OT: Manny Ramirez: 'No one wants to sign me'

[gamer35]

I, too, as a lifelong Red Sox fan, would love to see that jughead go unsigned, but can you say: accusations of collusion? Could that be a predictable outcome?

Yea, a lifelong Red Sox fan who would have had 2 less World Championships if that "jughead" was not on the team. Some fan you are...

[xpress34]

I, too, as a lifelong Red Sox fan, would love to see that jughead go unsigned, but can you say: accusations of collusion? Could that be a predictable outcome?

Hard to claim collusion when an offer has been extended (Dodgers)... Bonds tried claiming that last year because no team wanted to take him up on his DEMAND of $15mil for a one year deal regardless of when he started the season or how much playing time he actually put in...

I'm just thankful my wife and I both have our jobs, house and cars and these overpaid millionaire cry babies act like they're being ripped off...

Give me a break.

[Aksflyest]

As a life long ManRam fan, I guess I'm alittle biased but I hope to see the man get picked up soon. He is hands down one of the greatest right hand hitters of all time regardless of how you feel about him personally.

It was dissapointing to see how things ended in boston..but I wasn't there so I can't speculate on why it happened or what happened behind the scenes that caused things to get so ugly so fast. Headcases like Milton Bradley get contracts, 2nd 3rd 4th 5th chances, and welcomed with open arms into a new team I would hope a future hall of famer would be able to get the same chance...

Keeping my fingers crossed that one day I wake up I see the tribe opened the wallet and brought him home to finish his career..but I think I've got a better shot of seeing the Browns win a damn championship before that happens!

Just my two cents...

[suicide_squeeze]

Aksflyest........you are absolutely correct. Manny is one of the greatest right hand power hitters of all time.

He electrified Dodger Stadium with his timely and monumental blasts in the latter part of last season. It was magical once again going to a Dodger game.

What I don't understand about all of his critics is simply this: Why is not entitled to seek out what his market value is? I believe he has earned his due.

Boston fans (at least the Manny-bashers), and their management, ought to be ashamed of the way they treated him while he was there, and now, after he's gone. The team signed him to a HUGE contract.......and I don't believe ANYONE will argue this FACT.....he delivered.

He was a free-spirirted dude, for sure.......but how can you condemn a guy because he doesn't "sit down, shut up, and be a proper respectful little servant"....like the Boston area demanded he be. You have to let an artist BE an artist......and if that's using the head between inning in the Green Monster.....go with it! Have a laugh with him.

But to start breaking the guy down, calling him "selfish, egotisticle, etc." when he's the superstar on your team? You all may seem to forget, after all the "Manny being Manny" garbage started, the team showed him the ultimate disrespect by WAIVING him to get rid of his contract. When no one picked it up, did Manny hold a grudge? Did he wine and complain? NO, all Manny did was take the freaking team on his shoulders to a World Series, earned the World Series MVP for you Boston brats, and in doing so ended am 86 year "Curse of the Bambino".

Then, LARGELY because of Manny's bat, you unworthy's won another World Series.

So the Manny bashing continued. Yeah, he became unhappy with it, and finally manned up and did something about it. I loved it. I LOVED HOW he stuck it to you spoiled fans and management in Boston, and.....I don't blame him. You all made his life miserable. So he left, and quite frankly, he SHOWED you what you did. You, not "Manny-being-Manny"....were the problem, Boston.

This is PROFESSIONAL baseball, people. You can't just "turn it on" because you "want to" like Manny did for the Dodgers. He just got himself into a better environment. And, after the Dodgers resign him (and PLEASE, make no mistake about it, the Dodgers WILL resign him....it's their biggest off-season goal), he will be playing for ......not the MONEY, Boston, he'll already have that.......his legacy.

And he'll climb the all-time home-run chart, and probably lead the Dodgers to their next World Series championship.

Thanks for the selfish and rediculously misdirected hatred to your best player, BOSTON. It's kind of fun watching your GM squirm, and make all of these silly acquisitions of all these recovering injured players in an attempt to pace the Yankees.

Without Manny.....you're nothing but a runner up.....hope you injoyed your World Championships while he was there, because it's over until your next once-in-a-lifetime "Manny" comes along again.

[suicide_squeeze]

P.S. Sorry for the typo's and misspells.......I was in a hurry!

[Mr.3000]

I've always had the same opinion of Manny. That is that I think he's a knucklehead at times, a goofball at others. He is so far below average for a outfielder it isn't funny.

