Edward William Nottle (born October 22, 1939), nicknamed "Singing Ed" because of his

avocation An avocation is an activity that someone engages in as a hobby outside their main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside their workplaces w ...

as a singer, is a former Minor League Baseball

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and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

. He has led teams in the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

organizations, and managed the

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Brockton Rox The Brockton Rox are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brockton, Massachusetts, United States. Formerly a professional baseball franchise, the Rox were a member of the independent Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, fr ...

. His final season as manager was 2008 with the independent

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of the

Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization of ...

Playing career

Nottle signed his first professional contract in 1959 with a team in

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. Following a stellar season at Pensacola, Nottle began a 10-year run with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

organization. In 1963, he was assigned to the White Sox major league roster, but never played due to an arm injury, making him a "

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". His final appearance as a player was in 1980, when he made a single two-inning appearance for the Double-A

West Haven Whitecaps The West Haven A's were an American Minor League Baseball team that played in the Double-A Eastern League from 1972 to 1982. They were located in West Haven, Connecticut, and played their home games at Quigley Stadium. From 1972 to 1979, the t ...

. In 18 minor league seasons, he appeared in 543 games, compiling an 89–75 record with a 3.09

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Post-playing career

In 1972, Nottle received his first coaching job and became a manager in 1978 when the Athletics hired him to manage a

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team. In 1981 while managing the Athletics' Triple-A team in Tacoma, his team reached the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

finals and Nottle was named Minor League Manager-of-the-Year by

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. During the 1983 season, he served as a

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on the Oakland A's major league staff. Within the same year Nottle showcased his singing talent by recording the album ''To Baseball with Love'' on his private label Nott's Landing Records. In 1985, Nottle moved on to the Boston Red Sox organization and managed their Double A affiliate, the

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, for one season and their Triple-A team, the

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

, for years. Nottle led New Britain to the playoffs once and twice took Pawtucket to the postseason. He was named International League Manager of the Year in 1987 and managed the

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affiliates in the inaugural Triple-A All-Star Classic in Buffalo in 1988. Nottle managed the inaugural season with the

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of the

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in 1993 and stayed with them through the 2000 season. In his eight seasons, he amassed a regular-season record of 343 wins and 318 losses and made the playoffs in 1994 and 1999. Nottle managed the

Duluth–Superior Dukes The Duluth–Superior Dukes were a professional baseball team based in Duluth, Minnesota. The Dukes were a charter member of the modern Northern League, which started play in 1993. The Dukes played their home games at Wade Stadium. After the 200 ...

for one season before moving on to the Brockton Rox of the then-Northern League East in 2002. With the Rox, he compiled a 187–175 record and won a championship in 2003. For the 2006 season, Nottle returned to his old post as the Explorer's manager in their inaugural year in the American Association. Nottle returned to the former Northeast (now

Can-Am League The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization of ...

) in 2008 as he became the first manager of the expansion

, but after a very poor start to the season, followed by a hot streak that came when Nottle left the team briefly to visit his sick wife, the team's management fired him on July 31, 2008. In 2010, in Nottle's 50th year in professional baseball, he served as pitching and third base coach on Chris Carminucci's staff with the Brockton Rox of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball. Nottle helped guide the Rox to the second-best overall record in the league, and another playoff appearance.

Personal life

Nicknamed "Singin Ed", Nottle is famous for his charitable work both in the U.S. and Canada. He has raised over several million dollars for various charities (mainly focused on children). There has been talk of a movie of Nottle's life, called ''The 26th Man''. It was supposed to be in production in late 2007, but the financial capital never materialized to finance the project; the screenplay is ready to go, awaiting a new production company.

Notes

References

External links

Ed Nottle Singing for Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontario
via

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nottle, Ed Baseball pitchers Pensacola Angels players Idaho Falls Russets players Tri-City Braves players Lynchburg White Sox players Indianapolis Indians players Tidewater Tides players Evansville White Sox players Lynchburg Twins players Anderson Senators players Burlington Senators players Greenville Rangers players Gastonia Rangers players Anderson Rangers players Sacramento Solons players Tucson Toros players West Haven Whitecaps players Oakland Athletics coaches Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Pawtucket Red Sox managers Caribbean Series managers Baseball players from Pennsylvania Winter Haven Super Sox players 1939 births Living people