You know, "Manny being Manny."
A recently reinstated Ramirez has been relentlessly promoting his 2012 comeback attempt. From taking practice swings in a Florida training facility, to working out in a pool with a plethora of senior citizens, Manny is set to prove to everyone that he get himself back into game shape after taking a year off. Ramirez has acknowledged his grocery list of past mistakes and seems determined to prove to everyone that his five game stint with the Rays last season was just a fluke.
What part of it exactly was the fluke? The .059 batting average and one run batted in last season? The suspension from MLB after his second violation of the substance abuse policy? One of the most notorious quitters in baseball history abandoning the sinking ship that was his career? Or the part where the washed up slugger got picked up by a contender? Out of all of the things on this list, the last one is the closest thing to a fluke.
What general manager in their right mind would give a guy who can't hit, run, field, throw, or help bring stability to a team a spot on their roster? Especially a player who has a track record like Ramirez?
In Manny world every single GM in baseball would. In reality, no general manager in baseball would touch Manny Ramirez with a 50 foot poll.
The combination of Manny's faults and the delusion that Ramirez still thinks he is a desirable player is what makes his comeback attempt so laughable; and also so painful at the same time.
The name Manny Ramirez used to strike fear into the minds of opposing pitchers, joy into the hearts of Red Sox Nation, and laughs out of the media that questioned him. He hit more than 25 home runs in seven out of his eight years as a member of the Boston Red Sox; and also drove in more than 100 runs in six of his eight years in bean town. But everything good that Manny did, he seemed to do something as bad or worse. His several (in)famous antics that included urinating in the Green Monster, the famous cut off of Johnny Damon's throw from center field, and going to a bar with a close friend after claiming he was to ill to play. And whether or not the fans liked it, the Red Sox were a better team with Manny in the lineup than without him.
Everything that Manny Ramirez did was justified with five simple words: that's just Manny being Manny. As long as he put up numbers and helped the team win games, Manny Ramirez could do no wrong. But then the numbers stopped coming and the antics didn't. Then the love for Manny from fans and media alike turned into spite, which in turn lead a famous hot dogger quitting on his team in the middle of his last season in Boston.
Today, Ramirez claims to have cleaned up his act and wants to make sure that he let's everyone know that he left the game the right way and that he didn't quit.
Except quit was exactly what Manny Ramirez did.
The fans did not forget the shameful way that Ramirez left America's passtime, and Manny attempting a comeback is not going to undo everything that happened. The steroid conviction, the constant distraction he created, the continuous lack of effort during games, everybody remembers the infamy of Manny Ramirez. And that kind of infamy is better left away from the limelight where we can hope it can never come back.
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