Manny Makes Me Angry
For the record, I’m not all that convinced that the Red Sox are really that much worse off with Jason Bay on this team instead of Manny Ramirez. Bay had a great ALDS and was solid, both at the plate and in the field as a member of the Sox down the stretch this year. Add to it the fact that half the team, or at least Curt Schilling (who at least talks more than half the team) wanted him out and the deal was a no-brainer. Yes, the Sox had to pay for his salary for the rest of the year, but they are effectively saving $12.5 million on this deal by having Bay next year instead of the option on Manny. So it didn’t even really cost them that much, not that I really care how they spend my beer money anyway.
No, its the fact that Manny forced the Sox to do this. It’s the fact that he quit, not just on his team, but on every Red Sox fan and is giving baseball a bad name. He’s shown that he doesn’t care about anything other than getting paid a hundred million dollars. But can we blame him for that? YES! I blame him, personally. I don’t want to hear any of this crap about how Scott Boras is manipulating him and all that. He signed him as an agent and he listened to every word he said about how to act and how to create a situation where he will get paid this off season. He rolled the Red Sox, he rolled the fans, the game, and most importantly, you and I. I am angry and you all should be too. Even Dodgers fans should be a little upset. Granted, they are winning now because of Manny, but he’s going to roll them over as well. He’ll play hard this year and win all their hearts, and then most likely will be signing with the cross-town Angels or some other big budget American League team so he can continue to be lazy and play as a DH.
But we do have one hope left. It’s called the Sports Illustrated cover jinx. Manny, AKA Greedy Baseball Playing Bastard, is on the cover. And this means the Dodgers are going to lose. At least I hope so. I’m angry, and I feel like I have every right. And I expect everyone else to be angry too, especially if we are forced to Boo Manny when he comes back to Boston in the World Series. Maybe we’ll be smart and bean him with the first pitch. Maybe Philly will do that tonight. We can only hope.
After all, he is one of the best hitters of all time, at least when he tries. And that’s the point - he tries for them when he didn’t for us. And for that, I’m appalled.
Stumble it!
October 10th, 2008 at 5:06 am
Although one cannot deny that Manny’s production for the Dodgers was the difference that got them to the playoffs and through the division series, it’s interesting to note how in this team sport we call baseball, the “story” in LA as reported by the media always seems to be about Manny. i.e., this SI See Manny Run cover, or so many headlines referencing “Manny and the Dodgers” as if he were the headliner in a music act, a la Diana Ross and The Supremes. On one hand, America loves the underdog story and total effort of a starless team story of a Tampa Bay Rays, but clearly America also has a love/hate relationship and response to what Dion and The Belmonts referred to as “Donna, The Prima Donna.” The media is intergral to the problem, though, as Manny’s attitudes and shenanigans - and advice of his agent - wouldn’t be as pubically known in earlier pre-realityTV-times. This said - and despite his apparent attitude of live-in-the-moment-and-play-like-there’s-no-tomorrow-until-he-decides-he-wants-to-be-somewhere-else-tomorrow - I personally continue to have a tremendous appreciation for Manny’s core talent and game-changing abilities. And while 10% of the words that come out of his mouth and a larger percent of his behaviors on the field seem to reveal a more individual vs. team consciousness, a great deal of his words and actions still stand out as being among the most positive, unassuming, respectful, team conscious, and genuine - more so than just about any other player who so often spout off the politically-correct but not always believable team-first-jargon in as believable a way as a McCain-Palin country-first stump speech. Manny is full of contradictions and truly human qualities that seem to set off emotions that at times are contradictory - a carefree and fundamental love for the game vs. I gotta do what I gotta do.
October 10th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Hmmm…what did Manny hit for your precious Sox before he got traded?
Let’s see…
66 runs
20 home runs
68 ribbies
.299 avg
What a slouch! He’s terrible! He never tried. In fact, during every last one of those homers, he yawned mid-swing and flicked off Kevin Youkilis
And let’s see the Captain Varitek’s numbers…
37 runs
13 homers
43 ribbies
.220 avg
And that’s from the ENTIRE SEASON. He’s terrible. He’s obviously not trying. Why not make him the poster-boy for Epic Boston Failure? He did not even come close to matching Manny’s midseason stats for an ENTIRE season. Why aren’t you complaining about that? What, he’s a catcher? Who cares, he’s got a piss-poor bat, but who cares, right? At least he’s not Manny, right? Who needs all of that offense?
You guys asked for this trade over and over again. And over again. Yeah, sure, every last one of those home runs (most of them coming without Ortiz in the line-up) were selfish. That’s a tanglible quality one can attribute to a home run, “selfishness”. Great. Keep drinking that Tim McCarver Kool-Aid. The guy’s a hack.