Manny mania still all the rage
(Getty Images / Lisa Blumenfeld)
While Jason Bay more than held his own in his Boston debut, Manny mania continues to sweep Los Angeles and there's no shortage of commentary on the former Sox slugger that took Chavez Ravine by storm over the weekend.
This morning's LA Times has the recap of the Dodgers' 9-3 win over the D-backs yesterday, a game in which Manny went 4 for 5 with a homer:
Ramirez drove in his first run Sunday in the first inning, his single to left scoring Matt Kemp.He doubled to score Russell Martin to cap a three-run second inning that put the Dodgers ahead, 5-2.
Ramirez homered in the fifth and Kemp, who was three for five, hit his 13th home run of the season in the eighth inning.
"He has a relaxed feel to him, but he has a passion for winning," first baseman James Loney said of Ramirez. "You can't ask for a better teammate than that."
Times columnist T.J. Simers has made a bet with Joe Torre about the future of Manny's hair:
As you know, Joe Torre asked Manny Ramirez to cut his hair, but I have this hunch it will never happen.Torre disagrees, so now one of us will be making a charitable donation.
If Ramirez returns to Dodger Stadium a week from today to open the team's next home stand with all his hair, Torre said he would make a donation to Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA.
As part of the deal, Torre agrees he will say nothing more to Ramirez about his hair, believing Ramirez heard him the first time they talked.
If Ramirez shows up to Dodger Stadium without the dreads, Page 2 will make a donation to the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation.
As part of the deal, of course, I will say nothing more to Ramirez about his hair.
But just between you and me, who is Torre kidding?
You think he's going to bench Ramirez because the guy doesn't get his hair cut?
You think if he fines him it will make a difference, Ramirez knowing he's not getting paid by the Dodgers, so there's no money to take out of his pay?
You think the Red Sox are going to take it out of his pay, and do a favor for the former Yankees manager?
It's not all blue skies for the Dodgers as outfielder Juan Pierre has a few thoughts on being moved around because of Manny's arrival:
The Dodgers' trade for Manny Ramirez last week forced Pierre to change positions. Again.And the fleet-footed leadoff hitter is facing the threat of being sent to the bench. Again.
"All I've ever done was be Juan Pierre," he said. "I don't know why, for some reason, they're just sticking it to me this year. I applaud the move. Any time you get a chance to get Manny Ramirez, you get him. But from a personal standpoint, it's putting me in a tough position."
The New York Post's Joel Sherman writes that the baseball commissioner should look into Manny's final days in Boston:
If protecting the integrity of the game really is Bud Selig's most important role, then how has he not hauled Ramirez to New York for, at least, a discussion? Multiple officials spoken to used the term "gray area" to describe why Selig could not suspend Ramirez for jeopardizing the competitive integrity of the game. But Selig should at least compel Ramirez to explain his behavior this season with the Red Sox; clarify what was going on in the gray area of his mind. ...Look, Selig should already have summoned Ramirez after he boorishly pushed the Red Sox's long-time traveling secretary Jack McCormick to the ground on June 29 in Houston because the 64-year-old was unsure he could get Ramirez 16 free tickets for that day's game. McCormick is every bit the employee of Major League Baseball as a batter that would be protected by the Commissioner's Office if a pitcher threw a ball purposely at his head. Selig should have suspended Manny then. Indulging or ignoring this kind of act for years - by the Red Sox and the Commissioner's Office - is why Ramirez has been emboldened to keep behaving in a fashion detrimental to baseball.
Over at Slate.com, the Globe's Charlie Pierce questions those who have come down hard against Manny:
It is the delegation of "veterans" who came to Epstein declaring, in essence, "We cannot work in this ambience!" (then perhaps huffing off to their trailers for a massage and some chamomile tea) that's the most bizarre element of the whole affair. For all the murmurings from the fainting couch by the local baseball romantics about how Manny Ramirez failed to respect The Game and did his teammates dirt, these same people seem more than willing to accept the proposition that the rest of your defending World Champions are made of candy glass. Is the poisonous presence of Manny Ramirez the reason catcher Jason Varitek is petrifying almost by the hour, or why Josh Beckett hasn't thrown a changeup in six weeks, or why most of The Kids have been playing like people who got lost on the way to the AAA park? (Jacoby Ellsbury, the speedy young center fielder who was such a sensation in last year's World Series, is hitting an abysmal .186 since the All-Star break and has stolen one base since June 17.) And has Epstein himself been so distracted by Ramirez's performance that he's failed to notice that his middle relief corps is a landfill? As near as anyone can tell, as the Rays and the Yankees both strengthened themselves for the final weeks of the season, the only thing the Red Sox front office worked on in the days prior to the trading deadline was finding a way to ship Manny Ramirez and his 20 home runs out of town.
