Manny never comfortable in Boston

I'm really hoping Scott Boras gets hit by a train soon. I'm tired of his mouthing off and all the mud he throws back at Boston.

Manny thinks that his crap doesn't stink. He doesn't want to be scrutinized. He doesn't want to be talked about in a negative way. He could never understand why New Englanders were so passionate about baseball, which really makes me laugh because as a professional baseball player you have to be passionate about the game. At some point, Manny was a fan before he was a player.

From his snake of an agent regarding why Manny never moved to the suburbs like other professional Boston athletes (read, move to large, big house complexes where your neighbor is four football fields away and the area is gated):

"I think he explored that [moving to the suburbs] and he did not find the process to be much different," Boras said. "It was just basically that the Boston community for Manny was something that he was just not comfortable with. He happens to be comfortable in the suburbs of Cleveland, or in the suburbs of Los Angeles, but that's just an individual appraisal on his part. He felt that way for years. He voiced it to management and certainly that was the reasoning behind his decision."

Manny has enough money to buy any house that he wants. He came to Boston for the biggest pay day of his career at that point. He didn't think about the pressures he would face in Boston, especially in a pre-2004 Red Sox Nation.

So Boras, please shut your pie hole and find a new home for Manny. Do your job and stop trying to get ink for yourself.
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Welcome Jason Bay; Manny being Mannyland

The dust has settled. Manny is in LA. Jason Bay is in Beantown. The hype is quieted down just a tad, but there's still MUCH to talk about, including the fact that Manny wanted to stay.

First off, Jason Bay. Could the Fenway crowd have given him any more of a heartfelt welcome last night? Very classy folks. Very classy. The guy even brings home the winning run in the 12th AND makes a nice catch in left. Very nice start to what I hope will be a productive last third of the season and a great 2009.

As for Manny, well he grounded into a double play to end the game last night. Oh well. The one thing that I thought was hilarious was Dan Shaughnessy's column today. While the guy gets under my skin a lot, he seems to be writing what I'm thinking a lot as of late. Did you see what he had to say about Normar trashing the Sox?

In yesterday's Los Angeles Times, Nomar told Bill Shaikin, "Manny said he didn't want to leave [Boston]. I didn't want to leave there . . . We're not the only ones that have gone through it. There's a track record. I played with Mo [Vaughn]. I played with Roger [Clemens]."

Right, Nomie. You played in Boston and you hated it. You turned down a four-year, $60 million offer from the Sox before you got yourself shipped out of town in 2004.

I love his sign off on the column:

In the end, Boston proved too much for the man. There'll be none of that nasty "intensity" here in La-La Land. Maybe they'll let Manny leave in the seventh inning with the rest of the fans.

And oh yea, did you see who was creeping over Manny's shoulder as LA rolled the all-star out for the press?

None other than Danny boy from the Globe:

 

Here's your caption: "Manny Ramirez is introduced to the LA media. Also, in a stunning announcement, the Boston Globe has relocated Dan Shaughnessy to the west coast so he can tail Manny like the paparazzi does to Britney Spears. Said Shaughnessy, 'Manny thought he got the star treatment in Boston? Wait, just wait.'"

As for the story that Manny wanted to stay. What the heck is that all about? That confirmed to management that he was, in fact, trying to submarine the season for the Sox. He didn't want to be here. The Sox didn't want him here. It all came down to Manny wanting to know what the situation was post this season. The Sox, as they always do, wait until the last second to make decisions on player movement. They want to make sure they are investing in the right stocks, so to speak. Maybe they wanted to see how he finished the season, if he was going to play nice. When the Sox were quiet on the contract front, Manny started to become a pain in the butt. He wanted to come into this season, get locked up for another three years, etc. and play ball.

The Sox, on the other hand, wanted to wait and weight their options. Manny, being the spoiled star that he is, didn't want to wait. He wanted answers but the Sox weren't going to give it to him when he wanted it. They were going to take the necessary steps to do whatever was best for the team. It's that simple. The team is in the driver's seat...always. Players need to understand that. Yea, players can sit, pout, whine, take three straight strikes in protest of not wanting to bat, say your knee is hurting you, etc. At the end of the day though, the team has the power.

Clear evidence of that fact is seeing Manny wearing #99 on the west side and not #24 on the east side. Read more!

Thoughts on Mannywood

This isn't a news flash, not in today's instant media gratification world we live in. Manny is no longer wearing red, white and blue. He's now wearing just white and blue, LA Dodger blue to be exact.

My thoughts are mixed on this.

