On Baseball Tonight last night analyst John Kruk spoke the gospel when it came to Manny Ramirez. Essentially, he claimed that, because Manny has been allowed to play by his own rules for so long, and because he has flourished regardless of his role or circumstances, he has gotten a pass for his antics and has been given implicit special treatment by all with whom he comes in contact.
Kruk speaks the truth. Manny was ejected in the fifth inning last night against the New York Mets for throwing his batting glove in the umpire’s direction. Inexcusable. You cannot by any means show up an official in such a blatant manner. But, he had already driven in three runs on two singles.
The bottom line: He produces at such a high level that nobody seems to care how he carries himself. Manny quipped after the game: “Five and fly — just like a pitcher…” And manager Joe Torre didn’t seem too fazed by Manny’s antics. When questioned by a reporter about preparing to take Manny out after the fifth inning, Torre said, “He told me that, too… I wasn’t aware of that. It was about the time to ask him, but I didn’t need to tonight.”
Even Torre, one of the great managers of his time, does not care how Manny acts. Why? Because he produces.
It’s hard to discipline a guy like this. If you take him out of the lineup, the team suffers. If you leave him in, he betters the team, but acts inappropriately. It’s a dicey situation that must be handled with care. And how does Torre decide to deal? He doesn’t.
I wrote previously about how Torre’s serene managerial style has always worked to his benefit. He is very laid back. And so is Manny. And that is why Torre lets the aforementioned slugger do as he pleases. Why bother the genius? Why potentially upset the prolific powerhouse? What good does a scolding do to the un-scoldable?
I do not see the point in wasting any more words on Manny’s offensive antics. He is what he is. He will do what he does. He will act how he acts. And he will produce on a level that is rivaled only by a select few.
He may not play the game the right way, but, at the end of the day, it must be conceded: He delivers. And when you pay a guy $25 million a year, isn’t that all you’re asking for?
You can’t condone his actions, but you must applaud him. I tip my cap to you, Manny. You are a singular talent. You are a unique individual. You are—in so many senses—unbelievable.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Dodgers, Joe Torre, John Kruk, Los Angeles, Manny Ramirez, Mets, New York
Sorry, have to completely disagree with you here.
A) the pitch was about a foot off the plate, even the Mets announcers were in disbelief
B) Manny did not “throw his batting gloves in the umpire’s direction”, he tossed his elbow guard in the air, NOWHERE NEAR the ump
C) Kruk was going off about how Manny was being selfish, as though he did this on purpose – i agree he probably shouldn’t have tossed the guard, but it was a horrible call by the ump
D) who cares if Manny’s working back in slowly and only playing 5 innnings? It’s July and the Dodgers have a huge lead. Plenty of time to get back in the flow.
A) The pitch indeed was very far out of the strike zone. Still, the rule is, you never argue balls and strikes, regardless of whether your claim is valid.
B) You’re right, it was his elbow guard, rather than batting gloves–same thing essentially. He walked away from home plate throwing it in that direction while the umpire walked away. I apologize if I portrayed it slightly differently, which, after re-reading your comments, I probably did. But the fact remains the same: You do not show up the officials. And you watch the tape of Manny in that situation, and he certainly did.
C) Kruk hates Manny. We discussed your point here already.
D) The point is this: You make a ton of money, you are the face of a franchise, you have a certain responsibility to be a team player, to do things the right way. He was suspended 50 games and could not keep himself in shape. He had rehab games and could not get himself in back into shape. Now, he has to take baby steps at the Major League level. I’m sorry, I disagree with you. I think that is inexcusable.
You raised some valid points but I respectfully disagree with some of them. Thank you for reading my blog.
I don’t care if the umpire is making worse calls than Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun, you never show him up.
Manny’s act is growing very, very tiresome. It’s almost like he is pushing the envelope just to see how much he can get away with. It’s a shame that we live in a society where a guy with essentially one talent commands so much attention and is rarely held accountable for his actions.
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