The Blue Notes blog in the LA Times sees a lot of good in having Manny in LA:
Manny Ramirez: Another outing that demonstrates exactly why the front office made him a So Cal resident. "His game is exciting, man," gushed Kemp. "Having him on our team is crazy." That electricity and enthusiasm felt by his teammates, manager and new fans was matched by Ramirez's production, highlighted by including his second appearance with a bash, this one into the left field seats. #512 on a career, which puts him in a 20th place tie with Ernie Banks and Eddie Matthews.
They've also got the audio from Manny's postgame interview yesterday.
The environment at Dodger Stadium is all the buzz in the Blue Notes blog as well:
WOW!! I went to the game on Friday and Sunday, and unless you're there, it's hard to describe the engery (sic) in the ballbark (sic) with Manny there. Lots of fans stand up and give him a standing ovation before he comes to the plate, or runs off the field...pretty amazing! I think the fans (me included) are showing their appreciation for a guy who can deliver with runners on baseAnd you can just tell by reading the body language of the other players that they are also engergized and it looks like they are having fun too!!...maybe Manny is reminding these guys that baseball is a pretty simple game, you see the ball and hit the ball, so have fun playing ball!
The LA Daily News has more on Manny's hair, and music:
Manny Ramirez said he didn't want to be treated any differently than any of his teammates at his introductory news conference as a Dodger. So, Ramirez agreed to cut his signature locks, though he has yet to do it.Torre isn't worried about that yet but expects him to take care of it in the near future.
"You give someone a reasonable time," Torre said. "There's an adjustment period. If I feel it goes beyond the adjustment period, I'll talk to him."
As for music, Ramirez set up a music player in his locker, and he's also been listening to his iPod. Torre's theory on music is that if everyone can handle it, he doesn't mind loud music permeating the clubhouse.
"David Wells, on the day he pitched, played obnoxious music," Torre said. "A lot of the rest of the team liked it."
The Globe's Kevin Cullen has a column on Manny: Out there in la-la land
We gave the Dodgers Nomah. We gave them Derek "Hello, I'm Brian Daubach of the Boston Red Sox" Lowe, and, last but surely not least, we gave them Manny.In Boston, we wrinkled our noses when Nomar Garciaparra, whom we had loved for years, went south on us and wouldn't match Jeter in intensity. We didn't know what to do about Lowe acting goofy on the road. And, finally, what's up with Manny?
It's a very nice touch, and clearly the work of Dr. Charles Steinberg, the former Red Sox impresario who followed McCourt out to L.A., that the Dodgers gave Manny the number 99. It's not every ballplayer who gets his IQ on his jersey.
Don't cry for Nomah, Derek, or Manny. They have found their level.
WBZTV.com takes a look back at Manny's time in Boston this morning, and has clips of all the Ramirez sound bites through the years.
The Inside Track has Jacoby Ellsbury checking out Manny's penthouse at the Ritz.
On Boston talk radio station WRKO last Friday, Sox owner Tom Werner was asked about the chances of the Sox signing Manny as a free agent this upcoming winter. “What are the chances that Mitt Romney will be President,” Werner replied.
And finally, LA-based Sox fan Pete Handelman offers a humorous take on Mannywood:
For more of Manny in LA, check out Sunday's roundup, which includes the Dodger slugger's comments this weekend on finishing his career in Los Angeles after finding peace upon arrival, his difficulties playing in Boston, the possibility of appearing in Spanish soap operas, 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.
Can the Boston media PLEASE stop talking about Manny. Manny who? We all know that the Boston media will kick this dead horse until Manny has a few good games and Jason Bay doesn't. Then you can all write how awful the deal was...blah, blah, blah. Hey, while your at it, I think there is a great story about Keith Foulke you can write about. Maybe we should still have him instead of Pap. Let's talk about that for the next 2 months.
