McCarver on Manny

Not that I'm looking over the Rays to the WS. I know they are a formidable opponent, but sticking it to Manny 4-0 in the World Series sure would be SWEET!

Is somebody actually going to get free furniture again?

McCarver is still a jerk for writing this story, the fact that Manny can do all the things he is doing now, but never gave a damn to do it in Red Sox uniform is frustrating to all Red Sox fans and if you are fan of the sport, to not go out and give your all everyday on the field should upset all baseball purist that love the game, never mind the fact that he was getting $20M to do so, Manny is a bum and when this fairy tale is over and he signs his new contract, which is all he cares about, we will see the true Manny come back, good luck to whoever signs him because what you see here, is not what you get, he will poison your clubhouse

Like him or not, McCarver is right. As alienated by him as Som Sox fans might be, it's nice to see an outside perspective that doesn't seem overly biased - that is to say "praising" manny on his talent alone. Give him time....Manny will revert to his old ways. It wasn't just the intensity of Boston....

The pinstripes will pay him whatever he want. Wait until the NY fans expect him to work for his money

Jason "Manny Who?" Bay. Look at what he's done and added to the Sox. No one's crying here.

Excuse me, but didn't Manny help us win 2 titles? What right does that blow hard Tim McCarver have to bad mouth anyone? He never hit 100 home runs and after playing 20 seasons he had less than 700 RBI. It sounds like he could have tried harder. Things went bad with Manny and he has moved on and I didn't like his behavior. But how can we let some Cardinal average career who nobody cares about anymore trash a man who has brought more glory to the red sox nation than anyone else. Williams and Yaz never won a title so lighten up on Manny. He will go into the Hall Of Fame as A Red Sox.

Should the Sox and Dodgers both get to the series, Manny will have to face fastball pitchers Lester, Becket, Papelbon. Will he sit these games out? Oh, that's right, Boras needs a new contract for Manny. Well, we'll see how he gets around on the fastball.

Rocky...why is McCarver a jerk for writing the story yet you agree with him? A little contradicting don't you think?? I give McCarver all the props in the world for writing the truth. People seem to forget that a "professional" athlete quit on his team and faked injuries. A team that let the guy do whatever he wanted for 8 years with no penalty. Manny is a pathetic excuse for a professional athlete. I'm loving the new BAY state!

If Manny could turn off the talent and get a ticket out of Boston, how many other athletes from all sports have pulled this one in the past? Does this action expalin why so many Super Bowl games have been blow-outs? If an athelte could turn off their talent this easily, then it makes one wonder if outside influences like bettors or the mafia, have influenced atheltes not to play up to their levels in past sports events.

Tim McCarver has a lot to say about everything.He's almost as bad as the
worst,Steve Phillips.But McCarver is right on the money about this one. Manny betrayed the Boston Red Sox.He's as bad as Richie Allen.Manny will get in the HOF,but there will be grumblings from the HOF Residents.I can only imagine what must be going on in Papi's mind,realizing what has happened here.
When there was talk of Manny coming to Boston,I was estatic.I 've been a follower of the Red Sox when Jenson, Goodman, Williams,Piersall and other such great stars.But not since Williams,was there such a presence in Boston.It' Sad

Anyone defending Manny on this blog is as big an idiot as Manny is. Manny's a selfish a&& who has absolutely NO RESPECT for the game. He is a disgrace to the uniform. It's unforgiveable what he did to the fans and especially to his team mates. I'll take Bay any day of the week. BTW, Manny didn't give us 2 titles - what are you watching? Tennis? There's 9 guys on the field for a reason. - it's called a team sport.

FYI...Foulke should've gotten the MVP in 2004, not Manny.

Anyone defending Manny on this blog is as big an idiot as Manny is. Manny's a selfish a&& who has absolutely NO RESPECT for the game. He is a disgrace to the uniform. It's unforgiveable what he did to the fans and especially to his team mates. I'll take Bay any day of the week. BTW, Manny didn't give us 2 titles - what are you watching? Tennis? There's 9 guys on the field for a reason. - it's called a team sport.

FYI...Foulke should've gotten the MVP in 2004, not Manny.

Hey Devin B, what gives you the right to rip McCarver, are you a professional broadcaster or something?

The last thing I want to see is this bum in the WS. Manny won't care if we beat him or stick it to him. All he cares about is whether he gets his money next year. It might make RS Nation feel better, but he won't care. I hope they don't get in, and he stops getting publicity (like this SI cover), which is furthering his chances for the big payday.

P.S., since the Angels believe they are a better team than the Sox, they should celabrate w a parade!

First, Tom Verducci wrote the story...McCarver was inrterviewed with the above comments...Second, I agree with McCarver for what he said. Sure, Manny gave us ALMOST 8, for the most part, good years. If he was unhappy, whose fault is that? No one held a gun to his head when he signed the contract.

