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

[suicide_squeeze]

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

I am a lifelong Sox fan and let me start by saying I do appreciate what Manny helped the team do. But to say that Boston management treated him wrong or that they are trying to say he is damaged goods? WHAT?? Did anybody follow what happened in Boston the past few years? He tried to fake an injury, he took WEEKS off each season when the team needed him most, he doesn't run out grounders or hits, he only plays hard in the outfield when he feels like it and while he was doing that he was being paid over 20 MILLION a year! Sure, he can hit the leather off a ball, but that is only HALF of his job. He was paid, very well, to be a left fielder. He was paid to play hard, every play, every at bat. He did that when he felt like it.

Do I appreciate the talent he has to hit, sure I do. You don't see talent like that but once in a lifetime. I appreciate what he did in Sox uniform, but I don't think that because he was a great hitter excused him from doing his job or quitting on his team. Are you there to play baseball or talk on the cell phone Manny?

It is obvious that the Dodgers fans on the board have not had their taste of Manny yet. You had him for what, a few months? Come talk to us Sox fans when your new hero decides to sit for a few weeks in the middle of a pennant race. Or when he decides that the millions he is making is not enough and starts the "woe is me" in the media. I'm curious to see how long the love fest will last.

Tedw9,

I understand your anger, as I do all fans of a team who witnessed the dethroning of their teams superstar.......it's painful for all to see.

I also understand the predictions of Manny doing this, and Manny doing that, after he gets the bucks, to the next team hw plays on.

But IMHO you guys are way off base. Here's why....

You are referring to Manny quitting on his team, and all that stuff. Yes, he did. But he did it after he was shown the ultimate disrespect from the teams management and ownership. The Red Sox WAIVED HIM in 2003 in an attempt to get rid of him and that large contract. Manny could have copped a 'tude right then and there, but he kept his free-spirited happy personality, and WON YOU FANS A WORLD SERIES. So....where is the outrage from you fans over that???

I'll tell you where it is. It's misdirected into an explanation like Tedw9's here. You all jumped on the "Bash MANNY!" bandwagon, instead of backing him. So, he handled it the way he saw fit. I'm not condoning his behavior, but it got to the point where everyone in Boston was basically calling for a pulic linching of this guy.

So, since Manny could back it up.....he snubbed the team to get out. HOW can you blame him for doing that to a team whose players, and a city whose fans, has all turned against him?

Manny may be looking for big bucks, and that is his right in the system that is set up. That said, I believe WHEREVER he ends up signing (and I hope it is in Chavez Ravine) I believe he knows he's working for his legacy, and possibly one last additional contract if he plays well. So we shall see, but I say where ever he ends up, he plays like the superstar he is. The Boston situation was ugly, and it ended badly.......but the Red Sox organization crapped down the throat of their best player FIRST....not the other way around. You have to understand that fact before you go on your next "Manny Bashing" routine.

[eisenreich8]

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

And that, my friends, is the "rest of the story"..............

[Tedw9]

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

I am a lifelong Sox fan and let me start by saying I do appreciate what Manny helped the team do. But to say that Boston management treated him wrong or that they are trying to say he is damaged goods? WHAT?? Did anybody follow what happened in Boston the past few years? He tried to fake an injury, he took WEEKS off each season when the team needed him most, he doesn't run out grounders or hits, he only plays hard in the outfield when he feels like it and while he was doing that he was being paid over 20 MILLION a year! Sure, he can hit the leather off a ball, but that is only HALF of his job. He was paid, very well, to be a left fielder. He was paid to play hard, every play, every at bat. He did that when he felt like it.

Do I appreciate the talent he has to hit, sure I do. You don't see talent like that but once in a lifetime. I appreciate what he did in Sox uniform, but I don't think that because he was a great hitter excused him from doing his job or quitting on his team. Are you there to play baseball or talk on the cell phone Manny?