ENOUGH with the Manny stories. He's gone, it's over, let's move on please.
Prepare to be writing about Manny for years.
The Sox are BORING, even if currently winning without him, and you have to get your fix as much as we need to get ours
That last Manny video, while well-written, should not have been performed with that fake Latin accent. If you'd try to do that with Matsuzaka, you'd have been branded a racist. Why is a poorly performed Latin accent that sounds like a cross between Cheech Marin and a denizen of the short bus considered OK for Boston.com? It's the audio equivalent of black-face, and it's offensive.
Manny is a fraud - in only 3 games in August, he's raised his batting average 11 points. Do you know how hard that is to do?
Obviously, Manny was capable of much more than he gave the Red Sox, particularly in the last few years there.
Good Bye And Good Riddance, although the Red Sox could have used the two number 1 picks in the draft next year.
I love it!!!! Manny is doing well and Boston is doing well!! People, don't be haters!!!!
Like Manny, I have also recently moved away from Boston. Pete Handelman's interview w/ Manny made me realize that I, too, miss Bernie & Phyl... quality, comfort & price? That is nice.
I thought this was a Red Sox blog...? Why so much coverage on the Dodgers?
ENOUGH ALREADY! I've skipped over 50% of the blog entries in my blog reader.
screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny!
Let's Go Sox!!!
Watching Manny now hustle to first on ground balls and potential double plays is a slap in the face to his former teammates and Boston fans. Giving up on your team is one of the worst things one can do in sports and Manny did just that for most of this year. What I cannot understand is how the media is fawning all over him instead of chastising him for his former behavior. It's obvious now that there was nothing wrong with his knee and he was dogging it for months.
screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny, screwmanny!
Let's Go Sox!!!
Boston.com staff - Please stop posting Manny related articles. And please, stop posting what amounts to a news feed. If I wanted that, I can easily find this information myself.
Thanks.
That knee must be really bothering Manny......Just think what he could have done for us these past couple of weeks!
If this crap continues with giving Manny a lovefest I will look elsewhere for my Red Sox news.
Lets focus on our players!
We all know how well Manny can play when he is happy. He is happy for now. Good for him and good for the Sox that he is in the NL. I hope he stays with the Dodgers for the rest of his career. Would hate to see him end up in NY pinstripes and a good mood
I am glad the media is at least reporting on the Fenway Park Boycott that will take place thanks to management hating the fans and trading the greatest player to ever play the game. They probably saw all the people that turned in their red sox nation membership cards and now they are thinking twice! BOYCOTT FENWAY PARK!!!!
I totally agree with the comment before this, posted by srshea. How is he knee? Manny Ramirez is a cry baby at heart, those injury excuses in the past 4 years has just been an easy way to take a break because he was 'tired'. If you look at Mannys' injury history in his career in Boston, you will surely see that Manny has been hurt from early to mid August to mid to end September. And if you think about it, that is right when the Red Sox are in a pennant race. In that period of time the past 4 years it would seem definately aparent that Manny is really tired or he just doesn't want to play.
I'm glad we got rid of him.
Manny being Manny in LA... its only a matter of time before his crazy antics upset his LA teammates...... I love his comments about wanting to be in LA for the rest of his career.. sound familiar. Boras is behind this whole thing...Bye Manny... you got what you wanted now you can watch your former teammates win another one from some Miami beach because we all know that on Oct 1 you will be on the first plane to Florida.
No player in the history of the Red Sox franchise has a resume to equal Manny's - Hall of Fame numbers, instrumental in winning two world series, MVP in one, more home runs in post season play than anyone who ever played the game, 5th highest slugging percentage in history of the game, and hit the Yankees like he owned them.
Sox gave Dodgers Manny, seven million dollars, no $2M option years, and got absolutely nothing in return.
The trade with the Pirates had nothing to do with Manny.
The Sox had 8 years to figure out what to do with Manny and for 8 years they sat on their hands allowing Manny to be Manny on his terms. Who is to blame here?
you wanna know how long Boston will be talking about Manny? 86 years. Thats EIGHTY SIX YEARS. which will be the next time they win the world series. It's amazing people don't learn from History. I though Boston was Ivy League.