Am I the only one out here who wonders if Manny was poisoned by the Boston press, not the other way around.

McCarver is exactly right, whatever you might think about him. What Manny has done is fraud. His agent even called the Red Sox after the trade went through, offering that Manny would stay and try hard if the Red Sox would forego his option. That offer to me is an admission that he was withholding his efforts before, which he was not entitled to do. You don't need to be a Hall Of Fame baseball player to know when you are being screwed under a contract. If I were the Red Sox, I would sue him to void his contract and recover damages. Then I would use the money to reduce ticket prices on some of the seats next year, to compensate the fans who paid Manny's salary all these years. Sorry, I loved watching Manny while he was here, too, but dishonesty is not good. He was wrong to take fans' money and not try, and he was stupid and arrogant to admit it. Now the Red Sox should do something about it.

Don't miss Manny one bit when I see a professional athlete playing left field who can hit for power, hustle after fly balls, throw out runners and run the bases himself. It was the perfect Happy Ending for Jason Bay to slide head first across the plate to score the winning run against the Angels. Manny will be remembered in Boston as one of baseball's greatest hitters and one of the sport's worst role models. He taught kids to loaf, fake injuries, quit on the team and pick a fight with teammates. Manny cared about Manny and his millions, that's all. Bay and his current teammates put the team first. Manny helped win two titles after a long draught -- it's true. But we are much better served for the future with Bay & Company. As for role models, Papi puts Manny to shame - playing through pain and injury with no complaints. Unfortunately for Pete Rose, you can't bet on your team -- but you can quit on them -- and make the Hall of Fame. Go Sox!

Does anyone remember the broadcast where McCarver went off on Manny for keeping his bottled water stuffed in his pocket while playing left?

I appreciate Mr. Inane's concern for Boston, but he obviously has not been following the Sox and Jason Bay's contribution since the schmuck was traded. I am very happy to have a team player who is genuine and committed.

I like Manny. He made us laugh with his semantics, until he pushed it too far. I hate Manny the professional or lack of it. This town is lucky enough to have plenty of athletes who define professionalism such as Tom Brady, Teddy Bruschi, Troy Brown, Jason Varitek, Richard Seymour and the list goes on. These people win championships and give their hearts to the game and at the end of the day count their blessings for playing a game that they love and getting paid for it.
I am so glad that Jason Bay is putting up big numbers this postseason and if we go all the way I hope he gets the MVP. You can see it in his eyes that he is enjoying everything from his teammates to the fans the environment and the opportunity to be a world champion. He is making it very easy for us to forget all about 24 and focus on 44 and the Red Sox...I for one will be buying his jersey and cheer him on everytime he comes to the plate because he deserves it and he doesnt take anything for granted like Manny. He knows the world is bigger than him and the team is set out to achieve the ultimate goal and be champions...GO RED SOX!!!!!

The Sox got an effective, younger player without the toxicity of Manny's ego. The Red Sox record was better after Manny, and what's the story on the club option for next year - do the Red Sox still control that? (I lost track of this; it was unresolved at the time of the trade.) It takes more than one player to carry a team, and even with its kiddie corps roster, I'd take the committed players of Team Red Sox vs Manny and eight other guys.

Oh, stop it! Manny is awesome. He's a great ball player but that is all he is. It's a baseball game, you silly baseball lov'n fools. BTW, Boston hates McCarver, he always has bad things to say about the Red Sox. Remember the last time he was announcing one of our games? He always roots for the other team.

Glad McCarver spoke out on this, but any Red Sox fan could have told you the same thing.

Hope the Sox make it to the Series, and play the Dodgers. Also hope the very first pitch Manny sees makes him move so quickly out of the box, his helmet flies off and we get to see his dreadlocks flapping in the breeze as he lands on his 20 million dollar a year posterior.

Then, I'd walk and hit him (in the thigh, folks...no need to seriously injure the bum) the rest of the series...you know, to prevent him from doing any damage. He IS a dangerous hitter. You want to take the bat out of his hands anyway you can.

And, to think, I was a Manny supporter/apologizer for years...well, you live and learn.

Manny gave Boston 2 World series Championships in 4 Years: And if BASEBALL PURISTS think not; you're insane.
2004 World Series MVP.... etc (PostSeason Goliath)

Wish Him Well; Let It Go !!

We don't have to hate our former stars; just because they didn't like the liberal frenzied media !!!!

Nellie:

have you ever listened to a Mccarver broadcast? especially the Sox' clinching game against St. Louis in 2004 that broke THE CURSE?? "Ahem, oh, and uh, the Sox win the world series. yay for them."

