Manny says he wants to finish his career with the Dodgers
(AP)
Old friend Manny Ramirez is looking right at home in Los Angeles after just two games with the Dodgers and it sounds like he's already ready to finish his career in LA.
We've got a full media roundup of Manny's comments this weekend on finding peace in LA, his difficulties playing in Boston, the Hall of Fame cap question, Dodger fans, and more along with Manny's agent Scott Boras refuting a Globe report that Ramirez lobbied to remain in Boston after learning he had been traded to the Dodgers.
First up, ESPNdesportes has Manny saying he wants to finish his career with the Dodgers:
"I like this city, the environment, the energy in the fans. I think that I'll play here for the remainder of my career," Ramirez said in an exclusive interview with ESPNdeportes.com."I just feel comfortable. Regardless of how hectic Friday was -- traveling from Boston with only a few hours of sleep, going to a press conference and later play a game -- I started to feel the peace of mind that I was searching for," Ramirez added. ...
"The Dodgers brought me here to end my career in this city -- at least that's what I'm thinking. However, we haven't even discussed the future. I'm simply starting to know this team," Ramirez said.
MLB.com has more on the former Sox left fielder saying he wants to stay in LA:
"I love it," Ramirez said after one game with the Dodgers. "I feel at home already. Put the word on me -- I want to stay here. The weather is nice, the stadium is beautiful." ..."I've already made $160 million," he said. "I like it here. I'm looking for peace. I want to stay here. At the end of the season, if the Dodgers want me to end my career here, we'll sit down and talk. Time will tell." ...
"I want peace," Ramirez said. "After the game [Friday night], I went out to dinner and nobody bothers you. In Boston, you go from the stadium straight home. That's what I'm talking about. Some people recognized me, said congratulations, that's it. I could go to the movies with my family. I've got nothing against Boston, but this is what I'm looking for. The game is supposed to be fun." ...
As for his first game with the Dodgers, Ramirez disagreed that he didn't hustle on a ball to the left-center gap by Chris Burke that went for a triple.
"I can't take that. What do you think I am, [Juan] Pierre?" he said. "I'm not that fast. I'm 5.3 to first base, remember?"
NESN.com's Jaime Cardenas has more from Manny's interviews yesterday, his response a question about his Hall of Fame cap, and Nomar Garciaparra putting in his two cents on leaving Boston:
How bad was the relationship between the Boston Red Sox and Manny Ramirez?Bad enough that the dreadlock-sporting outfielder isn’t sure if he wants to be inducted into Cooperstown wearing a Red Sox cap.
“At this moment, I’m just taking it day by day,” Ramirez said in Spanish, when asked if he would like to go into the Hall of Fame wearing a Red Sox cap. “I’m not thinking about [what cap to wear].” ...
There was also a reporter from a Spanish-language station who wanted to know if Ramirez would be interested in doing telenovelas, which are Spanish soap operas.
“Maybe,” Ramirez said. ...
“Whatever happened in Boston is in the past -- I’m thinking blue now,” said Ramirez, who was unable to finish his statement with a straight face (“Think Blue” is the name of a marketing campaign the Dodgers use to sell tickets).
Ramirez, much like McGwire back when he was in front of Congress, used the word “past” frequently.
“Thinking of Boston makes me put my brain on pause. I go ‘pop,’” he said. “I feel like I took 5,000 pounds off my back.”
Former Red Sox teammate Nomar Garciaparra, who’s now with the Dodgers, said the Red Sox seems to have a modus operandi of letting players go before they want to leave -- Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, Johnny Damon, Garciaparra and Ramirez to name a few.
“We didn’t leave. They sent us out,” said Garciaparra, who was placed on the DL in order to make room for Ramirez on the roster. “It wasn’t our choice [to leave]. It was their choice.”
Cardenas has quotes from Manny, Joe Torre, Nomar and other Dodgers, including Manny's answer to why he ended up wearing No. 99:
“I don’t know why they gave me 99.”The suggestion that his wearing No. 99 had any connection to former L.A. Kings legend Wayne Gretzky, who also wore the number:
“I don’t know anything about hockey. They don’t have hockey in the Dominican.”
CBSSports.com's Scott Miller has more on No. 99:
As for his new number, 99, he explained that it simply was the number he was issued. There seemed to be some discrepancy about that, though. His former number, 24, is unavailable because the Dodgers retired it in honor of legendary manager Walter Alston.Ramirez's second choice was No. 34 but, well, that was Fernando Valenzuela's number.
