Manny Ramirez: Why He'll Poison the Chicago White Sox Playoff Hopes
So Manny Ramirez is now on the waiver wire and in all likelihood, he's packing up shop and headed to Chicago to join the White Sox.
Chicago is trying to make a push for the playoffs and hope that Manny is the piece that puts them over the top. Of course, they are insane and misguided, but that's what they believe.
This is going to end badly, and here's the best 10 (because there are a million) reasons why Manny Ramirez will kill the White Sox slim playoff hopes.
No. 10: He's Not Needed
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The White Sox are fifth in the league in home runs with 144. Does Chicago really need another power bat in its lineup? I say no.
Chicago is currently 9.5 games out of the Wild Card. This sounds like more of a move to put butts in the seats down the stretch than a move that's going to improve the actual team on the field.
If anyone actually believes that this move is a positive for the White Sox, they're either delusional or blind.
No. 9: You Can't Trust Him
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Manny Ramirez has proven one thing during his career other than his talent at the plate; he's without a doubt a pathological liar.
He's lied to the Red Sox while he was there about numerous things. He said he had family issues and had to be late for spring training. Where was Manny instead? A classic car convention. What kind of person does that? Better yet, who wants that type of person on their team?
Chicago, I hope you know what you're getting into.
No. 8: Lack of Focus
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How many times have you seen Manny make, or try to make, a play and wonder what in the world he could possibly be thinking?
The answer is more than you can count and it's because he's so aloof and carefree out in the field. During one game, Manny was actually listening to his iPod in left field.
Some would say that's endearing, but I call it reckless and stupid. Sure, he'll probably DH in Chicago and that won't be an issue, but it's not just on the field where he totally zones out.
It'll be an issue in Chicago at least once, even if he's only going to be there for about a month—I guarantee it.
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#7: Steroids
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Last year, Manny Ramirez was suspended 50 games for violating the league's performance enhancing drug policy.
While he was suspended, it was revealed that Manny was on the list of 104 players who tested positive in 2003.
What kind of message does it send to your team and your fan base that with your season going down the tubes (let's be real Sox fans, it is) you needed to turn to a steroid user to try and save it?
It's a public relations nightmare, but then again, when you have a walking profanity in Ozzie Guillen, I guess it doesn't matter.
#6: Aging
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In the last two years, Manny has hit 27 home runs. In 2008, he hit 37. Sensing a pattern?
He's breaking down now at age 38. He has spent most of this season hurt (or pretending to be hurt, you never know) and has contributed little to the Dodgers.
You're trying to make the playoffs, and you decide you're going to pick up an aging slugger with a recent injury history? Bravo, White Sox, bravo.
#5: Lazy
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Has Manny Ramirez ever hustled in his entire life? That's not a joke, that's a serious question.
I've never seen it. I've seen Manny use the Green Monster as a toilet. I've seen him lazily jog down the first base line. I've even seen him believe to have hit a home run, pose, and watch it, only for it to hit the wall and him to try calling timeout to an umpire instead of actually running down the baseline.
Hustle has never been in Manny's vocabulary and never will be. Hustle wins over your teammates and your fans. That stuff wins games, and Manny just doesn't have it and needs it at this point in his career.
#4: Distraction
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The White Sox could have flown under the radar. No one was really talking about them, and they could have slowly and steadily crept up on Tampa/New York and Boston.
Now, it's the Manny show, and people are going to keep an eye on Chicago with more reporters starting to ask about Manny. Before you know it, it's going to be Manny's team, even though he just got there.
How is that fair to guys like Paul Konerko who are having great years only to have this joke come into town and overshadow them?
If I were on the White Sox, I'd take this as a slap in the face.
#3: Lack of Dedication
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While the Dodgers were in Game 4 of the NLDS last year, Manny was in the shower. He wasn't in the dugout, he wasn't cheering his teammates on, he was taking a shower.
That's not the type of guy you want in a clubhouse. He's the same guy who faked a knee injury in Boston and shoved an old man to the ground in the locker room.
When you bring in Manny Ramirez, you bring in a guy who's out for only himself. If you expect that type of player to help you make the playoffs in the waning stages of his career, you're fooling yourself.
#2: Drama
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When you bring Manny on to your team, you don't just bring on Manny the player.
You bring on his whining and his complaining and all of the controversy he creates. Manny is a favorite target of columnists for some of the things he does. He's a walking drama factory and when you're trying to make the playoffs, you don't want someone who's going to make waves.
The best players know how to keep things under wraps and not stir the pot. Even if things seem okay on the outside in Chicago, I bet there's more than one person who would love nothing more than to punch him.
That's just who he is.
#1: Conflicts
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So when Chicago's front office sat down to talk about adding Manny Ramirez, how in the world did Ken Williams think this was a good idea?
No sane, rational person would ever, ever think that adding Manny to a team managed by Ozzie Guillen would be a good idea.
Ozzie will argue with anyone, and he's a thick-headed, loud-mouthed person. Putting someone on the team who will directly defy a manager is just asking for trouble.
I fully expect one fight between the two, and I can't wait to see it. It's going to a be a bumpy ride. Get your popcorn ready.
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