Talli Ho Tim! Manny is a quitter, plain and simple. He is an insult to every single player who has ever played the game. He is an insult to every baseball fan who has ever cheered their heart out for their favorite player. Every "real" baseball fan should boo his butt right off of the field!!!!!!!! But noooooooooo, they cheer this idiot!Go Sox!!!!

Devin B, "lighten up on Manny"?? Sheesh. He QUIT on us and that is unforgivable, period. It does not matter what he did for us in the past. I for one loved watching him play for the Sox and put up with the Mannyisms but when he quit in August and then plays out of his mind with the Dodgers it is a sick feeling. It is great having Jason Bay but you just cannot replace a hitter like Manny.

Devin,
Most of us didn't play an inning after high school, yet we all know when a guy has quit on his team. It's the #1 sin in all of team sports. You don't need jock credentials to call criticize that.

Devin B:

I agree 100%

Why can't we (Red Sox REAL FANS) not PINK-HATS; just be grateful for what Manny gave us....and let it go now.
Every athlete's ERA comes to an inevitable end; as has Manny's.

We don't have to erase all he did for us; and alas mandate hatred !!

Thank You Manny & Good Luck in LA -

That's how I say it.

Manny is going into the HOF as a Red Sox; so brace-yourselves haters.

You know when you're agreeing with McCarver you're on the wrong side of the argument.

I am a McCarver hater as much as the next person (and his man-crush he has on Jeter), but I agree with his article. Yes, Manny was important part of the Sox two World Series wins, but it's like a marriage that ends in divorce. You may have made two wonderful children (WS titles), but you can't forgive that person for cheating on you (what is what Manny did to the Sox this year), correct? He will eventually be forgiven, but part of the healing process is booing the heck out of him the next time he is in Fenway!!

Go Sox!!

The sad thing is that if the Sox and Dodgers go to the Series, Manny gets a ring no matter what. Remember all those sox werent on the team during the 04 and 07 series and STILL got their rings?

What's even more pathetic is Bud Selig's complete lack of a response.
Reign it in there Bud, just like you took care of steroids. Manny and his
agent should be suspended from baseball & banned from the hall of
fame. How can Bud hang onto Pete Rose's suspension for dear life &
let this occur & not do anything about it?

Love him, hate him, whatever... Manny gives baseball and MLB something to promote, the baseball writer something to comment on and the broadcaster something to chat about while the game is unfolding. Is it easy to say he didn't try here in boston, sure, did Clevland say he didn't work hard and we'll get rid of him? Pedro and Nomar fell into the same category as Manny did with the exec's upstairs. They allowed the player to become larger than the team and when they decided to reel them in, the player's fought it kicking and screaming (and shoving...) to the point where the exec's had to move them. So, McCarver stated the obvious, there is nothing new in that approach from Tim.....

If Manny is a candidate for Most Valuable Player in the National League, can't we vote him Least Valuable Player in the American League? How many games did he lose for the Sox? Enough to cost them first place, and home field advantage?

Nellie, McCarver is still praising Manny for his heroics in LA, he should be clearly calling Manny out as a fraud and focusing on how he manipulated, lied, cheated and did whatever it took to get his way like a spoiled brat, end of story, don't praise him for a damn thing!

The Red Sox want to win. Manny is one of the top three hitters in the game.

How did management fail to make him and the clubhouse happy? That's their job.

Ownership failed to do what any manager needs to do: make his or her people happy and productive. Over many years, they badmouthed him to the press. If I was on a baseball team, I'd want Manny to be on that team.

Also, all those things he's doing for LA? He did them for Boston, too. What sitting out? He played 153 of 162 games this year. Sometimes not running hard to first? Watch Ortiz after he hits-- many players give up if it's a clear out. And he hit like crazy.

Not sure why everyone is so negative on Manny. It sounds to me like the manager and the ownership failed at their jobs here -- except for the PR part of the job.

That (rocky) has to be the longest run-on sentence ever. And as Nellie said, it contradicts itself. As for Devin, last time I checked those teams that won the WS had more than one player, and everyone from Papi and Schilling, down to Millar and Roberts played big roles is winning those. He was hardly Orel Hershiser in 1988 carrying the team on his back through the entire playoffs. (remember him in the field in 2004 WS, tripping over himself?)

Re Post #6
Manny will go into the Hall of Fame wearing the cap of whatever team ended up paying him the most money. Maybe that will be the Red Sox but I seriously doubt it.

He never wanted to be here and made it known from the beginning but he sure was content to take the money for 7 1/2 years. All we have to do is watch him in LA to wonder what he would have accomplished had he fully applied himself here. Running out grounders? Taking the extra base? Wait...who is that person & what did he do with the real Manny?

