Alabama News Center — Breakthrough Series practices at Birmingham, Alabama’s Rickwood Field

By: Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Jerry Manuel sat in the visitors’ dugout at Rickwood Field, taking a break from putting young men through their paces in the batting cage.

The 70-year-old is a former Major League Baseball player who went on to manage the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets. But why is the 2000 American League Manager of the Year still giving young men tips on the fine art of hitting a baseball?

“Because I have a gift of teaching,” Manuel said. “I believe my gift is to bring (along) the young Black player, give him everything that I learned, to make the game better as a whole, not just for the Blacks but just as a whole, for the game. That’s my calling.”

The Alabama Weather Blog is pleased to present an excerpt from a featured article in partnership with the Alabama News Center. For the full post including images, videos, and related links, please visit the article HERE.

Category: ALL POSTS, Partner News Stories