"It's not retired, but it's retired in our hearts," said Mitch Poole, Dodgers' clubhouse manager.
A series of text messages between the Dodgers and Ramirez's representatives finally produced 99.
"The Dodgers said that's fine if that's what you want to wear," Poole said.
Beimel, by the way, wears No. 97. Maybe the Dodgers simply issue numbers in the 90s to their long-haired dudes.
A guy from the Jimmy Kimmel show -- hey, this is Hollywood, baby -- asked whether Ramirez needed someone to show him around Los Angeles. In Spanish, Manny explained he's got one of those navigation systems.
The LA Times has the dugout reaction following Manny's first home run for the Dodgers last night and more on Ramirez finding peace in Los Angeles:
After rounding the bases to raucous applause and being greeted by Juan Pierre with a hearty slap on the helmet at home plate, Ramirez was serenaded by chants of "Man-ny! Man-ny!" as he returned to the dugout after his first-inning home run."I like that they've got my back," Ramirez said of the fans. "I've got their back." ...
Ramirez's teammates nudged him to the front of the dugout for a curtain call in which he raised his cap to acknowledge the fans.
"I'm still kind of nervous, kind of shy," Ramirez said. "I'm still settling in."
The Times has Scott Boras saying he did not make a call to the Red Sox after the trade in an attempt to repair the relationship with Boston:
Agent Scott Boras dismissed a report in the Boston Globe that he had tried to salvage the relationship between Manny Ramirez and the Boston Red Sox after the team had traded the left fielder to the Dodgers as "completely inaccurate." ..."There was one phone call made to let me know Manny was traded," Boras said Saturday evening. "There was no follow-up phone call."
Ramirez seemed irked when asked about the report before the Dodgers played Arizona at Dodger Stadium.
"That's not true," he said. "You bring your stuff back from Boston. I'm in L.A. already. Talk to me about today."
Yesterday in the Times, Bill Shakin had more on Boras denying he orchestrated the deal:
"Manny did not hire me to get him traded," Boras said. ...[Curt] Schilling, appearing Thursday on Boston radio station WEEI, said he suspected Boras played a role in trying to force the Red Sox to trade the 36-year-old Ramirez.
"I think he's absolutely had a hand in this," Schilling said. "Scott Boras stands to make zero dollars if the Red Sox pick up Manny's options the next two years."
Said Boras: "I don't know Curt Schilling, other than the fact that, way back when in Philadelphia, he said signing J.D. Drew would be a huge mistake."
Boras said Ramirez did not hire him to figure out how to become a free agent this year, let alone to devise a scheme to get the outfielder out of Boston before then.
"There might have been a renegotiation with the Red Sox in the future," Boras said. "You simply can't anticipate situations like this occurring."
The Globe's Nick Cafardo has more from Boras today:
"I never contacted the Red Sox after the deal was made," Boras said.How about before?
"Theo [Epstein] and I had many discussions," Boras said. "Both parties agreed that it was in the best interest of everyone involved for Manny to move forward." Boras did not address whether the dropping of the options was discussed in his earlier conversations with Epstein.
The Red Sox did not respond to messages seeking comment on the story or Boras's denial.
In the LA Daily News, columnist Steve Dilbeck is a bit skeptical about Manny's quick love affair with all things LA:
Manny loves you sooo much, he never wants to leave you. Wants to spend the rest of his career in Dodger Blue.And you already love him. Buy tickets to see him. Chant his name. Rise to the edge of your seats when he bats. Lose your collective breath when he absolutely rockets a pitch out of the ballpark.
Now you know how these instant love affairs normally end up. All heat and passion in the moment. All "What was I thinking?" the next.
Be warned this could absolutely be the case of Manny and L.A., but right now all is in the throes of this instant whirlwind love affair. ...
Absolute wild guess, but I'm thinking Boras believes he can garner more than $20 million per, or there's no movement to drop the options.
Kinda hard to see our resident super agent sitting down with general manager Ned Colletti and saying: Hey, he just wants peace! He's more than willing to take a new-home discount.
"Hey, I already made $160 million," Manny said. "I like it here, you know. I'm looking for peace. I got it here. I'm blessed to be here with a bunch of great guys. The team is even young. I love it."
Cue Barry White: Can't get enough of your love, baby.
So much mush, it almost makes you want to turn away in embarrassment.