Yes, he helped win two titles but some people act like the Red Sox and their fans owe him undying allegiance and a lifetime's free pass to behave like an over-sized 2 year old. First of all: It doesn't work that way. Like the saying goes "To whom much is given, much is expected." I think $20 mil/yr qualifies as "much is given." Secondly, Manny didn't show up at the ballpark alone for all of those playoffs games. The Man-apologists seem to forget that part.

Manny was "oppressed" in Boston. He should have no such problem in carefree New York City...

KP:
FOULKE????????
You just disqualified your entire post !!!!

If sox & dodgers made it to world series, would love to see how happy manny would be if francona deprived him of a chance to hit by walking him everytime up.

Wasn't Manny the guy who was the World Series MVP in 2004 when the Red Sox were the champion for the first time in 86 years? Didn't he lead the league in home runs that year too? Gee, I think he averages something like one home run for every 14.5 times at bat over and has an on base pecent of over .400 in a career spanning SIXTEEN YEARS. All that without being implicated in the steroid scandal. Oh yeah but he had a beer with one of the Yankees one time when he could have been making funny armpit noises with Bob from Bill'rica on Brookline Ave. I thought the job of management was to manage. If managing baseball players is generally easy why do they make millions for such a fun job?

Kevin Pishkin

What's wrong with pink hats? All those Irish-American sox fans who've never even been to Ireland get to wear green hats, why can't women wear pink? I'll bet my wife is a bigger Sox fan than you are, and she has 2 pink hats!

Mark Post #21

EXACTLY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally Tim McCarver said something intelligent and interesting. I am shocked that the worst announcer in all of sports could come up with that. I still wish Fox would fire McCarver and find somebody far less annoying for the broadcast.

I hope Manny hurts himself in the NCLS, preferably early on. Then, when he really wants to play but can't, it will be just desserts for those times when he was healthy but sat out cos he was "hurt."

I used to be a Manny apologist up until this year, but once he couldn't remember what knee hurt, I began to hate him. I hope the baseball gods have a just payment in mind for Manny.

Kudos to McCarver...he's telling it like it is. Manny has no integrity, and Boras, the goofball who put Manny up to it, has no integrity as well. Manny signed a contract and he should have honored it. I hope the Sox do meet up with the Dodgers in the WS...and Beckett drills him in the ass in his first at bat!

There should be a "claw-back" provision on his 20 million - just as there should have been when Roger Clemens suddenly blossomed into Cy Young in Toronto. Selfish people end up foisted on their own petard. We don't have to do anything or even boo.

Mister Snitch, LOL. NYC will tear him apart if he tries to pull that kind of behavior....

Manny is fully aware that he acted selfishly. You know if your teamates don't want you in the clubhouse anymore, you've done wrong. Great hitter, yes. Great man, no. It's that simple.

manny should be banned from the hall of fame? okay, really, it is moronic statements like this that result in people feeling the need to defend manny. no one is defending what he did his last few weeks in boston. but the anti-manny hysteria can get to be a bit much.

RE: post #23, the hall of fame decides what cap goes on, not the player. hence roger clemens' outburst a few years ago that he would refuse to go to his induction if they put a red sox cap on him. of course he lated took this back, and now his induction may be in question.

as for manny, yes, he took the money AND he he produced for 7 1/2 years, and helped win two world series in the process. i really don't care if he was happy all the time or not. there is no defending his actions on his way out, but there is no denying what an impact he had on the team, either.

Manny was perhaps the biggest ingrate to ever wear a Boston Red Sox uniform when you factor in his salary, being part of a world championship team , and the fan support he received here despite not giving his all.

I absolutely agree with Bostonguy247! Where is MLB's outrage?
The much treasured "integrity of the game" is in grave jeopardy when a player can turn his enthusiasm on or off at will. Manny's dogging it prior to his emancipation to the west coast impacted games far more than Pete Rose's betting did, I suspect.

the cap a player wears into the Hall of Fame is not a choice of the player....the baseball Hall of Fame is who selects the cap that the player would wear....this rule or whatever you want to call it came up years ago when Jose Canseco signed a contract with the Devil Rays and agreed to wear the Tampa hat to the Hall....but when that story broke the Hall came out and said that it has never been the players choice on which hat to wear so Canseco's agreement with Tampa would not exist...now I know Jose is probably not going to the Hall now but back then it looked like he had a chance...anyway Manny will probably wear a Sox hat but that has nothing to do with his prefrences

Manny has all the talent in the world, but he isn't a team person. He's for Manny and Manny alone. He should have been disciplined and fined for most of the stupid things he did in Boston. Jason Bay is a better fielder, and a better person than Manny, and is a better fit for the SOX. As much as most SOX fans loved Manny, myself included, he had to go. Makes the SOX a better team.

For those of you who are under the impression that Tim McCarver wrote this article in Sports Illustrated, I urge you to take a look at the cover. McCarver simply made some comments from the Phillies dugout. The SI article is a different thing altogether.