It is obvious that the Dodgers fans on the board have not had their taste of Manny yet. You had him for what, a few months? Come talk to us Sox fans when your new hero decides to sit for a few weeks in the middle of a pennant race. Or when he decides that the millions he is making is not enough and starts the "woe is me" in the media. I'm curious to see how long the love fest will last.

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

Being homosexual counts in with beating your wife and cheating? While I care mostly about players' on-field actions, if the guy is a jerk, then I lose all respect for him. I've always liked Manny, but if that is true about not wanting to do charity work, then I'll think twice about rooting for him. How hard is it to write a check and show up for an event for kids with cancer? After the Astros were done, I would always switch over to the Dodgers to see Manny hit. But I'll never forget how he said he'd want to spend the rest of his career as a Dodger, and after the season, said he was really after the highest bidder. I'm quickly losing all respect for the guy. Character does count, and I'm saying this as someone who's an Astros fan - far removed from pro or anti BoSox bias.

Read post #22

Thank you.

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

I don't believe any of the crap out there coming from the Sox regarding Manny and his so called "bad behavior"

In my opinion, it just sounds like they are trying to say he is "damaged goods", for lack of a better term, so that none of their competition wants to sign him.


I don't know about most people but I care more about what players do "Inside the lines" then what they do "Outside the lines" in their private life

For example, Ty Cobb beat the hell out of an umpire after a game and was a known racist.

Yet he still got into the HOF because of what he did on the field.


I also don't care if Barry Bonds used steroids. Same with Palmeiro, Big Mac and Sosa. The players should be able to do what they want to their bodies. Yes, I know steroids are illegal but they shouldn't be, because when used properly they can be very beneficial for the human body in regards to injury recovery and overall wellness

Thank you. Thought I was the only one these days that doesn't care what a player does with his personal life.

[skyking26]

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

Here we are 2 weeks before ST and big names are still on the sidelines. This is one of those strange years. No, not a collusion year, a year where it is unsure where the economy is headed and owners are not going to lay out big $$...except for NYY. They have not heard.

I see Manny with LAD, signing a deal for about a year. I see Adam Dunn with the Nationals for a year, far under what and he wanted and not where he wanted to be... It's just a statement of the times.

[chakes89]

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

I don't believe any of the crap out there coming from the Sox regarding Manny and his so called "bad behavior"

In my opinion, it just sounds like they are trying to say he is "damaged goods", for lack of a better term, so that none of their competition wants to sign him.


I don't know about most people but I care more about what players do "Inside the lines" then what they do "Outside the lines" in their private life

For example, Ty Cobb beat the hell out of an umpire after a game and was a known racist.

Yet he still got into the HOF because of what he did on the field.


I also don't care if Barry Bonds used steroids. Same with Palmeiro, Big Mac and Sosa. The players should be able to do what they want to their bodies. Yes, I know steroids are illegal but they shouldn't be, because when used properly they can be very beneficial for the human body in regards to injury recovery and overall wellness

[frikativ54]

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

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.

Being homosexual counts in with beating your wife and cheating? While I care mostly about players' on-field actions, if the guy is a jerk, then I lose all respect for him. I've always liked Manny, but if that is true about not wanting to do charity work, then I'll think twice about rooting for him. How hard is it to write a check and show up for an event for kids with cancer? After the Astros were done, I would always switch over to the Dodgers to see Manny hit. But I'll never forget how he said he'd want to spend the rest of his career as a Dodger, and after the season, said he was really after the highest bidder. I'm quickly losing all respect for the guy. Character does count, and I'm saying this as someone who's an Astros fan - far removed from pro or anti BoSox bias.

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

Chances of Manny going to the Mets?

[suicide_squeeze]

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

[quote=godwulf;120845]Yeah, I know how that is...trying to get everything typed before your head explodes, huh?



Actually, not trying to get off track on the thread, but here's why I was in a hurry.

I have typed two LONG very heart felt threads here, and BOTH times I lost them, because when I went to "submit reply", the next screen that popped up was the "sign in" screen. I guess I took too long, and it automatically logged me out.