That's said, he is one of the greatest hitters of our time. I'd go as far as saying he's one of the better hitters of all time. He's an RBI machine.

Knucklehead or not, I'd take him on my team in a heartbeat.

[kellsox]

Reason he's not signed:
He quit on his team. He faked an injury(sent to get an MRI on his sore knee, forgot which knee hurt, they took an MRI on both and both came up clean, traded days lasted and magically became healthy batting 400 in the NL)). As an owner/coach/or teammate, it would be very hard to put trust in him. Nobody wants to invest that much money in an employee and not know if he is going to do his job from day to day. Players are all for each other getting the biggest contracts that they can, but they will not tolerate a bad teammate. At the end, it was the Boston players as much as management that had enough of Manny

[eisenreich8]

Yea, a lifelong Red Sox fan who would have had 2 less World Championships if that "jughead" was not on the team. Some fan you are...

I'm assuming that's a form of your "dry" sense of humor, and not a snarky brand of wisecrack. The man is a spoiled classless bum, I separate the type of person from the type of player when I say that, as any "fan" of Clemens, Bonds, McGwire and Palmeiro can attest, pitiful actions on their parts also ruined their reps. Ramirez caused more controversy and dismay among his "fans", and teammates and employers than you are aware of, apparently.

I suppose I can thank Ramirez for his monumental contributions to the two World Championships, without advocating for his lack of class and decency in other regards. I'll run my future posts by you to edit for suitable content.

[eisenreich8]

And I don't bash JUST Manyy out of spite as a Boston fan. The entertainment world in general takes hits for what are real or perceived shortcomings in the course of their "artistic" performances, ie Tom Cruise and his odd behavior over the years, plus being labeled a "bad match" for his role in Valkyrie, Madonna's dalliances with a married superstar ballplayer, Varitek cheating on his family.

Manny's legacy in Boston was not fed by anything other than his bat. He was unable and/or unwilling to contribute in any other area, as a fielder, mentor or team ambassador. Before you laugh, consider that the Red Sox have had a children's cancer research charity for many years (55?) known as the Jimmy Fund. It's taken very seriously and is part of the heartbeat of that franchise. Manny was averse to any connection with that organization, even when sick children were literally right outside the Pahk hoping to get a few moments with him. This was all reported in the Boston papers. He did not HAVE to do anything above and beyond swinging his monster bat for the Sox, but he did virtually nothing else expected from or by the team and community, for all the years he was there. It had virtually nothing to do with fans climbing all over him and harassing him due to his oddball behavior during his days in Boston, as he to this day has many fans in Boston, but with his sitting out the big stuff, except where he benefitted from it.

Nomar, on the other hand, hosted charity bowling and was adored by the fans, until he, too, started sitting out the big stuff. Management has worked well in recent years with well-rounded players who are decent people. Nixon, Lowell, Wake, Timlin, et al. When the attitude starts to rise, ala Pedro, Damon, Clemens, Varitek, they show no mercy. It is a business, and they have done pretty well at conducting it as such.

Manny wasn't around for the late season push to the playoffs last season, the Sox were on out away from the WS, and Jason Bay filled in admirably in Manny's absence. I wish Manny well, it's just that he is not missed in Boston.

[Mr.3000]

My personal opinion is that I don't care what a player does or says off the field. The media is way too involved with athletes these days.

I wonder how many players we idolize from the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's beat their wives, cheated, were homosexual....and we never knew, therefore we didn't care.

I submit that some fans only care today because it is all over the media, 24/7.


I am a fan of the sport and a fan of the athlete...and what he does ON THE FIELD.

I want to see Manny hit the ball, drive in runs and hit HR's. I don't pay for my ticket to sit and wonder what charity he involves himself with or whether or not he's a faithful spouse.

Ballplayers are paid to play ball...not be perfect.

Players are people too. Yes they are often spoiled primadonnas but who are we to try and dictate how they live their lives off the field? Try telling your neighbor he has to go to church or that he must give to a charity. I'd wager that wouldn't fare to well for you.


And yes, Manny doesn't contribute much other than his bat. What about Bob Uecker. Did he contribute much more than catching? What about Edgar Martinez? He was all bat as well. Maybe Manny should be back in the AL and moved to DH.


I respect the uber straight and narrow players....but I don't begrudge the ones that aren't perfect.