Hey Kevin Pishkin...Pink Hats...Pink BATS, Pink Catcher's Gear...it's for Breast Cancer Research, you dope. Sure, there are immitations. But women - and players - who wear pink LICENSED MLB (NFL, etc.) stuff are supporting cancer research. I don't happen to have a pink hat, but I have an MLB Pink Ribbon charm on a bracelet...you can buy them at MLB.com or on Yawkey Way. Don't you DARE question the depth of faith or fandom of others! A "Real Fan" would NEVER support a player who quit on the team.

A

Without Baseball, The "ManRam" would be working at a carwash somewhere!

If the Dodgers play the Sox, here's hoping on Manny's first at-bat the Sox pitcher drills him in his malingering overpaid baggy-pantsed arse with a 98-mph fastball.

And the Sox should retire No. 24 -- for Dewey Evans.

Manny is a kid,like many other players to step through Pro Sports,today.He's smart and stupid at the same time.He was concerned that the Sox might not sign him so he fights back in the only way he knows.But the Boston Media ate him up and he can't handle it.Welcome LA...........LA has so many stars that Manny can walk down the street and not be recognized,not so in Beantown..........but Manny's problem is that he let his team and some very good friends on his team down...........He ranks with a lot of other so-called great stars and the HOF will receive him,but somehow I believe it'll somewhat a said day too for Mr Ramirez.I don't miss him.

Just like the days of Carl Everett, Manny's time will come. He's got to watch out for the cellphones from the bleacher section! Time willl reward the Boston fans for his disloyalty to his teammates.

Manny is the greatest hitter I've ever seen. Period.
But for anyone that wonders " why everyone is so negative on Manny", they have to have their head in the sand. Blaming Sox management for Manny's actions? freakin priceless!
Let's put this to bed once and for all.
MANNY QUIT ON HIS TEAM, AND TEAMATES IN ORDER TO FORCE THE SOX TO TRY AND TRADE HIM. BUT MANNY WOULD NOT AGREE TO ANY TRADE UNLESS THE TEAM DROPPED THE 2 ,1-YEAR OPTIONS IT HELD (AT $20,000,000.00 EACH) . WHY? .........BECAUSE MANNY AND HIS SNAKE OF AN AGENT KNOW THAT MANNY'S CHANCES OF SIGNING A 4-YEAR DEAL WHEN HE'S 2 YEARS OLDER ARE GREATLY REDUCED.
That's all there is to it. Now is that the Manny you want on your team? Or do you JUST want the Manny that we all see busting his butt in LA now? yeah, think about that for a second. Unfortunately, it's a package deal.
It's one thing to go to management and try to re-negotiate a contract that you already signed, it's another thing altogether to literally quit on your teamates for your own personal ( read selfish) reasons. That is despicable, and nobody should be contorting themselves into making excuses for such behavior. And if Manny is "man" enough to pull a stunt like that, he should also be man enough to handle people call him out on it too. That's when you know you're a bad man.

Manny haters. Please see comments made by Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus about Manny's performance for the Red Sox particularly in the month of July. It is not full of a bunch of stupid rhetoric. Not that any of you are educated enough to know the difference. I'm sure all you mental midgets give 100% to your jobs 100% of the time. What a joke? You're probably on someone else's clock the entire time you are reading and writing your ridiculous garbage. You people are the most hateful, ingrates I have ever known. Jason Bay isn't anywhere near the player Manny is and I couldn't care less if he was out for the entire rest of the postseason. JBay Who? You hateful people are the ones who are DESPICABLE!

I'm sick of all the Manny-haters. He was an incredible asset to the team, and everyone seems to just forget the incredible contributions--yes, even in the field--he made and focus just on his perceived slacking. Total garbage, he produced so much for this team for so long, anyone can look at the stats, but if what you're going to do is pounce on a player who is tired of being given less respect in the clubhouse than blowhard Curt Schilling and acts accordingly then yeah you can find fault with Manny. I for one will stand and cheer as loud as I can when Manny comes to the plate in fenway at the world series, because he is plain and simple one of the best red sox players in the history of this club, and the only ones you can find to whom he could be compared unfavorably are the absolute legends.

Manny thanks for the 04 and 07 seasons! But, if the Dodgers and the Sox go to the WS, my fantasy baseball match is a Beckett's first pitch 96 mph right at manny's rib cage!

All the "fans" on here bashing Manny make me sick. I wasn't extremely happy with Manny in his final days but he was still hitting home runs and getting put outs in the field. Stop being brain washed by ranting drive time personalities and look at the numbers. And for all the folks cheering the "Bay State??" Bay could've been a pine tree and Fenway would've cheered him just because he's not Manny. 3/4 of Fenway roots for anything in a Red Sox jersey and those aren't true fans in my opinion. Manny sold tickets and got ratings. Bay is on his way to becoming a great player but he's boring as all hell.

