Voices in the clubhouse suggest that the laissez-faire approach taken by his teammates to this point would have had to undergo the appropriate transformation, potentially leading to some sort of intervention, to go along with the club’s inevitable discipline.Gordon Edes, Globe:
So, while the Ramirez affair has undoubtedly proven a huge distraction -- and, just as in previous trading-deadline melodramas involving him, is highly unlikely to result in a trade -- the current offensive slowdown cannot be laid solely at his feet. Ramirez had hit safely in his previous 11 games (19-for-39, .487) until being shut down yesterday.Tony Massarotti, Herald:
Ramirez isn't worth the headache anymore. ... Ramirez' skills are deteriorating and his attitude is as rotten as ever ... And, of course, there was 2006, when MARz concluded a cataclysmic, five-game sweep (at home) at the hands of the rival Yankees by quitting on his team at a time when the club was in a state of physical decay.Me:
In that "cataclysmic" series, Manny went 8-for-11 (.727), with 4 singles, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 7 RBI, and 9 walks. He reached base in 19 of his 20 plate appearances (2 of those were on errors). His OPS was 2.305! ... He played in 10 more games after that series, hitting .160. Maybe Mazz can tell me how a .160 cleanup hitter could have rescued the team.Jeff Jacobs, Courant:
We're talking about Manuel Aristides Dingbat (MAD) ... [Yesterday's lineup] was posted by the Great Enabler, Terry Francona. Batting cleanup: Alfred E. Neuman, LF. ... Apparently facing disciplinary action and amid much anticipation, Ramirez chose to play rather than sit out a third game with his, uh, sore right knee.Me:
Jeff, your attempts at humour are not, uh, successful.Jim Donaldson, ProJo:
Manny is expected to play again tonight, extending his consecutive games streak to two — just 2,630 shy of Cal Ripken's major-league record.Me:
Games played by Manny (who like every other player in baseball history, has missed more time has he has gotten older):
2008 - 96 of 105 - Pedroia has played more (103)
2007 - 133 of 162 - All regulars (except Varitek) played more
2006 - 130 of 162 - Loretta (155), Lowell (153), Ortiz (151), Youkils (147) played more
2005 - 152 of 162 - Ortiz (158), Renteria (153) played more
2004 - 152 of 162 - Led team in games played
2003 - 154 of 162 - Nomar (156) played more
2002 - 120 of 162 - Missed 39 games due to broken finger*
2001 - 142 of 162 - Nixon (148) played more
* - If Manny had not broken his finger and played in 36 of those 39 games, he would have finished at 156, tied for the team lead with Nomar and Hillenbrand.
Two Manny posts from me, from August 2006.
John Henry:
It's never boring here, is it? Were you guys starting to get bored?
Fuck Tony Massarotti and Fuck Jim Donaldson.
ReplyDeleteWrong thread, I know.
But that really makes me sick. Donaldson's is truly disgusting, because while Massarotti's involves mind-reading (bad enough), Donaldson has facts at his disposal but chooses to ignore them. In other words, he makes shit up. He lies.
Fuck these hacks who degrade what should be an important, even noble, profession.
Sadly, I broke my self-imposed No-Donaldson Link rule.
ReplyDeleteHe is completely worthless as a columnist. He has no unique perspective, no grasp of facts and no ability to write in an engaging manner.
(Plus, he's the King of The One Sentence Paragraph, which means he has nothing to say and is trying to fill up space.)
At least CHB can write when he feels like it. It's rare, but it happens.
Excellent job butting heads with the butt-heads.
ReplyDeleteFuck Jim Donaldson.
If "clubhouse intervention" is indeed needed, shouldn't that come from the guy with the "C" on his uniform?
ReplyDeleteIf "clubhouse intervention" is indeed needed, shouldn't that come from the guy with the "C" on his uniform?
ReplyDeleteThere was a team meeting and he was forced to change it to "K".
If "clubhouse intervention" is indeed needed, shouldn't that come from the guy with the "C" on his uniform?
ReplyDeleteYou're being EXTREMELY generous in assuming that "C" is anything other than ceremonial. Besides, when was the last time Tek actually made that sort of clubhouse stand?
(waits for torrent of evidence of that very thing)
The Boston press' treatment of Manny is beyond disgraceful, and it's truly amazing that Manny hasn't lashed out at them. It's a level above what Perez Hilton and TMZ do. And the worst part is that there are people out there that believe it.
Completely agree with the sentiments toward the trash that Mazz and Donaldson write.
ReplyDeleteI remember a few springs ago when Bradford first started his blog--he was a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, those days are gone.
It was his interview with Manny that started this latest round (remember when Manny didn't give interviews--I wonder why). He could have easily clarified Manny's comments about not trusting ownership by asking how recently was Manny referring to. A few days later, Bradford had a followup piece where he distinctly pointed out twice that Manny didn't expect a conversation with ownership until AFTER the season. So Bradford was obviously aware of the shitstorm. This all seems to be glossed over, and Bradford is nowhere to be found in offering some kind of context to this--like who brought up the subject of Manny's contract in the first place. Fuck him, too.
Was not aware of this re Bradford. I kinda missed the stories when this first happened. (Was it the weekend we were away?)
ReplyDeleteWent to check the Herald site. Stories from last weekend no longer available. Too old for the Globe too.
ReplyDeleteHere is where the Herald story was.
ReplyDeleteI used to save all Sox stories to my computer (back to 2003, actually), but I stopped awhile back. That obsession would come in handy here.
Herald, July 16 (via Baseball Musings):
ReplyDelete"I want to know what's my situation." Ramirez told Bradford, which is a little puzzling when you consider even casual Sox fans know his situation. ... "I want no more (expletive) where they tell you one thing and behind your back they do another thing," Ramirez said. "I think I've earned that respect for a team to sit down with me and tell me this is what they want, this is what they want to do."
Thanks for looking up the links, I neglected to add that I couldn't find them, but I know what I read (and how the distortions just kept rolling along). I've always been a Manny fan but Bradford should step in and set the record straight (one way or another) about 'cause and effect' in this interview. My main concerns about Manny now are his seemingly longer slumps and shorter hot streaks, and whether they're age-related or due to his hammies and knee being 'chronically' shitty. Another murky medical situation for the Red Sox FO to shed some (factual?) light on. BTW, just saw your 4.44 post while editing this. Check a few days later for his followup piece.
ReplyDeleteMLB's story is here.
ReplyDeleteManny: "I want to stay in Boston, but I want to sit down after the season with ownership and see what my future is going to be in Boston. ... I just want them to tell me, 'We're going to take it year by year,' or, 'We're going to do this.' That's fine. Just so I know what's going on with my situation."
Manny clearly knows that the team will wait until the end of the season. That's what's going on with this situation. So if this mess is in fact contract related, either Manny is lying and it's not acceptable or something else happened.
If what we have here is a failure to communicate, that should be fairly easy to remedy.
What is quoted of Henry's response
"I find remarks that we have been anything other than completely straightforward to be personally offensive. Manny has been a crucial part of two World championships. I do not believe we would have won either without him. He has never played a more important role than he has thus far this year."
says nothing about possible talks about 2009.