What Goes Around Comes Around...What Now, Manny Ramirez?

You know the story...You don't need yet another recap of what Manny does or why he does it. Where he is going or why he's not. Those stories are more abundant than needle marks in Clemens' ass.

This is a story about the Golden Rule. My mom always told me to, "Do Unto Others as You Would Want Them to Do Unto You." I did. And in return I've got pretty much exactly what I expected from life. People are nice to me. I get a lot of free stuff from strangers. I have very little anxiety or stress in my life. And I have more friends than I ever could have expected. I'm very lucky.

But let's look at Mom's rule (actually not hers..I'm pretty sure someone coined it before she did) in reverse. What if...Just suppose...I know it seems unlikely but what if a guy screwed around while all his teammates were playing hard.

And what if he was always late for the team bus. And just suppose he tinkled behind the monument that represents who you are and what you stand for as an organization.

And what if, he refused to go to battle for your team, but then strapped a pair on when he went to play for his next team. And is it possible that any guy would try to spell T-E-A-M by only using the letters I, M, and E?

And what if that guy got in a fight with one of the heroes of your team. And the same guy pushed down the elderly traveling secretary of your team. And suppose your team had a dress code and a code of conduct and this guy wanted to wear head gear that didn't conform with that code.

And then...as if all that wasn't enough...what if that guy hired the nastiest and most ruthless of all agents to try to pry money out of your economy hampered wallet. And suppose this guy was getting older and couldn't necessarily produce the way he used to and told you that he could all the while holding his fingers crossed behind his back.

Oh yeah, and the guy signed a contract in good faith, but didn't want to use it any more. He couldn't rip it up, but decided he didn't like it. Oh wait, and he bad mouthed your city and the fans who pay his $160,000,000 salary.

And suppose he didn't pay attention to history and see that guys like Bonds, Sosa, and Canseco eventually get black balled and their cons outweigh their pros to such a degree that NO ONE wants to sign them.

And if your team buckled and said, "Okay, I'll pay you $40,000,000 for two years" and this guy said, "Nah...I will only play for you if you give me three years."

You think Mom would be happy with his execution of the Golden Rule?

Wait...think about it...Do Unto Others...As You Would Want them to Do Unto You...

Maybe this guy wants to be treated this way. Maybe he is doing the golden rule and just has a different view point than I do. The Golden Rule doesn't really say you have to be nice. It just says, "If you behave a certain way you'll get the same in return".

I see things differently now...Manny is getting exactly what he hoped for.

Whew...I feel a lot better now.