The Red Sox Don't Deserve Manny Ramirez

Given my love of a well crafted double entendre, I awoke this morning to have been given a veritable feast in my honor with the latest comments by Manny Ramirez in his seemingly annual quest to shoot his way out of Boston.

"The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me." How's THAT for a loaded statement?

It could refer to his .313 lifetime batting average, 510 career home runs, and 1672 RBI. It could refer to his World Series MVP award, or his 12 All Star Team selections, or 9 Silver Slugger awards, his 20 grand slams, or .999 OBS.

It could also refer to someone who tries to sell a neighbor's grill or a Chrysler on eBay, someone who inexplicably cuts off a throw in the outfield, someone who slips into the Green Monster to hit the head between batters. It could refer to the guy who lollygags the base paths, single-handedly creating singles from sure doubles. It could refer to the guy who makes cell phone calls between batters or the guy who would play in Iraq. It could be the guy who chooses not to go to the White House to celebrate the World Series Championship.

It could refer to the guy who hits towering, walk off home runs or it could be the guy who showboats the pitcher. It could refer to the guy who leads the home plate celebration or the guy who fights with teammate Kevin Youkilis in the dugout or who pushes a traveling secretary around over tickets. It could be the guy who makes a great catch, high fives a fan, then throws out the runner or it could be the guy who trips over his own feet trying to make a routine catch.

Manny came to Boston in 2001, signing an 8+ year $160MM contract - his first year, his salary tripled from $4MM yearly to $13MM. He has gone from a very good player when he came to the Sox to a sure Hall Of Famer. He's become a Champion in Boston - becoming the very first Red Sox World Series MVP (they didn't play that back in the day when last the Sox won it all). He has hit some of the longest, highest home runs I have ever seen in my life - at any given plate appearance, the drivers in traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike on the opposite side of the outfield wall should have their radios tuned to the game so they know if they should beware bounding baseballs on the highway.

He has shown unbelievable flashes of brilliance. He has shown remarkable ambivalence. He has demonstrated unmitigated apathy.

Manny is a bit of an enigma. At times he seems to be a carefree, naïve, almost dullard. At other times, he seems embroiled in a passive aggressive war of attrition with management. He began this season stating he wanted to finish his career in Boston, he now says The Sox don't deserve him. Presumably he means all those things that pay him $20MM yearly. I've long loved watching Manny Ramirez play here in Boston, but I'm slowly coming to the opinion that he is right - the Red Sox don't deserve a player like him, but perhaps not for the reasons he thinks.