Curse of the Rambino sounds right.
thanks for the gift Theo.
Love, Los Angelos
You guys suck. Period. Manny has been instrumental in the Sox winning two World Series, yet you just can't stop bashing him. Quit poo-pooing Manny. Let it go (so should the Globe!).
I can't wait for football season......
How bad is the ownership/management of the Red Sox?Almost any company with a $20,000,000 a year investment would demonstrate enough respect to make sure everyone involved was happy . Clearly Theo and group were pathetic. Why
always write from the point of view of management or MLB ? Sadly, even good
writers like Gammons have stepped way over the line.
Manny and the team could have been managed and successful. How inept
is this organization? What about these so-called sports writers at the Globe and Herald? Are they on Theo's payroll? Do they do anything other than re-gurgitate
Theo's talking points?
Many companies in our country show respect to employees...not the Red Sox
You all just know what the media and the front office say. You have no idea what happened behind close doors. When you have a player like Manny (A first ballot Hall of Famer) YOu need to secure him and be thankful for all he did for your team. Boston does not do that with his players, they just use them and then let them go making them look like the bad guy!!! You all just buy into the media and the front office. They don't care about the player, is all Business for them! Go Sox!!! and Go Manny!!! I love Manny from the beginning, not like some of you that screamed MANNY, MANNY!! when he was winning games for us. Now you are all taking crap!!
Greetings From Mannywood,
Just want to thank all you Sox fans for paying Manny to play for the Dodgers. Think about it next time you pay all that $$ for your seat at Fenway.
Go Blue!
maybe you weren't paying attention, but manny was pretty hot before and then actually was hitting aftter he sat out with the knee injury... not saying that makes it ok if he was faking ... but when he was in the lineup he was hitting.
but enough of this. they need to stop posting this minute by minute recap of everything he does.
why can't we put theo on irrevocable waivers? we should have sent him to the pirates
Wow, it is amazing what passes for disrespect nowadays. The Sox held up their end of the contract and paid this player 20 million dollars a year for eight years. Let that sink in.....20 million dollars a year....for eight years. No remorse shown publicly...the checks were written for services rendered. A shame that the contract was only respected when it seemed in the favor of the player.
And enough about running players out of town. Nomar was offered four years at 15 million a year and he turned it down thinking he could do better. Really sounds like they did not want him.
And why can't we understand the business side of sports? Like it or not, the Sox determined that a four year deal for Pedro was not a good business move....how is that looking today? Teams pay for current and projected services, not for past services. Is this really that hard to get?
Manny will hit because he is auditioning and he got what he wanted. Good luck to Manny and let the rest of us root for the players who take the filed each night and give an honest effort.
Who ever engineered this trade on the Boston side did one mistake; he should have traded Manny to the Yankees that way he would have made sure the fate of those misguided Red Sox was sealed...Now although their chances have been reduced drastically, They still have a minute slight chance...
I only agree that selig should be looking at the clear insubordination of Manny as it reflecvts om MLB. So far teh players Union has taken upon itself to dominate teh teams and MLB so much that they allow this activity to continue.
Manny was about to alter the integrity of MLB and the rightful place of Boston in a playoff hunt for the means of forcing a contrcat dispute. MLB should suspend Manny for that alone as it sends a message that such future actions by ego minded players will not be tolerated.
What do Ted Williams, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Nomar Garciaparra, Mo Vaughn Manny Ramirez and I'm sure countless others have in common? The Boston press painted all of them in a negative light during the end of their career or on their way out of Boston. There were even bad comments made about Theo in the short time he was gone. The fact is the media realizes one important fact: players come and go, ownership stays longer. I've got micro-feche material from the BPL to back up my claims (especially about Ted W) and it can even be applied to other sports. But don't tell anyone lest our local "spoterati" stop polishing their halos and cashing their (considerable) paychecks.
Trading Manny will go down as the worst move of the Theo Epstein era. Period. I agree with the comments above, when it seems as if a player approaching the end of their contract will ask for more money or want to hit the market, ownership goes out of their way to paint them in a bad light (ie. Nomar, Pedro, Lowe and now Manny). I don't believe Manny is on the decline just yet...he has at least 2 more years at a high level. He'll probably finish this year with 35 HRs. Jason Bay had a great weekend, but let's see what he does during his first Sox-Yanks series. I mean, the guy hasn't even played in one posteason game.
