What's Making Me Talk: Manny's Antics and a Rodriguez Record

I'm not sure how many of you saw the picture from the Boston Globe of Manny Ramirez in the green monster on his cell phone.

He was conveniently placed between the letters "L" and "S" with a "T" following right after. Yes, his head basically made up the word "lost", which is just what Manny is.

I enjoy watching Manny screw around and have fun with the game, as long as it's not at the expense of his team's success. I don't remember him doing anything as nutty as cutting off a throw in deep left-center field with the Indians, but no doubt his fun-loving attitude has flourished in Boston.

Recently though, Manny's antics are getting in the way of the team. That is where the line starts to get drawn on the phrase, "Manny Being Manny."

High-five a fan during a play or use the green monster's bathroom all you want. But you simply cannot jeopardize your team by doing some of the things Manny Ramirez has done in the last month.

What's Making Me Mad

You can go as far back as to Ramirez slapping Kevin Youkilis during a game against the Rays. I'm not sure what that was about, but is that really acceptable for a player to do to a teammate?

Now he's shoving traveling secretaries and calling out his team by saying they are "telling him one thing and doing another."

Year in and year out, Manny's future could be considered cloudy, considering the Red Sox would always dangle Ramirez out there as someone available in a trade. He was the player the Red Sox would have traded had they acquired Alex Rodriguez.

Yet, his salary was just too much for a team to take on. Not to mention the fact he comes with a whole lot of baggage.

I'm all for not being happy with your club and the situation you are in, if you have a legitimate reason. But calling out his team in the middle of a season in this manner is not acceptable by any stretch of the imagination.

If you want a trade, request one. The deadline isn't far away and if a team wants you that badly, they'll make a move. I can't see the Red Sox cooperating, but it's a much more civil thing to do rather than bring up all this bad publicity in the middle of a playoff race.

Surely, the rowdy Red Sox clubhouse won't feel this though. They've got way too many characters and leaders in there for this to become a distraction. But, it still puts a bit of a black eye on the face of Ramirez for handling this the way he is.

What's Making Me Root for a Record

While we are talking about the Red Sox, let's take a look at the team that beat them this past weekend.

The Los Angeles Angels are the first team to 60 wins on this MLB season, and they got there by sweeping the Red Sox. Could they really be the best team in the American League?

They got the pitching, that's for sure. They also have a lights-out closer shutting the door on 40 games this year.

Francisco Rodriguez shattered the fastest-to-40-saves mark by picking up his 40th in just the 98th team game on Sunday. That's 16 games faster than John Smoltz did it in 2002.

He is also inching ever so closer to breaking the single-season saves record set by Bobby Thigpen in 1990. Rodriguez is just 17 away, which is remarkable considering the official second half just started.

I always root for the records to be broken, and this will be no different.

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