On the second thread I spilled my guts, I remembered the first because it was so painful to realize I had NO WAY of retrieving my typed post by hitting "back"....it was GONE!......So, I remembered to highlight the whole thing, then right-clicked on the highlighted thread to "copy" it in case it dumped me into the same "sign in" page while losing my post.....but I realized you can't highlight and copy while posting here(????????). WHY IS THAT Chris Cavalier????? Is there a reason that you guys have disabled that possibility? So, I lost that second thread too.

So.....Now, when I type a post that is getting lengthy, I try my best to hurry, because if I lose a THIRD post, I may just give up altogether!

[suicide_squeeze]

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

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

My point exactly, kellsox.

So you've ALL "had enough of Manny". Poor, silly Bostonites.

Thank you!!! We haven't in Los Angeles. In fact, we're all collectively holding our breath for the signing announcement....

And if you'd like, give us your mailing address. We'll send you an invitation to our parade coming up in early November......

It will be for winning the event you guys won't see again for ......oh......maybe..........86 years?

We're dubbing it "The curse of the Manbino".

[matt]

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

This is a very interesting thread. Some say all that matters is what a player does on the field and others see Manny as the antichrist for his character and the way he layed down last year.

Manny was my favorite for years and clearly was a key to the 2 championships. He deserves credit. However, by letting down his teammates as his head swelled and by acting better than everyone else in the clubhouse, he DID affect the team on the field. These guys play 6 months ayear and live together as a unit. One guy can bring down a team, and Manny was voted off the island by veterans.

For me, I'd like to admire players that can both play and be decent people, and I don't think that is too much to ask. If Manny started hurting the team, then he had to go. Last I knew, this is a team sport and when I coach teams, that's what I try to teach kids.

Matt

[eisenreich8]

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

I may have been guilty of running amok in this thread and deviating from the underlying topic, but I respectfully, and personally, don't agree that "between the chalk lines" is all there is to appreciate about the game and its players.

One could overlook the hero police officer who pins his badge on each day, and busts a lot of crime for his community, but off-duty, decides to snort oxycontin, shoplift and rob banks. I know one who did. All this erased any good he did in uniform to the observer.

As did my 7th and 8th grade award-winning science teacher, who 32 years later thought it was okay to sleep with his 16 year old students (female).

Or my parish priest, in the Boston area, who became a monsignor and was adored by all, until the skeletons came tumbling out of his confessional.

I am solidly in with and one of those humans who are imperfect and make mistakes. I am a very forgiving sort. But I get no pleasure out of an Albert Belle at-bat or a Carl Everett at-bat or a Roger Clemens Cy Young Season when I see the person in the polyester, who is a public figure and performer who does indeed owe something more to the fans. Not chipping in even a few hours for childrens' cancer research programs is indefensible and rotten. How can the way one swings a bat make it okay?

All that aside, Manny's reputation has apparently preceded him around both leagues, his bat is obviously not as much of a catalyst toward yet another mega contract, when he lacks so much else. I'll start my weekend by predicting that Boston will win the AL East by at least 3 games in '09.

Everyone enjoy your weekend. Go AZ!

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

I meant to say 100 games (365 ab's).

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

The issue was that the team didn't know if he would be willing to take the field and contribute- his being traded had nothing to do with personal life but more to do with reliability. He didn't like his contract status(the mega deal that he agreed to, along the 2 option years that his party insisted on) and he put up a stink, eventually trying to talk himself out of the starting lineup.

It was clear he wanted out of Boston. But to think he wouldn't contribute? Where in his stats does it show he didn't contribute?


2008, his last for Boston, he had 100 ab's....in which he only hit .299, had 109 hits, 20 hr's, 68 rbi and scored 66 runs. Not bad for a guy with "questionable motivation".


I'm just stating a case for Manny being a good player. In reality, I'm not even a Manny fan Never have been. But nobody can deny he's a great hitter. Maybe that's all he feels he needs to do. Like I said, nobody's perfect.