Daniel Sbordone is a junior at Quinnipiac University (Hamden, CT). He resides in Peabody, MA. He is currently studying sports broadcasting with a minor in marketing. He enjoys hanging out with friends, playing sports, and watching ball games. He has a great passion for Boston sports. After college, his aspirations are to be a sports broadcaster in the Boston market and to report on sporting events. Someday, he wishes to have his own sports TV and/or radio show. His twin brother, Matt, is an aspiring sports journalist. Manny Ramirez is one of the greatest hitters of his era. Recently, he was almost traded in a mega-deal to the New York Mets. So, why is this future Hall of Famer portrayed as a cancer for the defending champion Boston Red Sox? Read on for some answers.
Manny Ramirez is considered the best right handed hitter in the last 10 years. He has unbelievable power from all parts of the field, averages 30 homers and 120 RBI's each year and leads the American League in outfield assists.
Ramirez will, most probably, be a first-ballot Hall of Famer once he hits 500 home runs in 2007. So, why is everyone bashing this annual All-Star on the TV/radio airwaves and newspapers?
Manny brings a unique persona to the clubhouse and field that hasn't been seen before. He enjoys it when people justify his unusual actions by saying, "its just Manny being Manny."
Ramirez asks and receives day offs when he feels like it, takes a bathroom break in the Green Monster when the pitching coach comes out to relax his pitcher, does the double point towards his teammates when he does something good, and enjoys fooling around in the dugout with his teammates, especially David Ortiz and Kevin Millar.
For all his laughable actions, he certainly makes up for it in the batter's box. His perfect, smooth swing is incomparable. He owns a league batting title and is currently averaging a RBI a game.
Ramirez is also two grand slams shy of breaking Lou Gehrig's record at 23. With runners in scoring position, there is no one better suited for that situation than Manny Ramirez.
For all the good with Ramirez, there comes some baggage. He tends to not run out ground balls, makes careless errors in right field and makes bad decisions on the base baths. Sometimes he makes people wonder -- what he was thinking?
He's commonly viewed as a player who is living on a different planet. He does what he does because it’s just Manny being Manny.
Even though Ramirez has many faults and has a $20 million a year contract for two more years, what he brings offensively is irreplaceable. All the little jokes and bloopers he does are forgettable. When he commits an error in the field, the next inning he'll hit a three-run homer to make up for it. That's called production.
Ask Ortiz what Ramirez means to the Red Sox. Ask him how much different it is when Manny is out, and Ortiz is being pitched around every at-bat. It's a totally different ballgame.
Critics need to start appreciating what Ramirez does for the Red Sox. Leave him alone and let him play baseball.