charlie true is, even with an audience not as familiar or passionate as Philly-area fanatics. It was a complete pleasure start to finish, and Charlie's status as Phillies legend is well-earned in every respect.