You know, I'm starting to come around on this whole Manny Ramirez situation.
For the longest time, I was right in the middle of the pack with all of the nay-sayers, claiming that Manny was an overpaid, underperforming, waste of space and payroll on the Red Sox' roster. I jumped right into the fray when he would inevitably take time off to visit a sick relative (I think the guy has 13 grandmothers, all of whom seem to get sick every year right around the All-Star Break). His lack of effort in the field and on the basepaths has been infuriating for years, even if there's no arguing with his offensive stats.
Now? I've had an epiphany. I have seen the light on Manny Ramirez, and it has shone on a whole new definition of what I should be looking at.
The guy is just having fun.
Let that sink in for a second. If you or I could be paid $20M a year to go out, play a game, and enjoy life, wouldn't you try to have as much fun with it as possible? I know I would.
I'd be joking with teammates, opponents, umpires, fans, reporters, the grounds crew - basically anyone within earshot. I'd try hard to do what I was paid to, but I could be forgiven if maybe I didn't run at full speed on that lazy fly ball to the warning track. Or if I didn't charge the ground ball through the left side that was coming right at me anyway - hey, if the runner tried to go to second, I know I've got a good enough arm; maybe I'd even get praised for a good defensive play.
I think that's how I'm going to approach the Manny Ramirez situation for the next couple of years. He is always described as "child-like", or "man-child". He laughs in the dugout, he invents wacky handshakes, he goes into the outfield with a water bottle or an MP3 player. He just seems "unfazable".
We always hear people (usually they're the "pseudo-fans") yelling that "It's just a game", or "why are these guys so intense?" Manny actually subscribes to this philosophy, and he gets killed for it.
Well no more. Go have fun. Enjoy a nice day in the ballpark. Need a day off? Sure, take it - just stay healthy for the stretch run, and lead your team to another playoff appearance. I'm OK with everything from April to September, as long as you show up in October.
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More random thoughts from around the big leagues:
n So long Willie Harris. When your only job on a baseball team is to be a competent pinch runner, and you get picked off of first base (looking like you fell asleep, no less) as the go-ahead run in the 9th inning, you no longer serve a purpose. Earlier this year, he was thrown out to end the game trying to steal second, when he admitted to ignoring the "hold" sign. He's not even that fast - he's about equivalent to Adam Stern, and Stern hits better and can actually play the field.
n One last Manny note - if he knew ahead of time that he wasn't going to play in the All-Star Game, he could have at least shown up in Pittsburgh to smile for the cameras and collect his trophy for most votes. Boston to Pittsburgh isn't a long flight, and he could have hopped back on a plane to New York for the rest of the Break pretty easily.
n How long do you think it took the Nationals to accept the trade from Cincinnati yesterday? Like, 15 seconds? I'm absolutely at a loss for words for what the Reds were trying to accomplish with this 8-player deal. They dealt away two young, good players (Kearns & Lopez) who are under small-money contracts for a couple of years and got back a journeyman infielder (Clayton) and a couple of bullpen guys? If nothing else, I think Jim Bowden just passed his audition for the National's new owners. Now he's just got to unload Soriano and maybe Guillen and Livan for some decent prospects and he'll be a shoe-in to stay on.
n For the record, I think this is going to be a very active trading deadline, but not necessarily full of big-name talent. There are so many teams still in the running for a Division or Wild Card title (especially in the abominable National League), there are going to be many more buyers than sellers. That could lead to some ridiculous moves, along the line of Derek Lowe & Jason Varitek for Heathcliff Slocumb (which may no longer be the worst trade in history... more on that in a second). Here's a quick breakdown of what I think will happen:
o Soriano moves. Mets, Yankees, Giants and Cardinals are all possibilities.
o Smoltz stays. His contract is too team-friendly to ship him out unless he demands a move to a contender.
o Abreu moves. He is a prime candidate for a "Change of scenery" break-out in the final two months of the year. Yankees and Red Sox seem like the most obvious choices, but the Giants seem interested, and the Dodgers might emerge here too.
o Maddux moves. The Cubs have no reason to keep him, and he could really help out a National League contender (though not in the American League). The Padres & Dodgers seem likely. Even more, the Cubs might just blow it up and ship Kerry Wood, Juan Pierre, and maybe even Mark Prior by the deadline, if they can get back enough talent to rebuild around Zambrano & Aramis Ramirez.
o Carlos Lee stays. The Brewers are too close to contending, and the Cardinals run of dominance is about to run out. By 2007 or '08, Milwaukee will be a serious contender for not just the Division, but also the NL Pennant.
-- About the “Worst MLB Trades Ever” discussion. For the past 10 years, we’ve just assumed that the Slocumb for Lowe & Varitek deal would never be topped. And for as bad as the Kearns/Lopez for Clayton and some middle relief stiffs might end up for the Reds, it’s probably not even top 10. But there is now a new contender for the top spot in this infamous category. In 2003, the San Francisco Giants, trying to reach the postseason and needing help at the catcher’s position, acquired A.J. Pierzynski from the Minnesota Twins, and all it cost them was a handful of prospects and relievers – three guys, two of whom you have probably heard of. Boof Bonser, Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano. Shrewd GM work there, Brian Sabean…
Quick programming note for you here. I had planned to do a 1st half retrospective (A.K.A. How many mistakes did I make in my MLB Preview post). I scrapped the idea basically because I forgot to write it before the All-Star Break ended, and now that everyone else on the Internet has written one, I think mine would just feel forced and copy-cattish. However, I am beginning to work on the 2006 NFL Preview/Predictions. I'll probably post a couple of times before it's ready, but I don't plan to put it up before the second pre-season game. I've learned my lesson about making picks before the pre-season ends (See: 2004, when I posted the pick of Atlanta to finish 10-6 and push the Panthers in the NFC South, three days before Mike Vick broke his leg. Oops.)
Personally, I can't wait for the start of the football season. After officially declaring an end to my online poker career (for at least 2 months), I am salivating at the opportunity to once again pick 60% winners and nail down some solid parlays.
That's it - it's time to move to Vegas.
posted by Big D @ 12:08 PM
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