Just a random thought about the Manny Ramirez trade. I was on a plane yesterday and watched ESPN show countless clips of Manny Ramirez “loafing it” (running slowly or jogging, if you will) to first base after hitting a ball and “loafing it” while running the bases. They even timed Manny’s runs and kept using the phrase “glacial” when referring to his speed (or lack thereof). Strangely enough, this was held up as one of the main reasons for the Red Sox to trade Manny and acquire Jason Bay (who is, by far, a better base runner).
Now, how does that make sense? Manny Ramirez has been loafing it for years now, right? Wasn’t that always “Manny being Manny”? Manny Ramirez is no track star and he doesn’t give it his all when he runs the bases (when he thinks he’s making an out, when he’s running for a double or something, he tries), but this is no surprise to anyone and I’m not buying this concept that they traded him (in part) because he “loafed”. To me, I think Manny Ramirez was right when he said that the Red Sox management was trying to discredit him and make him look bad to Boston fans. Granted, you make yourself look bad by loafing it, but this is Manny Ramirez–this is what he does and has done. For years, the Red Sox management didn’t care to say anything about it, they just called it “Manny being Manny” and it even made Manny seem lovable and goofy.
But then, when they saw a window to trade Manny, who had questioned the owner over his contract situation, “Manny being Manny” was flipped on its head and was now called “loafing it”. I don’t know if Boston’s management was sending out press packets or what with the phrase “LOAF” stamped across the letterheads, but they were telling anyone and everyone that Manny wasn’t giving it his all and was “loafing it” and those people that they told repeated it over and over again in the media (via articles, Buster Olney, Peter Gammons, ESPN, SI, blogs, etc.). It’s the exact same thing that happened when people questioned Manny’s work ethic and running ability and Boston came up with the “Manny being Manny” moniker in response. The Boston machine did what it had to do to paint Manny in a negative light, when, in reality, he wasn’t running any differently then he had been for the past few years.
All of a sudden, Manny Ramirez, the once beloved Boston slugger is being hated on in a way that I thought was reserved only for Barry Bonds. Seriously. Let’s look at a few other reasons for why the Red Sox traded Manny and wonder about their validity.
1. The Youkilis fight — Manny Ramirez scrapped with Kevin Youkilis in the dugout a few weeks ago. The reasoning for the fight, at the time, was that Kevin Youkilis throws his bats and helmets around (or kicks things) when he has a bad AB. The team had reportedly held a meeting about Youkilis’ temper tantrums before that incident, and so Manny was annoyed with Youkilis for continuing his tantrums in the dugout (even though the team was winning by a large margin). After the incident, it seemed like Youkilis was in the wrong. However, all of a sudden, journalists like this cite it as a contributing factor to Manny’s dismissal in Boston. Strange, huh?
2. Beating down an old man — A few weeks ago, Manny was in trouble again for reportedly pushing a Sox employee to the ground for not getting his entourage tickets to a game against the Astros. This one is indefensible, BUT, you have to wonder how many times something like this has happened with Manny and the Sox. Then, when you’re done wondering about that, you have to wonder why this specific incident was leaked to the press? I’m sure, if they wanted to, the Red Sox could have kept this thing under wraps (it wasn’t even reported on much by the Boston media or other mainstream outlets). However, it wasn’t kept entirely under wraps, and everyone knew about it. This is rather peculiar.
3. Manny’s phantom knee injury — Who knows what was going on here. Maybe it was a message, and maybe it wasn’t. Manny had leg problems all year so you can’t say for certain (maybe his legs were just tired, I don’t know). The MRI didn’t find anything, but how do we know that? Why do we even know that? Evidently, Boston leaked those MRI results because, how else would we have heard about it? There have been multiple times where Manny just hasn’t played and we weren’t provided with an adequate explanation, yet this situation was made public. At this point, it seems clear that the Red Sox were working very hard to paint Ramirez in a negative light.
Now, I’m not trying to defend Manny here. Instead, all I’m trying to do is cut through the bullshit and understand what really happened. I’m happy, as a Yankee fan, that he’s gone. BUT, I think the man deserved more respect than what he was given from Boston and I feel like the media (not this blog, of course…) is distorting the situation a bit. Honestly, I think Manny Ramirez questioned the ownership about his contract situation, was upset that they hadn’t discussed it with him or offered him some sort of new deal, and so he questioned it further. John Henry and Theo were pissed about that, they knew this was his last year, and so they got rid of him while nabbing the cheap and very productive Jason Bay (who is only 29).
I guess we’ll have to wait and see how it works out for them.