Dilbeck has more on Manny being happier in LA:
Manny said he went out to dinner Friday with some of his teammates and there was no mob scene. No disruptive combustion. No frantic paparazzi."Nobody bothers you," he said. "In Boston, it was like from the stadium to home.
"Over here they don't make it a big deal. Hey, hi, how you doing. Nice hit. Move on. Over there, you go straight home."
Don't recall Manny making this offer to anyone in the Boston media, but LA Times columnist T.J. Simers has Ramirez inviting him to sit on his lap before last night's game:
Ten minutes into my first meeting with Manny Ramirez and he wants me to sit on his lap, and if Kevin Brown has learned to read by now, I'd love to see the expression on his face when he sees that. ...Manny says, "The guys here have received me with open arms," and to demonstrate, stands up and hugs Mark Sweeney. It's the first contact the pinch-hitter has made in a long time, so I'm happy for Sweeney. ...
"I've already made $160 million," Ramirez says. "I like it here. I'm looking for peace."
That certainly makes him the Parking Lot Attendant's favorite kind of player, I say, Frank McCourt probably more than happy to give him peace, so long as he doesn't have to pay him.
Ramirez laughs and laughs. "Will you put a good word in for me?" he says, but I have to let him know I'm probably not the right guy for that job. ...
Several L.A.-area reporters continue to pester him about Boston, and I say, "Who cares about Boston?"
Ramirez loves it. "Come here and sit on my lap," he says, and I wonder what the newspapers' expense account policy is for tipping baseball players for lap dances.
My buddy wants to move on, but there's one more question about Schilling's criticism of him.
"Why am I going to waste my energy on what people say about me?" he says. "I just want to come here and play hard every game."
The LA Times' Kurt Street has a couple of Dodger fans excited about having Manny on their side:
Sitting on splintered seats, Ruiz and his fellow Dodgers loyalist Renato Casas told me Saturday night they feel like they've died and gone to heaven."Surprised isn't the right word, really," said Casas, leaning in to speak to me just after the beginning of the game, which turned out to be a 4-2 Dodgers win. "More like, I just couldn't believe it. I thought I was dreaming."
"I mean, we're talking Manny Ramirez," Ruiz added, tugging his Dodgers cap. "Manny Ramirez? He's the best hitter in baseball. It's that simple. . . . Trust me, one man can make a difference."
The Blue Notes blog in the Times has more from Dodgers manager Joe Torre on Manny's effect on his team:
As Manny explained afterward, he's still a little nervous in his new surroundings. That may be the case, but Ramirez still managed to carry himself like a rock star, a presence lost neither on his teammates nor his manager."It's had a great effect on the ball club," smiled Joe Torre. "The players, they get excited. Manny's got that kind of personality and that kind of ability. Hopefully, we can build on it." If nothing, else, I would plan on seeing Dodger fans trip over themselves in an effort to see Manny help shape a box score. It was his second day at the Ravine and flashbulbs were still popping like champagne corks on New Year's Eve every time he stood at the plate. I think it'll be a while before that reaction dies down, if it even does at all.
Blue Notes also had a pregame entry on the environment in the Dodger locker room now that Manny is in the house and more on Manny's quick embrace of LA:
...it's immediately striking to enter the room and hear Latin music- featuring a jumpy beat and funky horns- blaring from an iPod deck. It also becomes immediately apparent that a clubhouse with a locker owned by Manny Ramirez is very different than the one I've become used to covering the Blue for three seasons.Manny said he wants to stay in L.A. (completely refuting a report that he never wanted to leave Fenway) beyond this season. The man apparently learns quickly what he likes and doesn't like, because he was able to cite plenty of reasons, despite having played just a game here. "The weather is nice. The stadium is beautiful, man." Plus, he likes that unlike his old city, you can go out for dinner after the game without being accosted. I'm curious to see if that opinion remains after his first encounter with TMZ, but Derek Lowe actually said the same thing a couple days ago, for that's worth. That, and fans that allow themselves to have more fun with baseball, as it sounded like the Saux Nation gets a little too agro for his taste. That being said, he understands the desire to see a guy play hard, which Ramirez says he has been and will continue doing, contrary to the opinion recently express by ex-teammate Curt Schilling. Manny also doesn't really care what the righty has to say. "I'm a new chapter. Why am I gonna waste my energy on what people are gonna say about me."
Blue Notes also has audio links to Manny's pregame interview last night, complete with all the chuckles from the LA media and Manny's music blaring in the background: Part 1, Part 2.
