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.
7 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Eddie Jackman 11 months ago
I think my boy Jason Varitek has gone 136 plate appearances without an extra base hit...maybe any hits...
Edit Comment Cancel
Nino Colla 11 months ago
Hahaha, very good .. Yes.. That could be man.
Edit Comment Cancel
mark murrell 11 months ago
Nice rant...Cuban is exactly what the conservative MLB needs: http://www.cubanandthecubs.com
Edit Comment Cancel
Ethan Gooderum 11 months ago
I am a Yankee fan, who suffers every time Manny comes to the Bronx. He may have tons of extra baggage, but he is a tough out and one of the best clutch run producers in the game.
The Yanks need a left fielder, and Manny could be a good fit... nah I'm just messing with you.
Edit Comment Cancel
click here to save on gas 11 months ago
Hey, you have a good point there!!!
Edit Comment Cancel
RedSox Maniac 11 months ago
The reason that he went after Youkilis wasn't even just because of Manny. A lot of players had thought that Youkilis's Paul O'Neil antics after getting outs were rubbing off hard on the entire team. Many people had confronted him about it, and he did nothing.
If anything, Manny stepped in and told him what the team didn't like, and Youkilis pretty much told him to f*&K off. That is when the slap occured. Ever since then, Youkilis doesn't complain to umpires, and doesn't whine when he gets an out. Everyone in beantown understood that Manny wasn't at fault for that one.
Shoving his traveling secretary was pretty nutty, but the travelling secretary was a former Massachusetts cop and is around Manny's size. The altercation was really brief, and they settled the matter in house. Manny was given a $20,000 fine, has to take anger management classes, and was warned to face suspension if anything egregious occurs again. I am going to point out this matter of why he went nuts later.
He is calling out his team because of two things. 1. He has been waived, yes, WAIVED, by the Red Sox 5 of the 8 years of his contract ( including 2004 ). They clearly have been trying to get rid of his contract as long as he has been here ( Epstein and Mike Port have never been fans of Manny since it was Duquette's signing after he failed to grab Mike Mussina ). Although Manny initially didn't want to play for Boston, he ended up coming here and putting up hall-of-fame numbers and protecting all the hitters in the lineup.
He is scared because he has never felt he was wanted in Boston. They have put him on waivers, tried to trade him for A-Rod and Magglio Ordonez, and now that he has an option coming up, he has no experience with this team making him feel welcome.
2nd reason he is calling out his team: Scott Boras. Boras has become his agent and these are all PR ploys to get something out of the Red Sox about his option for next year. Guaranteed no one pays $20 million for him, but Boras's only leverage is to play on Manny's need to know where he is going to play next year. This guy has rarely felt home in Beantown; he still lives in a hotel up to this day.
His antics maybe a part of his insecurity. This guy has always gotten what he wanted, and even if he was disliked, did his job as a hitter, and got incentives and insurance for it. Now he is 36, not really a leader on his team, and his hitting talents may not last him for another 2-3 years. His insecurity might be showing in these small incidences. I don't condone the shove, but the cell phone in the green monster and the Youkilis situation were blown out of proportion.
Boston fans are sometimes a little too dramatic for their own good, and the news on Manny since he has been here has usually been spun as negative. I am not an average Red Sox fan; I know Manny has had his share of antics, and sometimes they rub off wrongly on his teammates, but he is in no way a poison to his team. His care-free existence is a great representation to a Sox team that took tequila shots before Game 7 against the Yankees in 2004, a great representation that his spirit coincides with his great hitting prowess ( he is in a 0-2 so much, and it still feels like a full-count), and his spirit is a representation that he has personality and has fun in sports. At the end of the day, I prefer fun when it comes to baseball.
Last time I checked, baseball is just a game.
Good article though.
Edit Comment Cancel
RedSox Maniac 11 months ago
The George Sherrill remark is priceless. I am still surprised about the amount of injuries sustained carrying groceries or luggage ( remember the closer from the Mariners, what was it, Sasaki?)
Edit Comment Cancel
Leave a Comment
You must register to post a comment.