As a lifelong New York Yankees fan, it has been excruciating watching Joe Torre lead the Dodgers to a surprising playoff berth, albeit in a weak division.
However, worse than seeing my favorite skipper advance to his 13th consecutive postseason without the Bombers was witnessing the unholiest pairing of all time, joining the forces of good, Torre, and evil, Manny Ramirez. It was like watching Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker having a cup of tea with one another as they shared intergalactic battle stories!
So, as I sat and watched their good fortune, a swelling of anger permeated throughout my pinstriped heart. This list is the conglomeration of months of agony.
10. Why does Manny always get free passes?
Why is it that he can continually do the wrong thing and upset the wrong people and still be successful? Does your level of talent supersede your chemistry with the team? Is baseball a one-man game, or does it require nine players battling together? I know what Manny's answer would be.
9. Please, people, consider Manny's horrific fielding skills.
Manny's remarkable catch against the wall before high-fiving a fan and throwing a runner out at first aside, he is a lazy, unreliable corner outfielder. Arguments abound when naming great players that a truly outstanding player should be well-rounded. Well, aside from his appearance, he is not a well-rounded player due to his poor fielding capabilities.
8. Torre and Ramirez together is like pairing Gandhi with Hitler.
7. How did Manny get run out of the same city that worshipped the Fenway grass he walked on?
6. Bloated contracts typically lead to bloated egos.
As a Yankees fan, I have no room to comment, but how much money can someone really expect for hitting and catching a ball? I think it has become a bit ridiculous with the amount of money certain players are receiving
5. If we killed Barry Bonds for his treatment of the media, how do we not mention Manny in the same sentence?
4. The limp.
When reading about the limping incident recently, it made me think back to junior high school, when kids would try to get out of football practice for the day by faking a limp. Watching their performance was like watching the Tom Cruise Scientology video on YouTube: painfully awkward.
So, it does not surprise me, or any true baseball fan for that matter, that Ramirez would attempt a fake injury and totally butcher it like he butchered his relationship with the Red Sox organization. I mean, come on Manny—at least remember which knee you pretended to hurt!
3. The Red Sox flourished with him...enough said.
2. July 31st: A day that will live in infamy.
The trade heard round the world.
1. Why God, why?
I guess the real reason I feel so passionately hateful toward Manny Ramirez is the undeniable fact that he is this generation's most dynamic hitter and baseball personality. Years from now, when I sit my grandkids on my lap to bore them with stories of the past, I want to mention classy players like Ken Griffey, Jr. or Derek Jeter.
However, I would be lying if I did not mention Manny as being one of the best hitters of all-time. As scary as it seems for me to even type it, we will, one day, be mentioning Ramirez's name in the same sentence as Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Babe Ruth!
It's blasphemy, I know, but it is also something us Yankees fans will have to start getting used to.
Manny Ramirez, the first ballot Hall of Famer. How could it get any worse?
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about 1 month ago
When you sit your grandkids on your lap make sure they don't fall on their heads. Otherwise they'll end up writing articles like this.
from about 1 month ago
Witty.
about 1 month ago
Well... Manny is probably better than DiMaggio and maybe Mantle, so I don't see why that's such a problem.
What has Manny ever done to the media on a Barry Bonds level? He doesn't berate reporters.
I do agree with number 6, especially in the case of a certain third baseman on the Yankees. I'll ignore the Manny-Hitler comparison.
Manny's fielding isn't great, but neither was Babe Ruth's. I guess he wasn't that great of a player either then.
Manny does not get free passes. If you remember the media frenzy after the trade, everybody in the media thinks he's some sort of clubhouse cancer. I'm a Red Sox fan and I can honestly say that if Mike Lowell doesn't run out a groundball, no one cares. But if Manny doesn't, it's oh my god, he doesn't respect the game. I think it would be a big stretch to say he gets free passes.
about 1 month ago
Well, you must have not disliked it that much, Nick...after all, you did read it to the very end.
about 1 month ago
#8 is a blatant fallacy.
Manny Ramirez last offseason worked harder than any other player. He got a new workout regimen, and when his facility closed for a week during the holidays last winter, he got keys to the place so he could continue to work on his core. Why? Because he was motivated after having a bad 2007. A "bloated ego" would not be so motivated to get into playing shape following a bad season.
In response to 7, he was run out of town, because the Red Sox portrayed him as the bad guy (albeit he did forget which leg was "hurt") to justify letting him go, because the had no plans to bring him back. This isn't new, it was also done to Nomar, Lowe, and Pedro Martinez.
In case you stopped paying attention to baseball this year, you shouldn't be too happy for July 31. We may have sent a legend packing in Manny Ramirez, but in case you've never heard of a man named Jason Bay, he ain't bad himself.
And If you hate Manny so bad for being good with the Red Sox, I expect to soon see a "Ten Things I Hate About You...A-Rod: October Edition"
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