When a ball player signs a contract ( 20 m per year), he is obligated to produce to the best of his ability throughout his contract years, When he loafs and feigns injury and illness, ownership should have the wherewithal to adjust his salary accordingly. His actions demonstrate that he very much less than honorable.I
don't think he should be even compared to Arod,who is every inch a ball player.
I'm 84 years young and have been a loyal fan of the Sox since I was 10 years old.
That's when Doc Cramer ( the flying red horse ) played centerfield and Fred Hoey
broadcast the games on the radio. For Ramirez I'm glad he's gone.

I know this is way down the road......but if it is a Boston vs. LA world Series- there would be two ways to pitch to Manny- (1) would be to intentionally walk him every plate appearance or (2) plunk him at every plate appearance

Let me put it as simple as this, I will be as a DIEHARD red sox forever grateful for what manny has done for this team and for the city of boston. However what he did those last few weeks before being traded was unforgivable. After the support we as red sox fans gave him throughout the the antics and all the crap he did before he got traded. I dont care what anyone says that just garbage. You dont do that to the fans that put with all his crap and still cheered for him every night. I will boo that guy louder than anyone else because he gave up on the team and basically held us hostage. GO SOX!!!!!

Only one player in the history of the Red Sox franchise ever had a hall of fame career with the Sox, was instrumental in winning two World Series, and was MVP in one of the World Series. That one player was Manny Ramirez.

In Manny's last 30 days with the Red Sox, all he did was hit over .350 with a slugging percentage just short of .600. We should all loaf as well as Manny.

He is being dissed for the same reason Ted Williams never tipped his hat his entire career.

blah, blah, blah...so Manny can hit the heck out of NL pitching and Tim McCarver adds his two cents---what would baseball writers write about in 2008 if they didn't have Manny? Not the Rays or anything that actually has anything to do with the game. No, they paper on the story of a guy who hits better than anybody else but has never done 'roids, been busted, or even said anything bad in the media. I hope there is a Dodgers-Red Sox series and I hope Manny knocks the cover off the ball (but he Red Sox win).

What poetic justice. Manny possibly coming back to Fenway. Luckily for him, Schilling isn't pitching. He would have one in his ear. My guess is that they will pitch him inside when possible. We will see if he can hit a fastball or not. There are a few posters that do not seem to get it. No one denies that he is a future HOF'er. He was a PART of two championship teams. My question is... how does anyone defend his actions? Everyone, thus far, has stated that he dogged it, quit, is selfish, and the list goes on. What no one has mentioned is that Manny had the audacity to shove a 64 year old man down because he didn't get his way. A 36 year old man abusing a senior citizen. What class. Now Boras has been doing damage control to market him. Manny hits. Manny hustles. Manny gives to charity. We will soon see him kissing babies. Did I see a reference to Ted and Yaz? Sorry Manny, you are a far cry to either one of them. MLB should investigate this whole sorted story. My guess is that you won't have to look far from Boras. Theres something rotten in Denmark

So with all the bad press on Manny about how bad a team mate he was, won't we see a beaning or two rather than allowing him to hit or an intentional walk?

Re: Post # 25
>KP:
>FOULKE????????
>You just disqualified your entire post !!!!

For the record, Foulke's 2004 postseason stats:
Games: 11; IP: 14; H: 7; ER: 1; BB: 8; SO: 19; ERA: 0.64

Did you even watch the 2004 playoffs??? We should have a freaking statue of Foulke outside Fenway Park -- The Sox would never have even been in the World Series if it weren't for Foulke pitching so many pressure do or die innings during the ALCS comeback, and because of him sacrificing his body for a ring he screwed himself up for good, and then gets booed by the fans the next two years for his troubles, thank you very much. I don't blame him for saying he didn't care what "Joe from Burger King" thinks, because Joe from Burger King is ingrates like you!

Just think of how Manny dogged it . He quit on his team and he quit on the fans. root for the laundry

McCarver may be right but that doesn't alter the fact that McCarver is an incompetent windbag. Nothing detracts more from the World Series than this moron's incessant rambling and mispronunciations. Nomar Garshapara. Not only does he mispronounce many names but he describes things in the most convoluted and round about way. Trying to listen to him is like trying to listen to the dentist while he is doing a root canal. Please give us Chip Caray and Buck Martinez or Don Orsillo and Harold Reynolds please. For the love of God don't make us listen to this moron. He is even worse than Joe Morgan. Sorry to change the subject but I can't listen to him or even read what he says.

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When Manny is inducted into the Hall of Fame, most likely 5 years after he retires, if there is any justice in this world his plaque will be enscribed with " I was in it for myself"

One of the most selfish, ethically bankrupt individuals that Boston NEVER should have put up with for as long as it did.

