*Let me preface this by saying that I am definitely a Manny Ramirez fan.
Dear L.A. Dodgers fans,
So you got Manny Ramirez, one of the greatest right handed hitters to ever play the game. Congratulations.
He's been playing like a new man since the trade hitting .476 while slugging .833 with four home runs and 14 RBI. He's playing with the youthful enthusiasm he always plays with, but he somehow seems more content than he did in his final months in a Boston uniform.
Plus, the Dodgers are only one game behind the D-Backs (who also made a trade for a slugger by acquiring Adam Dunn). Things are good in Dodgertown...then two nights ago when the ninth inning started the Dodgers were without a left fielder.
Manny believed he had been taken out by manager Joe Torre, so he returned to the clubhouse to "use the bathroom". When someone finally went to get him, he ran out onto the field with the top half of his uniform half open, leaving people wondering why you would need to take the top half of your uniform off to use the restroom.
Watching the game and the highlights, I was taken back to that fateful summer when he disappeared into the Monster during a pitching change and didn't return until the last second.
Sure this is Dodgers fans' first firsthand taste of "Manny Being Manny," but the more times you say it, the more it grates on your nerves and eventually you end up saying it through gritted teeth and with no trace of a smile on your face.
Then, he'll stop running out ground balls and instead start making plays in the outfield that will leave you scratching your head and wondering if you, who played baseball in high school, or your little next door neighbor who's just started little league could have made that play.
He'll also start complaining about the media intruding in his personal life, and saying the front office is causing him problems.
It'll all start slowly of course, with a comment here, a comment there, then it will all start to snowball, eventually leading to all-out mutiny with him being too hurt to play in crucial series or holding up signs in the dugout requesting trades—no matter how hilarious those signs may be—or telling reporters that he would play in Iraq if he had to (what?).
Yes Dodger fans, you and Manny are in the honeymoon stage right now, but wait until these things start happening. Maybe they won't happen this year, but remember that he becomes a free agent at the end of the year and he has expressed his undying love for Dodger blue and has said he would like to finish his career in it.
If the Dodgers' front office wants to pony up the dough to sign him for the next few years, get yourself ready for the incredible show that will surely commence.
Sincerely,
Andy, and Red Sox fans everywhere
6 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
Brett Moore 10 months ago
Oh, come on. At least it's ENTERTAINING. And it takes some of the focus off of the giant holes elsewhere in this team that AREN'T going to be addressed.
I just hope it STAYS entertaining, and not unbelievably frustrating the way it's been for you Boston fans. I do admit, I was apprehensive when he got dealt to us, but for now, I'm letting his bat do the talking back to me.
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Andy Guerrero 10 months ago
I agree, he is extremely entertaining. Like I said at the beginning I'm a huge Manny fan, it just gets tiring after a while. I wish him and Dodger fans the best.
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christine king 10 months ago
Speak for yourself, "Andy", with your banal, redundant remarks. You do NOT speak for "Red Sox Fans everywhere".
Manny is not just tearing the cover off the ball, he is a very positive clubhouse influence in LA - and miscommunication with his managr does not signify 'the beginning' of anything.
But Manny's raking might signfy a Dodger posttseason.
The Boston media, front office and lunatic fanbase played a large part in Manny's dissatisfaction in Boston. Hope LA does things better, which means NOT EXAGGERATING every move the man makes, as you've done here.
Christine
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Andy Guerrero 10 months ago
I don't know why I have to keep reiterating the fact that I am a FAN of Manny Ramirez. That is pointed out at the BEGINNING of my aricle. Plus if you look at the article tags, one of them happens to be comedy. This article was meerly stating how myself and many other Red Sox fans I have talked to felt about his adventures in Boston. As for your comment...thank you for the constructice criticism. I'm sorry you didn't find the article humorous as it was intended to be, and if you didn't read it carefully let me point out that I highlighted the fact that he is putting up unbelievable numbers in L.A. And as I said in my previous comment, I wish him the best. I'm also not sure what you're referring to about me exaggerating things. Everything I put in the article is truthful. And for future reference, my name is actually Andy so you don't need to put quotes like it's some sort of moniker I use on this web site. Cheers!
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Jose Caverone 10 months ago
Don't worry about a thing with Manny. He's on a roll that won't last long 'cause he's a conman. A pig. And he'll only be able to keep up the act for so long. Lazy and inconsistent in the field, he'll give 'em glimpses of brilliance mixed in with everyday loafing. Give him a great big left field and he'll flounder. Make him run out a grounder and 8 outa 10 times he won't. Toss in a year when the team just doesn't quite make the grade and he'll walk just like he did to the Sox in '06. You think he did those things in Boston 'cause of his "option?" THAT was 'Manny being Manny." Lazy, selfish, self-absorbed. His manager and his teammates will see it before the rest, because they know the difference between a teammate and a conman. Yeah but he's a great hitter. Maybe so, but there's one helluva lot more to baseball, on any level, than a bat. You've already seen in Boston what he'll give ya for 20 million. What d'ya think you'll get for 25? You'll get Manny. Being Manny. Just wait
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
I think everyone jumping on the 9th inning snafu is just looking for hook to hang Manny from. While Manny has busted his ass as a Dodger, I do know he dogged it some as a Sox. LA fans will tolerate alot, but not the lack of effort.
I was at a game when Charles Johnson (you know, Mike Piazza's joke of a replacement behind the plate) hit a fly down the line half way into the outfield. He stayed at the plate then when the ball landed just fair, he dogged it down the line just beating out a throw from the shortstop. He was booed mercilessly. Next time up fans were on him from the on deck circle. He cranked the first pitch for a homer, but both sides were left with irreparably hard feelings. With all the things you can say about the next catcher - Paul LoDuca - lack of effort was not on the list.
All that aside, since Manny has Boras (aka Satan) as his agent, the Dodgers will offer arbitration and take the couple of draft picks since I do not believe he will be resigned.
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