Before I actually give a review of this book I would like to note I didn't expect much. I discovered The Matheny Manifesto while Mike was still managing the Cardinals but didn't actually start reading the book until after the firing of the skipper. My intentions of reading the book shifted from wanting to see how he was living up to the legend of Tony LaRussa to trying to piece together how he became the manager that ended the birds' postseason playoff streak.
I will admit I had a bit of a salty taste in my mouth for the ex-skipper, stemming from his performance in the dugout but this book completely changed the way I think about Matheny and honestly, the way I view professional athletes and coaches. Reading this book reminded me that athletes (and coaches) are people too, which is something we see and hear all the time but if I'm be honest, it can be difficult to remember this when a manager puts in the worst reliever who proceeds to blow the game, resulting in a big loss. Mike was able to effectively remind me that he, and other sport professionals, are not perfect, they make mistakes, and they are just as aware as we are when a mistake is made.Throughout the book Matheny touches on what it means to be a youth coach, how it can be difficult to keep your prized character traits and beliefs at the forefront of your life when you have such a public career, and the importance of leaning on the people around you to push you further in life and in your career.
He truly believes youth sports can play an incredible role in the development of young kids and throughout his time coaching youth, he made decisions based on building character rather than winning games. As he was explaining this I remember thinking "wow, that's how it is supposed to be done". There is a huge disconnect between what youth sports is doing and what we say youth sports is doing and Mike was/is attempting to bridge that gap.
Matheny made himself very clear at the beginning of the book that his religious background was incredibly important to him. He told stories about how he had to remind himself of this throughout his career and how it was sometimes a struggle to remember his place when dealing with certain situations on the ball field.
One of my favorite topics he discussed was the influence of others around him. He talked about his family, his coach during his developmental years, coaching idols of which he modeled his work, his business partners that also functioned as close friends and mostly importantly the youth he was working to impact. He learned from all of these people, he grew with all of these people and he gave praise to all of these people, acknowledging that he would not be nearly as successful without them.
The Matheny Manifesto gave the man who was making questionable coaching decisions on my TV a life outside of professional baseball. His book changed my opinion of him and opened my eyes to the concept that you can do what you love without compromising your beliefs and values. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in coaching or struggling with remaining true to your faith while pursuing a career. I would also challenge Cardinals fans to push their grudges aside and read about Mike; you'll be surprised how much this book will open your eyes and force you to look at him differently.
Here's the link to the book on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Matheny-Manifesto-Managers-Old-School-Success/dp/055344672X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1BMOZA5C0AFE2&keywords=the+matheny+manifesto&qid=1571340296&sprefix=the+mathen%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1
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