I'm just glad that my kids were older and didn't learn the importance of committment, selfless team play and hard work from this wonderful role model.

It is painfully obvious that Manny is doing steroids or HGH. His miraculous turnaround is not all just from being happy to be out of Boston. Why has he not been tested and suspended is beyond me.

I like Manny. I think he was misunderstood by the team management, and outright hated by certain sportswriters and fans. The Red Sox are a more boring team without him. It would be a great thing for baseball if Manny has some Kirk Gibson moments for LA in the postseason.

The only person more "despicable" than Manny would be John Hickey

FOULKE WAS THE MVP IN 04, BUT MLB WANTED TO GIVE IT TO A POSITION PLAYER. I never cared whether Ramirez was happy or feeling crappy or how the other players felt. f Ramirez was advised by anyone to dog it to get out of the contract/option, then that person could be responsible to the red sox for interfering with their contract with Ramirez. If I were the Red Sox, I would have brought Ramirez in and said not only are we not trading you, we are picking up your option, so you better get ready to play for all of 2009 if you want another contract from anybody when you are 38. Sox never negotiate during season of last year because they don't want the risk, but maybe they could have tried the nice approach first to show some appreciation and communicate their grattitde. Sometimes, that's all people want, whether or not the deserve it. Ramirez is great, but if the Sox make it past TB, they should have Delcarmen give him some chin music Pedro style.

To anyone who continues to defend this jerk I ask one simple question. What would he have to do to change your opinion of him? He singlehandedly tried to sabotage the season! Did you people watch the three games with Anaheim in Fenway in July in which the team was so distracted that they got their doors blown off and looked misearble doing so? Fortunately Theo was able to wheel him out of here and replace him with a true professional in Jason Bay. Anyone who is happy for this loser cannot truly be a fan of the Red Sox. The Red Sox have been here for over a century and will be here for another century and if one immature, elderly-abusing punk is more impotant to root for than a team of hard-working team players on the verge of winning a championship, then get the hell out of Red Sox Nation. You people are the true "pink hats".

Foulke should've been named the MVP of the 2004 WS. I'll second that. You're right, Sox never make to the WS without Foulke in hte ALDS & ALCS.
I;ll b surprised if Brian Cashman signs Ramirez to a 4 year deal?

TO Ed Sarkavakian:
But Ed, tell us how you REALLY feel !

Hey, padrepadre, next time you're intent upon appearing literate, quote correctly. I assume you meant to say "hoist" on their own petard.

So glad Manny appeared on the cover. I thought the Phils would win their series with the boys in blue anyway, but now I know the Dodgers are jinxed and done for, and there aint nothing that two-faced idiot can do to stop the axe from falling.

Hey, padrepadre, post #30, next time you want to appear literate make sure you paraphrase correctly. The expression you alluded to is "hoist" on his own petard.

Which team-mates was Manny referring to when he said they know him? And why does Borat the Agent and puppeteer get a free ride in this? Damning McCarver with faint praise won't do when just about all the other shills and hucksters of the media have been doing a tap-dance around a lying quitter. But what with the shape our country is in from liars and cheaters and their controlled propaganda mills I guess that's all we can expect.

"You hateful people are the ones who are DESPICABLE!"

Ah, the sycophants who call anyone criticizing Manny "haters". You can set your watch by them. They are the greatest haters of all. And, of course, the biggest asses.

To all of you people who are convinced Manny is going to get his: What if he doesn't? What if instead the Red Sox get theirs? What if the Red Sox can't sign another top Hispanic free agent for the next dozen years? What if Ortiz doesn't re-sign with the Red Sox in two years? What are you going to say then? It's very revealing how many people "who respect the game" want to see Manny get hit by a pitch in the World Series by a Red Sox pitcher.

Manny's stats over sixteen years are better than any other Red Sox players over any three years in their career except Ted Williams another superstar who expected (and got) special treatment.
Ted Williams was treated like royalty and like a son by Tom Yawkey and so was Carl Yastzemski.

It's Red Sox management and some fans who are showing a lack of respect for the game when they treat star players like high priced horse flesh; when they expect players to give a hundred percent, while they are demeaning them off the field as part of their negotiating strategy. Just because you have so little self respect that you flee your office in a gorilla suit as part of your salary negotiations doesn't mean other people don't have self respect.

And Hello:The Red Sox didn't want to resign Manny anyway and now they have gullible
Red Sox fans applauding them instead of condemning them for it.

Manny Ramirez is not an isolated incident. It ended ugly with Nomar Garciaparra
and Pedro Martinez also. Martinez, was the first player in history to be the winning pitcher of the All Star Game in his home ball park. He also struck out the first four players in the game. You can wait, oh, another hundred years to see a game like that. Do you forget how Ted Williams was as excited as a nine year old boy just to be to hanging out with Nomar Garciaparra for a few minutes that night?

