Why Manny is allowed to be Manny

I had a few options on what to write about this week. I wanted it to be baseball since July is the time where teams are either showing their quitting on the race to the playoffs, or their pushing to stay in the chase.

I waited patiently for the deadline reading about the rumors going around. When the four P.M. deadline decided to come around on Thursday afternoon a move that was expected did happen. Manny Ramirez was finally out of Boston. Red Sox front office had enough of Manny and I could clearly see why. His own teammates said they didn’t want him. He did fight teammate Kevin Youkilis in the dugout during a regular season game this year against the Tampa Bay Rays. Teammates and front office against you, man he was destined to be traded.

The problem with Ramirez is he is erratic at times. You can never know what to get with the buy, he can make you laugh but yet so angry at the same time. In Ramirez’s first game as a rookie he hit a bomb which bounced over the fence for a ground rule double. Manny jogged around the bases as if the ball was a home run, but he must have forgotten the ball has to clearly go over the fence for him to jog around. That was a funny Manny moment, now onto one that wasn’t so funny. For some reason Ramirez decided to cut off a throw from center fielder Johnny Damon during the 2004 baseball season. Fans and teammates shook their heads wondering what was on Manny’s mind this time.

Manny is weird, but the bottom line is that you don’t have a choice but to deal with his weirdness Ramirez is arguably the best right handed hitter to ever step foot on a baseball field. There isn’t a pitcher in the league that ever wants to face Ramirez. Manny is one of just eight players to hit at least 20 homers in 14 consecutive seasons. The twelve time all star and 2004 World Series MVP is just that good. Just to show you pitchers are scared of Manny he has been intentionally walked 170 times. Good for 22^ndall time, 20 career grand slams good for first among active players. Manny is normally good during the postseason also. He is the all-time leader in post season home runs with 24. Ramirez big bat has 510 career home runs and counting.

I recall last week when the Anaheim Angels were in town to face the Red Sox. They swept the series and beat them pretty bad in every game. One of the games was nationally televised on ESPN. I decided to catch the last inning where Francisco Rodriguez was trying to close the door on the Red Sox. Manny was up to bat against Rodriguez and I had one thing in my head. Not trying to sound like a crazy person but out loud I said “don’t throw Manny a fast ball, he is going to crush it.”

Rodriguez is the best closer in the game, and he knows what he is doing. He did throw Manny a fastball and once he hit it I knew it was gone. It was long gone above the green monster. I told Rodriguez not to do it, I am sure his catcher had a little talk with him after too. Angels did pick up the win, but Manny had the last laugh before he went to bed. After that game, Rodriguez wasn’t going to go near Manny’s strike zone again. No one wants to. That’s the kind of player you want on you want on your team. A batter that makes a pitcher trembles every time they are up. Now the best closer in the game has the vision of Ramirez’s bat hitting a fastball and seeing Manny do that Manny walk watching a ball go over 400 feet into seats. Can you imagine seeing that image every time you face a batter? Heck, Manny has done it over 500 times to hundreds of pitchers. He is that monster you don’t want to face.

Now the Dodgers get to claim that monster, at least for the season. Manny may not be back next year as he comes a hefty price. 20 million plus. During his first talk with the media when he arrived in town, Manny showed he was happy to be run out of Boston.

“I feel like I took like 5,000 pounds off my back being here [in Los Angeles,]” said Ramirez. “I am in a new city and I just want to move on.”

Manager Joe Torre has a clean cut rule. Manny’s long hair might have to go. Ramirez is already trying to be on his skipper’s good side in L.A.

“They got some rules here and I don’t want them to treat me different then other guys,” said Ramirez. “If they want me to cut my hair I will cut it.”

The future looks bright for the slugger. He can wash away all the memories he has as a Red Sox. Red Sox who?

“Boston is in the past,” said Ramirez. “I am here thinking about the Dodgers. I am in a new city. I want people to judge me what I do here not what I did in Boston.”

Boston’s 2004 World Series team seems to be in the past also With Manny gone only six members of the 2004 team are left.

Manny left the past behind, but he will continue being the most feared right handed hitter in baseball no matter what line up he is in. He was one of the best players to ever step foot in a Red Sox uniform. How can such a monster be so nervous to put on a new uniform next to Hollywood?

“I am like a little kid now I am nervous,” said Ramirez. “I am just going to go and be Manny and play the game.”

As long as Manny remains as Manny he shouldn’t have a problem.