Can we get over manny ramirez and maybe not post every little thing he's done IN LA on this BOSTON based website? He's part of our past. Let's concentrate on our future, no?
Someone better remind the Dodgers how recently Manny was saying this about the Red Sox.
Seems like I've heard awfully familiar words coming out of Manny's mouth when he came to Boston...and when he started this season. Just substitute "Boston" for "Los Angeles," and it's the same speech. We'll see. Hope the Dodger fans don't get too fond of him...I suspect he can substitute "New York" just as easily in his next welcome to the team speech.
This has now been done to death, media-wise. I'm sure Manny is completely thrilled that his bad-boy antics not only got him what he wanted, but he's now garnering bi-coastal attention. Let's move on...he has.
This latest round of comments from Manny really make me question his mental stability. After being in LA for 36 hours, he wants to play out his career there and buy a house??? I guess a $1M relocation bonus would make me want to buy a house as well.
Also, given what he did to the Sox management, how could any other GM sign this guy over the winter and not suspect that Manny would do the same to them?
All I can say now is that Jason Bay is a class act!!!
Yes, Nomar, it WAS your choice to leave. You turned down 60 million over 4 years. Don't blame the Red Sox because of your foolish decision to turn your back that kind of money (because you thought you were worth more). Yeah, at the beginning of the year Manny said he wanted to finish his career in Boston. It's fine that he's hustling now, but Manny's choice was to quit on the Red Sox and their fans. In a sport like baseball, if you quit on managament, you're also quitting on the fans. Manny, you chose to leave Boston because you quit on the ownership, the management, the team, the fans. What a bum.
Sounds to me like to fans of "Mannywood" are taking to Manny just like the fans of the new "Bay State" are taking to Jason Bay. You Massholes ran Manny out of town. Now why don't you leave him alone. He is playing with childlike exuberence again. Let him have his "peace" for however long it lasts. If you hate the guy so much why do you care anyway?
Why should I care? He loved it here after two days.
ok feel free to give us a brief word on his wanting to finish his career in LA (ya right, wasn't he singing the same tune here a few months ago?) But please, we dont need long posts like this about him. He's gone, he's no longer a Red Sock, lets focus our attention on our players.
Manny has alot of nerve complaining about not being able to go out after a game in Boston. That just proves how much the fans of Boston loved him. Its a shame that he could care less about the fans . All Manny is about is money. Bottom line is he wanted to get rid of the option years so that he could make more. He is rediculously greedy. Any player who would lie and say they have knee injuries so they dont have to play which hurts he team mates who give 100% doesnt deserve to play in MLB. Manny's response to Curt Schilling's comment just proves how stupid this moron is. "Why am I going to waste my energy on what people say about me?" he says. "I just want to come here and play hard every game." He sure is hell didnt play hard in Boston when he didnt get his way.
It's a win-win for everyone, then. Manny's happy, we're happy, the team is happy...
Great stuff! Manny should have gone Hollywood years ago.
Had to laugh at the invite to the (male) reporter to sit on his lap.
Manny ever extend that invite to Shaughnessy?
I guess not - and it would explain the vendetta.
Why bother doing this anymore? You Boston media people had a big hand in the Manny smear campaign and helped run Manny out of Boston. It's over, move on.
If you really think this was a good move then stop sweating Manny.
He's happy, you're happy MOVE ON.
Who cares? Let it go already
Manny,
I will truly miss you!! I wish you nothing but good things in your baseball career,
as well in your personal life. As a Red Sox fan now living in Va. You brought something really special to the game. I loved watching you play the game it was always as if you were hitting for us The Red Sox fans. And I will always love you for that and no matter where you are playing I will always love you as a Red Sox player. No matter what you may think The fans will always love you for what you did for us in Boston.
God Bless always a fan in VA.
Another great ESPNdeportes translation. Manny already said (IN ENGLISH!!) that he wanted to be with the Red Sox for life. Since management hates him and the fans, they traded him away. This off season, it would not surprise me if Manny said he wanted to come back. The Red Sox should have to pay him $30m/yr though since they embarassed themselves by trading him. That should help make it up to the fans too I think. I can't wait to see the Fenway Park Boycott and all of the empty seats!
Manny's not wasting much time fouling his new nest. Weren't all the Manny sycophants telling us we should stop talking about him, because he's "moved on"? Right. Just like Nomar's "moved on". Misery really DOES love company.