Yeah, tell me about who in this town doesn't respect the game.

Unfortunately players are not commodities, they're people. Obviously Manny was feeling
a great amount of pressure this year going for his 500th home run and having his contract up for negotiation, the problem with Kevin Youkilas, which was Manny's own doing, no doubt added to the pressure. That incident was the moment for management to manage. But did they? No instead they put the screws tighter, and now Sox fans are applauding as the greatest hitter their children will likely ever see in a Red Sox uniform leaves town.

These are the same lost souls who think they are getting screwed over by welfare mothers and illegal immigrants while executives from AIG are spending 23,000 dollars of taxpayers’ money on something called "an intuitive massage." Just a suggestion: I hear some radio stations these days are playing something called "music."

Try to remember that The Sox didn't trade Manny Ramirez for Jason Bay. they also gave up Craig Hanson and Brandon Moss. And the seven million the Red Sox
paid Manny to play 53 games for the Dodgers was more than five percent of the Dodgers entire payroll for the whole year.

Guys like Dwight Evans and Carl Yastrzemski are people of less talent who are comparable only
because of their tremendous character and discipline. For some players, particularly naturally gifted players, "staying loose" is how they are able to unleash their tremendous natural talent.
Ted Williams used to swing at imaginary balls while playing in the outfield!

Some of Manny's behavior is inexcusable but not unforgivable. And I would give Red Sox management the benefit of the doubt if the problems with Manny were an isolated incident. But they aren’t. And if they were blessed/cursed with all of these amazing but difficult players all at the same time they should have been willing to bend a bit more in the long term interests of the team.

Conclusion: You can moralize it all you want, paying ball players huge salaries doesn't mean that you can treat them anyway you want and expect them to perform at a high level. Get over it. And fans should expect Sox management to get over it too.

#85 Warchild......I love the Bosox,but I hope the Yankees DO sign Manny.What a series of events to follow that explosive moment.Can you just imagine seeing Ramman coming to Fenway some 8 or 9 times.It would be great for baseball.I hear MLB attendance is down this year.What a stimulation this could trigger.
Love him or hate him he is Manny.He can't help himself.But he certainly fires up the crowd.So,I guess he's benificial to the game.I, myself would love to see Cashman sign him.A new Yankee Stadium..........."NOW BATTING #24, MANNY RAMIRIZ"............Brings a chill to my spine............Bring him on,Cashman!!!

sooner or later life will catch up to this lazy scum... not sure when or how but something in life will devistate this dirtball so badly all the money in the world won't be able to put a smile on his face. not today- not tomorrow but his entire life will be turned up sidedown.he's nothing more than a common thief. my only hope is when life brings this garbarge to his knees-i hope i'm around. he's your garden varity

wow buddy post #94, no need to get so angry and spiteful about a BASEBALL PLAYER. you don't even know the guy and you want something to happen to him that will "devistate his life"? i am no defending him, but these hateful and angry words are just a bit much. you, and a lot of the people commenting on here, sound crazy.. there are far worse things in life than manny sitting out two games, mouthing off, and getting traded. everyone needs to calm down. it is a GAME. we are talking about a man who PLAYS A GAME. one thing i can agree with manny on: anyone who gets this upset about the red sox does in fact need a life.

For all of you defending Manny, you are right that the Sox would never have won without him. But they would never win again if were still here. Amazing how people always overlook blatant flaws in someone's character because they are productive. Manny was not a good teammate, nor did winning come before his own glory. people even try to shift the reason on Manny dogging it because it was Scott Boras. Fact.....he is a grown man who has a tremendous amount of talent, a first ballot HOF...and a first class jerk. Manny is baseball's version of Terrell Owens. Also laughable those who are trying to blast Bay because he isn't in the same class as Manny. You are right. Manny is a superior hitter. He is not in Bay's class in the field, on the bases or in the clubhouse. Bay will never hit like Manny, no doubt. But that is all you really can justify...it's like that beautiful movie star who has drug habit, very selfish, a diva and treats people like crap. You still put her on the pedestal despite the obvious. That is what yoou are doing with Manny.

I'll never understand the anger towards Manny. The country is at war on two fronts, our elected officials are lying to us about everything under the sun, and half of Boston has busy for the last month calling WEEI because Manny didn't run hard to first base on every play for the BoSox. I support being passionate about what is maybe the worlds greatest game, but one has to draw the line at character assassination. Before you stoke the flames with all of your blue collar ire, remember that some MLB players and umpires often receive death threats from people just like you, who are just a little more pissed off than you are. I worry, seriously, about your misdirected rage.

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