The funny thing about the old adages and apocryphal tales of woe that older folks spin when talking to us youngsters — I used to walk uphill to school both ways, etc. — is that they're never true. Sure, things were different back then, but they were never as archaic and simple as they make them out to be.
Except, apparently, when you're talking about former Indians manager Charlie Manuel, one of our most favorite baseball people ever. A local TV news station caught up with Manuel in Philadelphia where he was serving as hitting instructor for a bunch of Little Leaguers. Manuel did the whole Ole Uncle Charlie routine — his pronunciation of "wheelbarrow" should be recorded for posterity — and then dropped this bit of "I used to walk uphill to school both ways": He grew up learning to hit rocks instead of baseballs.
(Hat tip to the 700 Level.)
