Don’t Hate the Player: Manny Ramirez

Okay, so the picture probably isn’t a fitting one, since Manny Ramirez more closely parallels The Joker than Batman, but the image is important. It is Manny Ramirez…in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.

The trade that sent him there has upset some, and it has opened the discussion about whether or not there is a place in baseball for a playercharacter like Man-Ram.

“Manny being Manny” annoyances aside, he is widely criticized for his poor demeanor, lack of seriousness, and apparent idiocy on and off the field. Dreadlocks, a dirty helmet, misplayed fly balls, and the occasional high five to a fan all come together to make the population wonder whether Manny even cares, and whether he’s even worth our time.

Well, you may remember a little feature I wrote about another Red Sox player, J.D. Drew. It was called “Don’t Hate the Player…” and was to be the first in a series where I “shine a little light on a good player that maybe wouldn’t otherwise get that light.”

Obviously, Manny has plenty of light shone his way, so the axiom of the feature has been changed to appreciating the sometimes-disliked. That’s almost as broad a definition as the mission of Gary Roberts Wednesdays, so kudos to me.

Regardless, Manny Ramirez is one of the best baseball players of all time. It’s a fact…don’t hate the player, hate the game.

Now, to clarify, I wouldn’t categorize Manny as a hated player. In fact, I’ve loved the guy as long as I can remember. He (and recently, J.D. Drew) was the only thing keeping me from absolutely loathing the most recent instalments of Red Sox Baseball. Still, Manny has angered traditional baseball fans with his unique approach to fielding, dreadlocks, and general goofiness.

He has angered the fans of other teams with his occasional idiocy and frequent hope-destruction at the plate. And most recently, he has angered Red Sox fans by…wait, what did he do again? Oh, right, he wanted to stay with the team another two years and get a commitment from John Henry and the front office. Anyways, he has somehow angered Red Sox fans, too.

Still, for people like me…he’s the Mecca of fandom. A player who plays the game and enjoys it is rare enough, but for that player to also be one of the greatest hitters of all time is just spoiling us. Manny is probably one of the five best hitters in the league right now, has come up in many big opportunities, and has a cannon for an arm to make up for his poor fly ball judgments.

There is also testimony and evidence suggesting that Manny is one of the hardest workers in the game, constantly working to improve in the gym and in the batting cages. Need any proof?

Well, at age 36 Manny is still going. And that’s at a pace consistent with his entire career, not an otherworldly and accusation-inspiring pace well above his regular stats (see: Bonds, Barry). Ramirez currently boasts an Avg/OBP/Slg line of .314/.409/.558 with 23 home runs and 75 RBI.

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