It's awkward because you have to see each other once in a while.
I've noticed a few Tribe fans on the b/r who seem to still lust after Ramirez. They long for the days of yore when Ramirez manned right field in Cleveland, slugged doubles and home runs, and never legged out a ground ball. I'm sure they were even more hot and bothered with Manny's two-run, ninth inning blast off Joe Borowski Monday night that gave the Boston Bleepin' Red Sox a come-from-behind win over the Wahoos. But hot and bothered in a "I-hate-you-but-I-still-list-you-as-one-of-my-favorite-childhood-players" sort of way.
Sure, Ramirez has two World Series rings, and Cleveland has none. And sure, Ramirez has a fat contract, an adoring fan base in Boston and, at the rate he's been playing in the past couple of days, will crack his 500th career home run, oh, I don't know, tomorrow.
That said, I still wouldn't want him back. And I still wouldn't cheer for him if he came to the plate, nor will I when on his first ballot he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame.
It's hard to explain, but I guess it's a pride thing. I understand that in the winter of 2001, when Manny inked his 8-year, $160 million-deal with the Red Sox, he was only acting with business in mind. He essentially took his agent's word as gospel, and it's worked out for him. Despite his numerous mental and verbal gaffes, Boston embraces "Manny being Manny" like they embrace traffic on the Mass Pike. It annoys them a little sometimes, but mostly they laugh and realize they couldn't live without it. Really, the Cleveland diehards who remember watching him develop as a player should be happy for him.
But this is sports. There are winners and losers.
Remember Manny's stunt at home plate last year in Game 4? He admired a meaningless solo shot and showed up the opposition with a pregnant pause and self-exaltation at home plate. That's like when a ex-girlfriend grabs her new boyfriend and makes out with him right in front of you. Completely uncalled for. Casey Blake probably thought about tripping him as he rounded third but refrained from the poor sportsmanship as the Indians were seemingly bound for the fall classic, which they were until the fates intervened (Josh Beckett, Dustin Pedroia) and everything fell apart.
But last year is over. As are all of the years between now and when Manny left the Tribe. I mentioned earlier that when I attend games where Manny plays, I don't cheer. I also don't boo. I don't want to be disrespectful. When your "ex" gives you a cold "hello," you reply with the obligatory head-nod acknowledgement, don't you? That's kind of what it's like. By sitting on my hands and maintaining a stoic silence, I'm making my point. It's over. We've moved on. He's moved on. Let's all try to keep our dignity.
When Manny hits No. 500, knowing that he hit 236 of those with the Indians, I will send an obligatory head nod of acknowledgment in his direction. Nothing more, nothing less.
(That said, you'd better believe I have him on my fantasy team right now. He is raking in the points!)
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5 months ago
It's really hard to hate Manny, even if he is a disaster in the field and almost never hustles. He just has fun, enjoys the fact that he makes millions off playing a sport and crushes a mistake-fastball over the Green Monster. He is basically a human cartoon character. I'm not even a fan of the Indians nor am I of the Red Sox, but I'm a fan of Manny.
5 months ago
I love Manny as a hitter..but have no respect for him other than that. He disrespects his teammates, the other team, and the game of baseball. I have no clue why his behavior results in no consequences.
5 months ago
You bring up an interesting point, but...bottom line, I doubt you'll ever find anyone (sane) from Boston who dislikes Manny Ramirez...two World Series rings in 4 years, after an 86-year drought that became a mental albatross after 1986...the guy just has fun out there, doesn't really care about the hardcore purists. He does his thing, which is hit HRs, play the Monster better than any LF in baseball, and loses track of the count while he's on base. But that's okay, he's a nice guy to boot - we all let him get away with murder because he's nice to the people around him. So he's a little flaky. He's also one of the 5 best hitters of all time.
5 months ago
He is undoubtedly one of the all-time great hitters and a surefire HOFer. That being said, I met him after his rookie year, before he was even close to the player he is now or became in Cleveland, and he was the most arrogant, self-absorbed jerk I had been exposed to at that time. And this was before he was a hitting machine or even a good player. For this and his on the field "antics" I have no respect for him as a man. As a player he is amazing but "Manny being Manny" does not give you card blanche to disrespect the game and your opponents. If you are a Red Sox fan I don't see how you can hate him, but as an opposing fan (especially an Indians' fan) he gets under your skin very easily.
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