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Sports

Dickie Noles Tells of Faith, Talks Baseball at Hellertown Breakfast

Noles, who was a member of the 1980 World Series championship Philadelphia Phillies team, was the guest speaker at Saucon Community Bible Fellowship Church's third annual Community Sports Breakfast Feb. 11.

On Feb. 11, Saucon Community Bible Fellowship Church hosted Dickie Noles--a member of the 1980 World Series Championship Phillies team--at its third annual Community Sports Breakfast. The event was held at the Dewey Fire Company social hall in Hellertown, and drew about 120 hungry baseball fans.

Noles, who lives in Delaware County and works for the Phillies franchise, began his presentation by speaking about the sport he has loved since childhood.

He recalled that when he began playing for the Phillies in 1979, he and his teammates were always being reminded of the fact that their team had never held baseball's ultimate title.

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"The Phillies had never won a World Series in their history--never, ever, ever," he said. "And we used to hear about it."

Though much credit has been given to Noles for turning the 1980 World Series around, he likes to give credit to Pete Rose, who was one of his teammates at the time.

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"Pete Rose was a great motivational speaker," he said. "Whenever we looked distracted he would jump up and say, 'We can do this!'"

"I think Pete Rose kind of changed the Series," he added.

Noles also noted that he has the rather dubious distinction of being the last Major League player to have been "traded for himself," meaning that he was traded for a player on another team who was to be chosen later. The other player was never chosen, however, so Noles was returned to his original team after several months.

Noles, making quick use of his time, also spoke of his late mother and his formative years in North Caroina.

He was not shy about revealing that he was the result of a rape that occurred when his mother was just 13. And, he said, his mother was told that if she kept him, she would find herself out on the street.

“She moved out,” he said, and with a twinkle in his eye added, “My mom is my hero.”

In order to lighten the mood in the room before delving into another deep subject--his well-known struggle with alcoholism and drugs during the early part of his career--Noles, being from the South, exclaimed that he still can't believe the North doesn't have its share of kids with snot always running out of their noses. In the South, snot-nosed kids are a common sight, he observed, which drew laughter from the audience.

Recalling his struggle with alcohol, Noles, 55, said his “first drink was with my dad.”

He stated that he was “looking for something,” although he wasn’t sure what that something was at the time.

"I was always searching for a feeling," he said. "We all want to belong, be loved, be capable--the 'three Bs.'"

Instead of finding those important things, however, he turned to alcohol to help numb his pain, and found addiction.

That began to change on March 28, 1978, when Noles said he actually found what he was looking for--Jesus Christ. He went on to reveal that his mother’s favorite Bible verse was John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (New Revised Standard Version).

Noles pointed out that although he had become a Christian, the self-destructive path he was on didn't change immediately. In fact, he said it wasn't until 1983, when he got drunk and assaulted a police officer with a fellow Cubs team member, that he entered rehab and finally began to find strength in his faith.

He left rehab on April 9, 1983 with his Bible in hand, and said he hasn’t had a drink since.

Since achieving sobriety, Noles said he has spoken at more than 3,000 schools about addiction, and developed a substance abuse program for kids that is called SAVES.

After the crowds left, I had the opportunity to speak to him privately.

He wanted me to know that the “greatest miracle is life,” and that “you are never all alone because Christ is there with you.”

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