What goes around comes around! I hope Manny gets it for acting and performing the way he did. He is not a team player. Horrible person. I wish he would get suspended for his actions.
OK, enough about Manny. I love Manny, but lets talk about how horrible Clay Buchholz is looking every start. He has not won in 3 months. When he pitches we are always down on the score. We have to find a better option. then Varitek "The Captain" SUCKS!!!!! He's hitting 200 and can not do anything on offence. But, of corse is ok because he works hard, whatever! Lets start looking for another catcher for next year.
Who were the six "inmates" who created the clubhouse demand to rid the team of Manny...I figure Youk's one. But the other 5? Jason "no hit' Veritek? Mike "too old" Timlin? Red Light "No Mas" Schilling? Coco "the punk" Crisp? JD? Pap? Pulleeeeese....management failed to manage. How's Jayson Bay working out for ya? X-Man is 4-/28 in HR's since donning stripes...the Yanks had their shot at JBay and passed...'nuff said!
WHY can't the Boston media stop talking about Manny? Miss him THAT much? Well, he's gone, and the Red Sox, even though they will never admit it, made a tremendous mistake. There will never be another player like him to come along, ever. Dodger fans absolutely adore him. And he's basking in in. I've been watching him play all weekend, and he looks so happy. Smiling, laughing, joking with his teammates. Good for him. Attendance has soared, girls paint his name on their stomachs, and his jerseys are flying like fighter jets off the shelf. I've followed the Red Sox for a long time, but lately I've just been glancing at the score to see who's winning, then turning the channel to watch Manny. The Sox are not the same interesting team they used to be. You can admit it or not, but it is absolutely the truth. Sure, players come and players go. But this was different, and you all know it. I am so glad that I have the MLB channels and am able to watch him play every day. Don't know what I'd do without my Manny fix.
Stop all you haters Manny is a hall of famer and a Legend and he is right you don't deserve him and "RED SOX NATION" and all it's true "FANS" can't deal with it. Yet another smear job when the Red Sox are done with a player, It didn't work they could have just traded him and been done with it but NOOOOOOO it had to "leak" about them strongly considering not picking up his option about how he would behave if the sox dropped the option years. This current ownership smeared Nomar, Lowe, Pedro, and now Manny don't Worry Big Papi your next. Funny how they welcome wife beater Julio Lugo love that red sox management.
THIS BEGINS THE CURSE OF MANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
86 MORE YEARS HOPE YOU PINK HATS ENJOYED YOUR TWO WORLD SERIES
Face it....Manny pulled a Roger Clemons,,,except Roger did it for three seasons and was never involved in winning a championship here,,(ie. taking a powder on his teammates and fans).
Manny is where he belongs in The Land of Make Believe!!! Manny will make believe
he actually cares about winning baseball as long as it suits his twisted needs.
Manny just has a God given talent for hitting a baseball..nothing more, nothing less.
What I want to know is why everything thinks they can judge Manny's "character"? How do they know what is inside him? He knocked in three of the fice runs in last Monday's loss to the Angels and had a good night on Sunday against the Yankees, so how can anyone really talk about how he should be investigated for violating "the intregrity of the game." Manny wanted to leave and ownership wanted him to leave--what is so hard to understand? Boston always turns against its black players if they stay here long enough. It will eventually happen to Big Papi too.
I miss Manny. Let's just wait and see how the season ends for the Sox and for Dodgers. Haven't seen anything brilliant since Manny left ... David looks 'just plain sad' every time he comes to bat ... Just wait and see ... I'm glad I got to see TWO SERIES WINS ... t'ain't gonna happen here again for, ummm, let's see ... about 86 MORE YEARS!?!?!?!!!
For all of you sport writers in Boston, it is going to be boooooring, I mean what can you write about Mr. Bay...... not to mention who will be interested in a fourth place team,
now that MANNY IS NO LONGER THERE, are you going to start building up a case against Big Papi and in the process you made Joe Giraldi and the Yankees really happy, they no longer have to face Manny, at least not until the World Series.
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