What was it - like 11% of the fans, according to your poll, support this guy? Let's hope they follow this clown to LA. (And wherever he winds up after that - the Dodgers will wash their hands of him when the season's out.)
Poor Torre - he thought HE had found some "peace". You can tell he sees the headaches coming at him even now.
Who CARES? Enough with Manny already!
Everyone - It's time to let Manny go. He's a Dodger now.
Focus on the Red Sox.
Manny is gone...no longer a part of the team...can we PLEASE STOP with all this Manny news and concentrate on the Sox!!
AAAHHHRRGGG!!! Let Manny GO already, geesh. He-said-she-said drama queens are clouding the issue of a positive clubhouse chemistry.
GO SOX!
LOL. That just sounds too familiar; how many times have we heard it from ball players? Maybe only Bruschi truly meant it.
How about putting a "$" on his Hall of Fame hat. Goodbye scumbag!
WHO CARES ABOUT MANNY?? Old news. Good for him he's happy in LaLa land. Right where he needs to be as long as its not in Boston. Good riddance you crazy lack of hustle baseball player!!!
I heard they Sox might sign him as a free agent this winter.
I think that the RED SOX made a mistake trading Manny to LA, I believe that in this 2 months this decision could cost the ticket to the playoff
yeaaaa manny should stay here in LA ..yeaaaaaaaaa..Sox SUck
Memo to Manny: You didn't deserve US. Signed, Red Sox Nation.
Does anyone care that Manny assaulted members of the Red Sox organization a couple of times this year? He's gone, it's done with.
Buh Bye World Series....
It's all about the money. No more and no less.
Thankful that he was there for us to see the Red Sox to win two World Series.
He is for sure .... a gifted Hall of Fame hitter.
He can be childish, boorish and endearing. He is also very immature, not very smart, spoiled and very disruptive.
The Red Sox had him in his best years and each year as he gets older his hitting talents will diminish. He will never get his $40 million option
Good luck Manny
Better luck Red Sox who were wise enough to know when enough is enough
In the end.... it's all about the money.
No more.. no less
manny's just working the fools looking for his next big paycheck.
it says a lot that the sox would pay his salary plus give up two prospects just to get him out of town.
manny is just an underdeveloped child, who if he couldn't hit a baseball, would be starving in some shack in the Dominican. i don't think he's really evil, he's just not intelligent enough to be normal.
I can't wait to see Manny at the Staples Center rooting our LAKERS!
When Manny says "I want to finish my career in a Dodger uniform", he may mean:
a/ I had a great time tonight, and will forever be in Brazil with my sore groin/knee tomorrow morning.
or
b/ I like this uniform so much that I may wear it to my last game - even if I'm playing for the Yankees or Mets.
Think I'm fooling?
You all that are talking bad about Manny forgat about the two rings that Manny helped bring to a team that has won in 86 years!!!!! How soon you gorget. You all just like to talk crap and complain!!!!!!!! How Manny does well in L.A and I hope that Boston does too. I am a true Boston fan who does not spend his time talking bad about a player that ment so much to the Red Sox "NATION"
2 for 2 today so far..Manny is the main
It's to bad it had to end this way----say what you want---It's just to bad... I wish Manny nothing but the best.
Someone's gonna make alot of money developing the Manny Ramirez reality show. Can you imagine a camera crew capturing everything this guy says and does? It would be priceless. It would make the Ozzy's look boring, no?
Manny in LF, Bay ion Center, JD Drew in Right - 2009! Epstein is a genius!
So glad you finally found a place as crazy as yourself to call home. No amazement that the place is LA. Manny you have been in LA LA land all along. I just want to watch them cut off your dreadlocks! You can soap up the pig -- but after the rinse you still have the pig. OINK MANNY, OINK!
I'd put Trot Nixon and Kevin Millar in the Red Sox hall of fame before Manny. He's selfish and it wouldn't surprise me to see him in Yankee pinstripes next year. I could care less which cap he wore in the hall.... Somebody should check his lithium level.... good riddance.
So much negativity in these comments... first of all, the people who are saying the trade will cost us a great playoff run, I believe you are wrong. Jason Bay has played great in his first few games, and makes many more defensive plays than Manny. I believe he is also a much better teammate, which should improve team chemistry.
To those who are saying he is a bum, did you already forget about our two World Series victories? As ugly as the end of his time in Boston was, he was a great player. You should all be
happy that we didn't just get rid of him through free agency, and that we got a great player like Jason Bay in return.
