Ed Nottle & Bill Murray
 

Once she became acquainted with Ed’s colorful background, including an up and down, five-decade career in baseball’s minor and major leagues and his single-minded interest in singing (he even released a record under his own label, Nott’s Landing), his life story became much more compelling than any fiction. As she learned more about Ed’s storied life, a common theme centered on the phrase “you cannot make this stuff up”

The 26^th Man is a compelling, character-driven story, based on the life of Singing Ed Nottle, a career minor league baseball manager who never quite makes to the major leagues. Ed’s life is one of dreams, disappointment, perseverance, passion, family and humor personified in his experience of “just falling short”. Baseball as a backdrop is uniquely American, while Ed is uniquely flawed and selfish, but immensely likable. He has been in professional baseball for over 45 years as a pitcher, a manager and an owner. He has struck out Lee Mayes, Eddie Matthews and Hank Aaron in succession. He sang Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” while Billy Martin engaged in one of his bar room fisticuffs, and coached over 90 players who eventually made it to the Major Leagues. During his five decades of involvement in” America’s favorite pastime”, Ed Nottle has seen and done it all.

MCP would like to thank the corporate sponsors who support The 26^th Man, and the wonderful letters of support to Ed Nottle and this film project. (see below)

Known as the 'Singing Manager' Ed Nottle has been in professional baseball for 50 years, and is still managing today. Ed started out as a pitcher, then onto coaching and has been a manager for over thirty years.

About Ed Nottle

Ed Nottle is in his fifth decade of professional baseball and is the manager for the new team the Ottawa Rapidz in the CAN-AM Leagues. He was the first manager of the Brockton Rox and the only manager in his four years there to lead the team to the Northeast Championship in 2003.

During his time with the Rox he sent six players (Brooks Kieschnick, Chris Cosbey, Darren Blakely, Conor Brooks, Tony Stutz, and Nestor Smith) and two members of his coaching staff (Rich Sauveur and John Duffy) to major league organizations.

In 1985, Nottle managed the Red Sox AA affiliate, the New Britain Red Sox, and in 1986, was appointed manager for the AAA affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox. In 1987, he was named International League Manager of the Year. In five seasons with the Pawtucket Red Sox, Nottle sent 34 players – more than any other minor league manager during that span – to the parent club the Boston Red Sox. He lost out to Joe Morgan in 1988 in his bid to manage the Boston Red Sox.

Nottle also managed teams in Bend (Ore.), Waterbury (Conn.), Tacoma (Wash.), Sioux City (Iowa), and Duluth-Superior (Minn.) amassing more than 1,150 wins as a minor league manager and being named Manager of the Year six times at various levels of baseball.

Later in his career Nottle turned down a number of major league coaching jobs, stubbornly insisting on managing instead. This mind-set kept him out of organized baseball from 1991-92. He resurfaced in the Independent Northern League in 1993; where he has been immensely accessible and popular figure, generously donating his time to speak at charity events and schools. He is still adamant about managing rather than coaching.

Known as the “Singing Manager,” Nottle also produced and recorded an album with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra (on his Nott’s Landing label) in 1983, when he was a coach with the Oakland A’s. Titled To Baseball with Love, the album features his versions of songs such as New York, New York and Welcome to My World. The album cost Ed his house to produce, to which he responded, “Big deal, everybody’s got a house.”

Inducted 1991