Good-bye Manny Ramirez, Thanks, but Shame on You

Let me start this article by saying this: After warming up to Manny Ramirez for a few years, I was one of his most loyal fans. His work ethic, and love for baseball, along with his clutch hitting, made watching him on the field a real joy. Except for his occasional gaffe in left field, he was fun to watch play baseball. The fact that this is being written in past tense is odd, but it was the only way this story could turn out.

What happened in Boston this past few weeks is ugly. A professional athlete, making 20 million dollars a year, got it in his head that it was time to move on, and he made it happen. We had grown to laugh at the "Manny being Manny" phrase. Who cared if he had an occasional flaw, as long as he was driving in runs, and contributing to his team. His misadventures over the course of time have been endless. But, nobody seemed to mind. After all, he is one of the best hitters in baseball.

The Boston Red Sox had tried many times in the past to lose Manny Ramirez, so loyalty was already out the window. He's requested trades, been placed on waivers, and at times refused to play the game, if he didn't feel like it. What ever happened to a Manager telling a player what he was going to do? That was gone in Manny's case. Terry Francona always tried to hold everything Manny did in a good light. But now, Manny made that task impossible.

So, as I sat riveted to a trade deadline show yesterday afternoon, I had mixed emotions. I knew Manny had to go, but how would the Red Sox manage that? They had never been successful "unloading" Manny in the past. And what would happen if they couldn't trade him this time? Would he have to have his own separate locker room? He lost his teammates weeks ago. Too bad, but here is how that happened.

Manny shoved the Sox traveling secretary to the ground, when he found out that the guy couldn't get Manny more tickets to a game. The guy was in his 60's, and a loyal Sox employee, so that was truly uncalled for. During a brawl with the Tampa Bay Rays, which was Boston's fault, by the way, Manny chose to sit on the bench alone, instead of coming to the aid of his fellow players. When Kevin Youkilis had a problem with that, Manny smacked him in the face. Not good team spirit there Manny. Maybe Kevin should have high fived Manny for that one. Then, During the All Star break, Manny went on a tirade about how the Sox would not commit to picking up his option year for 20 million dollars. After making over 150 million dollars playing for the Sox, he wanted security. Needless to say, they didn't think his behavior warranted that. So Manny blamed the Sox ownership for being dishonest with him. Honestly Manny? Then, just in case he hadn't done enough, Manny refused to play in two games, the last being a crucial first game against the Yankees. When the Sox made him get an MRI on both of his mysterious knees, the results showed no injuries. Terry Francona put him into the lineup the next day. Manny proceeded to hit the cover off the ball the next several days. Maybe all was well again.

The final "straw that broke the camel's back" came a few days ago against the best team in baseball, the L.A. Angels. There pitcher was throwing a no hitter at Fenway, into the seventh inning. Manny hit a slow roller to third base, one that was a sure hit, but chose to jog down to first, and was out. For the first time in Fenway, Manny was booed by the loyal fans. That, boys and girls, was the end of the road for Manny.He had to go.

So, what happened to the happy Manny that came into spring training in great shape? What happened to the Manny that was laughing, and having fun? He high fived a fan in the stands, after a great catch, and turned the play into a double play. Everyone laughed at "Manny being Manny" He was talking about finishing his career in Boston. Here is where it turned, in my opinion. Big Papi, David Ortiz, went down with a wrist injury in late May, putting him out of the lineup for several weeks. Who would pick up the slack? Who would step up to help the team win. All of the attention ended up on J.D. Drew. He stepped up, put up some great numbers, and was the A.L. Player of the Month in June. He was named to the All Star team by his Manager. Nobody was talking about Manny, except to wonder if he would show up for the All Star game. Shortly after that, David Ortiz began his rehab, and his return to the lineup was highly anticipated. Again, no attention for Manny. So, he manufactured his own attention, all bad.

The question at 4 P.M. yesterday was simple. Could the Red Sox live with Manny if they couldn't trade him? Not this time, not on anyone's best day. He lost his teammates weeks ago. He lost the fans days ago. So, biting the bullet, Sox ownership had to sweeten the pot in order to get rid of a future hall of famer. They had to not only throw in two good prospects, Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss, along with paying Manny's salary the rest for the year, just to lose this All Star. In return, the Sox got Jason Bay, a younger, better fielding player than Manny. Good luck to Jason Bay. He'll be compared to Manny every at bat, and on every play. I personally think he'll be fine.

As for the L.A. Dodgers, I just finished reading how thrilled they all are to get Manny. Derrick Lowe, Nomar, and Joe Torre are thrilled. Get out the big spotlight, pay plenty of attention to Manny, and whatever you do, don't ignore him for a second, and you'll be fine. I hope Manny does well out there. As for the Sox, I'm going to enjoy watching them come together as a team again. It's been a while. Good-bye Manny, good luck, and once again, shame on you.