I’m making it official. Manny Ramirez is my all time favorite baseball player. I’m just basing this on raw talent and entertainment value. I’d say that I admire Jackie Robinson more or whatever, but for sheer joy and insane entertainment value, there is nothing like Manny.
Here’s an incredibly entertaining article about him from the New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/23/070423fa_fact_mcgrath
That article alone provides me with joy, but I love all the Manny. I love hearing Jim Rome talk Manny. I love reading Bill Simmons talk Manny. You could take the most boring writer in the history of the world and if he wrote something about Manny, I bet you I’d enjoy it.
And amazingly for all they talk about how he is less than an outright valuable asset, both the teams he has played for were powerhouses. The man is clutch – what better way not to get nervous than to appear oblivious to the score or the significance of the game.
Here’s a final thing. He was excoriated by the media for saying that losing to Cleveland wouldn’t be the end of the world when they were down 3-1, but in reality “baseball genius!” He took all the pressure off of his teammates and put it all on himself. He had a great playoff series and they won. Scoreboard Manny Ramirez is every bit as valuable as some “Go Team” blowhard.
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Whatever talent manny has is outweighed by his attitude. There is no excuse for not hustling. No excuse. I don’t care how many home runs you hit. If you disrespect the game then you are not the type of plaer I admire. You might be a member of the Red Sox Nation, but you’re not a Bostonian. Notice how the word ‘Boston’ is missing from the “Red Sox Nation”