To those who are criticizing him for saying he loves L.A.: Obviously he is going to say that! What would the Dodger's reaction be if he said that he dislikes L.A. and wishes to go to New York next season? Also, L.A. is full of stars. Actors, sports stars, musicians, over there he is just a star among stars, and it makes sense that he is saying he has more peace over there.
One final note: Please, just stop with the Manny stuff. He is gone, it's all in the past, save your words for something useful. I'm sick of hearing about Manny being Manny, and I'm sure you all are too. Just give it a rest everybody.
Manny's a great hitter but not a great player.
Good luck to ya'. I'll take Jason By any day.
Manny rejected a basic rule of Math and Life: "The whole is equal to the sum of its parts and is greater than any one of them."
The Sox might very well have won more games with a more committed fielder. Manny played his part with his bat in winning in 2004 and 2007, but others were more heroic as complete players and teammates.
To Eric and the Red Sox Nation:
You people ARE too agro. We here in the land of Blue (and that extends to Portland, OR), love our Dodgers, and we love Manny.
Whatever went wrong in Boston won't be repeated in L.A., and how can you not like the results so far: 8 for 12, slugging % of 1.083, OPS of 1.750. And he's sparking the rest of the team. 16 hits today in a rout of Arizona.
You guys should have kept the love going for Manny, and he'd be doing that for the Sox. And if you think I'm wrong, ask David Ortiz what he thinks. His near-silence is louder than a line drive off the Monster.
when i see what he's done in la in just three days[ie.hits/runs] i wonder how
his former teammates must feel at knowing that he let them all down the past few weeks...on purpose
you know, I was a huge Manny fan until all of this stuff went down. As a result, I do not wish him well because he does not deserve it. Manny Ramirez should be ashamed of himself for his actions during the last few weeks. The same goes for his agent as well. If Selig had any respect for the game he would have hauled both Manny and Boras in for a meeting and then handed a nice suspension to Manny and a hefty fine to Boras.
Honestly, Manny sickens me at this point.
It's about time the Sox got rid of Manny. He was nothing but trouble for a great team. Now it's time to forget him and get on with the show. We don't need to read about Manny in LA.
Ridiculous. It's all a show -- like advertising. Nothing these guys say is for real...manny, No-arm...ball players ala-greed. Makes me barely able to stomach the whole game. Millions for playing ball? Get real. Manny does belong in Hollywood, right there with Noarm.
It 's sorta like the story of the wolf, when he couldn't reach the grapes. He walked away saying that the grapes were probably sour anyway. Manny is definitely no doubt, hands down an awsome baseball player. However, as a role model for young children, he sets a bad example. It's a shame...because he has the power to be a positive role model. No good parents would want their children to idolize someone who has temper tantrums, is a bad sport, etc...all to get what he wants. Manny mentioned many times how he wanted to finish his career with the Red Sox, then he would turn around and do the opposite. Hopefully in LA he will grow up, hopefully they will not allow Manny to be Manny. We in Boston stuck by him so long hoping he would change because we believed in him. Unfortunately, for him we had enough. He had bad sportsmanship, and his sports ability became overshadowed by his lack of good sportsmanship. It's time that Manny grew up, and stopped saying "the grapes are sour," just because he didn't get his way. It couldn't have been different, but Manny just stayed " being Manny."
I grew up in LA where my Dodger team was Garvey,Lopes,Cey, Russell, Baker and Valenzuela (and a few other guys). This was a staple that I could count on for YEARS. I have been a Red Sox fan (by marriage for nearly 20 years now) and I am tired of the revolving door to the clubhouse with this team. It is not a "team" that I am supposed to get behind but a logo. I'm just glad that I have one more Red Sox shirt that I can wear to Dodger stadium. I'll miss you Manny!
In professional sports, owners, GM's, and managers deal with the largest egos. It's a testament to how difficult Manny was that Boston - with two championships attributable in fair measure to Manny - could not handle the guy. They rolled and payed the big dough to Varitek and Lowell. Papi gets the love (and I wonder if that bothered Manny in his heart of hearts). But, for Manny...it always seemed to be a struggle. If a person can honestly "earn" $20 million, Manny came close. No one expects someone making that much to be so needy. Its management's job to deal with that. But, Manny was unmanageable. Should management have been able to figure him out? Francona? Epstein? Done more to relate to him? Would it have made a difference? I don't think so. I think he wanted out, and didn't mind playing the villian. And, he got what he wanted. And, the Red Sox, spending some of last year's profits, picked up a more than solid player. There's an MBA school case study here, somewhere, on managing difficult but productive employees!
As the Jason Bay lovefest continues, has anyone else noticed that David Ortiz is 1 for 10 since Manny left? And Manny is 8 for 13 in LA. Looks like David needs Manny. Mike Lowell doesn't exactly provide the protection that Manny did. Just an observation....
Manny is the man who brought so much to the fans in Boston. I love watching him and will cotinue doing so with the LA Dogdgers. Go Manny! The fans from Boston will always love and appeciate what you did for the team. now it is time to watch you and Joe Torre florish under the western sky. Best of luck!
"You Massholes ran Manny out of town. Now why don't you leave him alone." Irony defined. Who's being the "hole" here?
And no one ran Manny out of town. He clashed with management. He was cheered till he left. I love how all you jealous outsiders love the "OMG Boston fans ran their stars out of town!! OMG LOL!!!" Please point to a player being booed out of town.
He left b/c he pushed management. In case you didn't notice, Sox fans were actually over indulgent of his selfish antics (see, e.g., 2006). Don't be such a moron.
For all these writers and fans bashing Manny now - ask yourself if Manny never played for us, would you have the two rings now?? Sheer dumbness to enforce these artificial rules made for commoners with avg talent on a Mozart of baseball. Who do cry to when the Dodger are in the 08 WS playing the Yankees?
I love reading all these posts... this is priceless... it's like the divorce is finally over and you are seeing for the first time "The Ex" out with his new love. Well, I'm from L.A., a Dodgers Fan, and I was at the game on Sunday to partake in "Manny Mania", which I am already a little tired of. It's like God himself has risen from the dead out here... but L.A. loves the celebs, and Manny is that just now. It's worse than when Beck and Posh came... good thing Manny is not married to a Spice Girl! Manny's arrival was brought about by a knee-jerk reaction to the Angels and their transactions at the trade deadline. Dodgers owner Frank (the Boston guy who I do not like) had to save face some how from this dreadful Dodgers season and probably told our G.M., who is on the hot seat as it is, to get a big name like Manny to come and play for free for a couple months. At the very least, it will be a big publicity move, which Frank is all about, and if the Dodgers get lucky, might make the playoffs. I think an L.A. team will be going to the W.S. this year, but it won't be the Dodgers! Manny won't make that big of a difference! And as far as signing Manny past this year, I don't think he will like L.A. enough to play for what the Dodgers will be willing to pay.
"Yes, Nomar, it WAS your choice to leave. You turned down 60 million over 4 years. Don't blame the Red Sox because of your foolish decision to turn your back that kind of money (because you thought you were worth more). Yeah, at the beginning of the year Manny said he wanted to finish his career in Boston. It's fine that he's hustling now, but Manny's choice was to quit on the Red Sox and their fans. In a sport like baseball, if you quit on managament, you're also quitting on the fans. Manny, you chose to leave Boston because you quit on the ownership, the management, the team, the fans. What a bum."
WELL put!
For the Dodgers fans accusing us of running Manny out of town:
Meanwhile, Manny was en route to LA, where at Dodger Stadium he gave his first press conference in blue around 7 p.m. ET. He had some kind words for Boston fans: "I want to say from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the fans of Boston. I love you guys. You've been with me through ups and downs."
Sounds like he was chased away by us. You people out there really need to spend less time in the sun.
screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny!
Let's Go Sox!!!
i miss manny
Manny crushed the ball there. Those weren't cheap homers.
He will have more space because there are bigger stars there than Red Sox players. The press will go a bit easier on him because it's more of a game in Boston than a daily life and death situation.
The next great one has arrived in LA.
It's a veritable Left Coast Love Fest! I can't wait to see how this story ends.
Goodbye Manny. Truth is, you won't find "mental peace" until the day you die because your definition of the phrase means that nobody holds you accountable or responsible for your behavior. Or is it defined by maybe having a contract equal to A-Rod's? Could be one, could be the other....hard to tell most days.
LOL
...a Yankee fan
Manny saying, "I want to end my career in Los Angeles" , that quote is nothing new to Boston fans. He's said that several different times in his career. And he recently said this past spring. Now, watch, if he goes to another team then he'll probably say the same thing.
One word that describes Manny Ramirez is unpredictable.
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