The Philadelphia Phillies won the National League Pennant last night by defeating the L.A. Dodgers 5 - 1, clinching the best-of-7 series 4 games to 1. Kudos to all members of the Phillies for a terrific season to date.
I also have to salute their manager, Charlie Manuel, for re-defining the definition of courage.
Manuel lost his 87-year old mother last Friday before the Phillies game 2 victory. Despite his personal loss, Manuel was able to guide his team to the NL Pennant.
Anyone who has experienced losing a family member knows how difficult the coping stage can be. Imagine for a moment if you were in Charlie Manuel's shoes - being interviewed and having a camera follow your every move for the better part of 24 hours. How do you think that would affect your ability to cope?
Maybe, in some strange way, it helped. Maybe all of the media attention and focus on baseball helped Manuel temporarily escape the pain of losing his mother. Maybe worrying about whether or not to pull Cole Hamels in the 7th inning of game 5 with runners on 1st and 2nd helped take his mind away from the grief. When Hamels struck out Jeff Kent to end the 7th with no damage done, maybe that provided a momentary reprieve.
At any rate, Manuel displayed poise and toughness throughout the series. His strength inspired his team. And that inspiration has translated into a berth in the World Series.
(^photo taken from www.espn.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment