July 30, 2008

Jim Rice, Hypocrite

Jim Rice, talking to Kevin Kennedy and Rob Dibble (XM Satellite Radio) about Manny Ramirez (my emphasis):
Manny Ramirez is really not a part of the team, he's in the back, in the trainer's room, not really taking a leadership role. If he was a leader, he would be with the rest of his team and honestly, over the last couple of years, he hasn't been a leader and that's not very good. Now, I don't know if this is true, but Manny Ramirez may be making a big deal over some things so he can become a free agent. You heard his comments, if he becomes a free agent, he may be able to make some more money and maybe he's trying to [tick] off someone with the Red Sox so, at the end of the year, he can maybe get some more money and some more years if he becomes a free agent.
Not living in New England, I don't hear a lot of what passes for Jim Rice's analysis, but what I have heard is shockingly vapid and soaked in ignorant cliches. And here we have him rambling on about something he admits at the outset he knows nothing about.

How much of a team leader was Rice as a player? Not much, if I recall. And isn't Rice a strictly a studio guy? How often is he in the Red Sox locker room? And how is "I don't know if this is true, but ..." any different from "I'm about to totally pull some made-up stuff out of my ass and I expect you to believe it -- ready? Here goes ..."?

You'd think that Rice might be able to offer some insight into what it feels like to be the punching bag of the Boston sports media. Sadly, no. Instead, he happily steps into the shoes of the men who undeservedly tarred him years ago.

And as YFSF points out: "[T]his comment comes from a guy who shoved a 57 year old man after being removed for a pinch hitter in the heat of a pennant race."

Boston Globe, December 18, 1988:
On the night of July 20, [Red Sox manager Joe] Morgan ... sent Spike Owen up to bat for struggling slugger Jim Rice.

An outraged Rice pulled Morgan into the dugout runway and tried to start a fight. Morgan, a former hockey player, held his ground, and the two had to be separated by other players. Rice sulked off to the clubhouse while Morgan emerged from the fray saying, "I'm the manager of this nine." ... Rice was suspended for three games.
Rice was 35 years old at the time, one year younger than Ramirez is now.

7 comments:

FenFan said...

I was thinking the exact same thing as I read these comments. I'm a big Jim Ed fan and I hope he finally gets the call to the HOF next year, but it might have been refreshing to hear someone who has been in Manny's position to speak about such a situation.

I look forward to a week or two from now when all this silliness disappears.

Jack Marshall said...

Wow.

Of all people who should have some sympathy for Manny as a former player with a big target painted on his back, You would think Jim Rice would be the one. Hypocrite is right.

Of course, I had forgotten that it was Spike Owen who had been sent up to pinch-hit for him. Can't blame Jim for feeling a bit insulted by that one...

"I'm the manager of this nine!"---one of the all-time great Sox quotes.

stefan said...

over the last couple of years, he hasn't been a leader and that's not very good

Things which, according to Jim Rice, do not qualify a baseball player as a team leader:

1. Leading the AL in home runs, slugging percentage, and OPS during the regular season en route to (you may have heard about this) one's team winning the World Series for the first time in seven thousand years, and being the MVP of said World Series.

2. Batting .348 with 4 home runs (one of which was an absolutely mindblowing walk-off against one of the game's elite closers) and 16 RBI en route to one's team winning the World Series for the second time in four years.

allan said...

Important part of being a team leader:

Refuse to get your eyes checked (or wear glasses) as it becomes painfully obvious that you are having serious problems hitting the ball.

Jack Marshall said...

Redsock: You got THAT right!

tim said...

I can just hear Joe Morgan saying that in his slack Sunday Night Baseball voice. Followed by his laugh.

Copa Yard Sale said...

Great comments but I totally disagree. Rice was upset because he wanted to hit. Spike Owen, do you remember him? I'm sure you do. Nobody thought was a good day.

Manny's thing is different. Rice was husler. Rice was very much a time player. Rice commenting on Manny is okay by me.

Manny is not upset with losing. He is not upset because he was benched. He's not upset because we got swept by the Angels.

He's upset because he thinks he can get 25-30 million next year instead of 20.

Does that sound anything like Rice?