I understand why Manny was traded. He became a cancer in the clubhouse. His antics were no longer welcomed. He was a distraction during a time when the team needed to be focused on winning and catching up to the DRays and/or fending off the Yankees.

Additionally, Manny had all but given up on the team. The effort wasn't there. Why keep a guy on your team that's not willing to do what it takes to win - especially in the middle of a playoff hunt. Manny knows he's a talented player and knows that his shark of an agent - Scott Boras - would get him a big payday once free agency came calling at the end of the year.

My theory is that Manny has always hated Boston. He came here for the money. Once he really started to hate it, he started pulling these crazy antics to get himself shipped out of Boston. He tried in 2005 and it didn't work. He tried in 2006 and the Sox couldn't get the deal done. Don't forget the Manny for A-Rod deal that almost went through. The Sox just couldn't move him. He made too much money at the end of the day, the guy was still hitting HRs, driving in RBIs, etc. He was a part of the feared Ortiz/Manny combo. He was part of a line-up that was feared league wide, especially in NY (see Joe Torre's comments in today's Times about welcoming Manny to Mannywood).

I will miss that part of having Manny on the Sox - his bat. His presence in the line-up made us a better team. However, you just don't win championships with strong offense. You need great D (which Manny wasn't the best LF), you need great pitching (which Manny doesn't play a role in) and finally, you need chemistry among the guys in the clubhouse (which Manny apparently DIDN'T contribute to).

In the end, I know Jason Bay isn't a Manny Ramirez. I almost feel bad for him. He will be scrutinized and unfairly compared to Manny. I really hope the kid blows our socks off and has the best two month span of his career - so much so that we forget about the lunatic that stood out in left field.

So see ya later Manny. Thanks for the two rings. Thanks for the unbelievable appearances at the plate. Thanks for the fodder for the media. Thanks for keeping us entertained for the past eight years. Most of all, thanks for being Manny.

P.S. Say hello to I'm no longer a star Nomar Garciaparra and Derek I can't keep my hands off the booze and ladies (literally) Lowe.

 

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The World is Coming to an End; I agree with Dan Shaughnessy

For the first time in a long time I agree with Dan Shaughnessy. The world is coming to an end. Save yourself. Save your kids. Watch out for flying pigs.

I was at the Sox / Skankees game last night. Yea, the delay was brutal, but in the end it was all good because the Sox won. Shaughnessy captures the story behind last night's game perfectly in today's column. The fans booed Manny during the line-up intros, but applauded him when he was smacking the ball around the old ball part and making a decent catch in left.

So what do we do? Do we trade him to the Mets, as I previously suggested and now Shaughnessy is suggesting or do we ride his behind for the next three months and take his production to another ring ceremony.

In my opinion, I say we're a better team offensively with him in the line-up. The Ortiz/Manny combo is deadly. However, if we can get a few strong arms and some draft picks, I'm all for shipping his butt out of Beantown.
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Professional Athelte's: Talent vs. Conduct

Bob Ryan wrote an interesting piece about the cost of talent vs. conduct in professional sports. Recent examples: Pacman Jones, Willie Andrews and Manny Ramirez.

In each of these cases, the player conducted himself in a manner which would have gotten him fired from a job if he worked in the real world. Yes, what Manny did was not as bad as what Pacman Jones was accused of and what Willie Andrews was arrested and released from the Pats for (though this is Manny's second such incident - see the Manny/Youk dug-out spat a few weeks ago). Regardless, conduct incidents have been on the rise in professional sports. Is it a matter of more media attention and that nothing can slip through the cracks any more or can this behavior be blamed on created a generation of professional athletes who have had the world handed to them on a gold platter and they think they can do whatever they want?

I think it's a combination of both. The biggest problem in all of this is how team's handle these situations. Should Manny have been suspended for a couple of games? Yes, I think so. Should teams take a tougher approach with discipline? Yes, I think so.

They won't, however. Why?

Because winning is everything. Winning makes owners richer. It's a better investment to seek the counsel of crisis communication experts than suspend a player. "Handling things in-house" is the way these situations are handled. They are not handled by publicly spanking a player, taking away game-money, and/or having the player wear street cloths for an extended period of time.

I realize that we've won a number of championships in Boston over the past 7 years. It's been incredible. However, I'm sure their have been lots of incidents - big and small - that have transpired with players, which never came to light. Part of management's responsibility is basically to babysit and clean-up after these overpaid, adolescent billionaires. It's in the interest of their bottom lines to do so. It's a horrible thing to think about, but who's actually thinking about it? We've been too busy planning parades. Read more!