So Long Manny
Both sides have crossed the point of no return and by tomorrow night #24 of the Red Sox will not belong to Manny Ramirez. Manny's number will not be retired at Fenway, he will not be part of Red Sox Nation any more. We will follow him for a while, read about his occasional antics in the NL, but after a while he will disappear into the background. How did it come to this? Why was the end of Manny's career in
Boston so filled with turmoil? At the start of the season we had the "new" Manny; he was open to the media, he worked hard during the off-season and he showed up to camp on time. But things did not stay positive for very long. Manny did not join the team for the trip to the White House or to visit wounded troops at Walter Reed and we called him out on this site. But Manny went back to being goofy and we forgave him for his selfishness. He talked to the press, he sold another car on Ebay, Manny was being funny Manny. Then came the fight with Youk that caught everyone off guard, but he said he was sorry and we forgave him again. Manny then had the incident with Jack McCormick that was quickly swept under the rug, but for me and many fans this was much harder to forgive. Manny skipped the All-Star Game press conference but he made a call from inside the Monstah and everyone loved him. But then came the harsh words about his contract, followed by the sitting out in Seattle and then against New York. This was the last straw for the front office and now Manny is on his way out. A silly gesture or event will not save him this time. There will be a great deal of Sox fans that will cry foul and blame Theo or ownership for ruining the Sox chances but I think they made the right call. Boston gave Manny some wiggle room to put himself above the team at times as long as he payed them back at the plate, unfortunately for Manny, his production no longer pays enough for the wiggle room he needs. He has gone too far off the reservation and will not be let back on. I wish him luck but I'm not about to buy a Marlins jersey. Manny gave us a great deal of humor, helped win 2 World Series, and gave Boston the most feared 3-4 combination in baseball. But he is not the face of the Red Sox, he is not above the game, nor is he irreplaceable. The Sox have lost 8 out of their last 12 with him and in his last game with Boston he went 0-3. Maybe Jason Bay can get the Sox back on track and help us move past the Manny era in Boston.
9 comments:
I'm with you except for this BS :
"Manny did not join the team for the trip to the White House or to visit wounded troops at Walter Reed and we called him out on this site."
I can't claim to know Manny's true motives for not doing so, but none of the Red Sox are obligated to shake the hand of the worst president in US history, or to visit veterans of a war they may heavily disagree with on moral grounds.
I can't stand jingoism and blind military worship, or anyone who lacks the intelligence to see the true motives behind unjust wars.
It's going to be a crazy afternoon... but after all the hoopla last night... I'm starting to feel like maybe Manny isn;t going anyhwere... I mean the deal is basically Manny for Bay and Grabow... is that really ecen steven?
I agree with Henry - This sis mostly the same old, same old - the only addition is Boras whispering in Manny's ear and making things worse...
pure evil that guy.
Scott Boras f*cks the devil
This sucks :\ Why did he have to be such a dick?
heretic, if you know my politics you would know that I am about as far from a supporter of Bush as you can get and I agree with you that he is the worst president in history, the missing of the trip was showing how Manny is always about himself first. this was from the ProJo the day of the trip:
And, while it's interesting that Ramirez clearly considers himself to be special, that he obviously believes his obligations to the team are not the same as those of his teammates, that's a problem for the Red Sox to deal with in the clubhouse, and as an organization. But turning his back on hospitalized veterans? That's inexcusable and unforgivable. "
Schilling did put it pretty well this morning when noted how fast this turned into a train wreck.
I understand the argument being made, and as I said it's BS
1. Anyone making that argument is assuming Manny doesn't have an objection to our invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, which could be a reason he has skipped both washington trips (in addition to just being lazy)
2. I don't care if it's tradition or if it's to make the club look good, no player should feel obligated to go to washington to meet the president OR visit veterans
I don't buy into this nationalistic crap that we somehow owe veterans something. No soldier who has died since the end of World War II has ever died defending your or my freedom. I'm suppose to respect someone who kills innocent people in a foreign country just because they're told to? Someone who doesn't question illegal orders, or resign their commision when they finally realize just what a heinous endeavor they're involved in? Someone who died for political, economic and corporate interests they couldn't even begin to understand? Someone who got CHUMPED into being a hired gun and ended up losing a limb because the television ad looked good or he thought it would be a real macho way to earn a living?
Uh uh. Don't think so.
Can we stick to baseball please?
I'd prefer that as well, but when Manny's decision not to go to washington and visit with some veterans is brought up, the issue has just been made political.
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