When I heard Manny Ramirez was retiring this weekend, I didn't quite believe my ears. It's midseason, after all. For all I knew, this was just another of his infamous stunts to garner attention.
Then I heard he was retiring to avoid a 100-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs yet again. And the picture became crystal clear.
Because why should we expect anything else from Ramirez? What reason has he given us to believe he wouldn't call it quits after getting caught pulling a fast one on Major League Baseball for a second time? The answers are, we shouldn't, and, none. This is purely another decision that results from Manny Being Manny.
The overwhelming sentiment that I'm gathering from reactions to Ramirez's retirement is disappointment, and I think this is spot-on. Ramirez was an incredible baseball talent, who, towards the end of his career at least, let his personality trump his game. Pretty soon, it wasn't about baseball for Ramirez anymore - it was about his image. He was furious in Boston because they weren't feeding that image. They weren't appreciating him the way he felt they should. So he took bathroom breaks in left field. He stopped running to first base. He demanded a trade and took out his frustrations on a team secretary, all in an attempt to overcompensate for the lack of attention. Then he came to L.A., Hollywood, where the spotlight was. The spotlight he had been craving in Boston. And did he ever get it. Hollywood became Mannywood. He hit .396 in the second half of 2008 following the trade, and maybe this was because his image was satisfied. Better yet, maybe it was the estrogen, taken in an attempt to endear Los Angeles to both his antics and his game.
Whatever the case, the antics got old after a while, and here in 2011, Manny has turned to drugs once again in a desperate attempt to regain former baseball glory. Not Manny glory - baseball glory. But because he did it the Manny Being Manny way, he Manny Being Mannyed his way out of baseball, with the events of previous seasons plaguing him just as much as his decision to use again this offseason. An unceremonious end to an otherwise brilliant career, which, as mentioned earlier, is just plain disappointing. Manny Being Manny. So long.
April 10, 2011
April 7, 2011
No Reason to Panic in Boston
The Red Sox are 0-6, in case you hadn't noticed, and now the Sox faithful are in panic mode.
My question is...why?
Many people have labeled the Red Sox a serious World Series contender in the American League this year, and rightfully so. Getting swept in two series to open the season doesn't change that. The panic would not be stirring as much if this six-game losing streak happened midseason. The fact that it's happening to start the season magnifies it and causes overreactions like what we're seeing now. Both of these series were on the road. The first was against the best team in baseball so far. No need to panic.
The Red Sox will be fine. They have too much talent to be this bad the rest of the way. Now they finally get a chance to play at home, against their hated rival, and they're angry at starting the season this way. I'm betting Boston takes the series over the Yankees this weekend. Remember the rocky start the Miami Heat got off to at the beginning of the NBA season, with all the superstars they brought in during the offseason? Now look where they are. Expect the Red Sox to bounce back in similar fashion.
This is just a classic example of putting too much emphasis on the opening moments of a baseball season. We have six months and 156 more games to go. It doesn't make sense for anyone to be panicking this early. The same message goes out to the Tampa Bay fans and the Houston fans. You can't measure a season by a six-game stretch. Especially not a six-game stretch in April. Come on, people. Have some faith.
And it works both ways. The Rangers are not going to go 162-0. The Baltimore Orioles will not finish the season in first place in the AL East. The season does not end today, so why make such a big deal about your team's start? And don't start throwing historical numbers at me. Those stats are kept specifically for instances like this where they can finally be put to rest or disproved. As far as I'm concerned, it will just add to the Red Sox legacy. This is a winning team, and pretty soon, we're all going to see it for ourselves. So what if we haven't just yet?
My question is...why?
Many people have labeled the Red Sox a serious World Series contender in the American League this year, and rightfully so. Getting swept in two series to open the season doesn't change that. The panic would not be stirring as much if this six-game losing streak happened midseason. The fact that it's happening to start the season magnifies it and causes overreactions like what we're seeing now. Both of these series were on the road. The first was against the best team in baseball so far. No need to panic.
The Red Sox will be fine. They have too much talent to be this bad the rest of the way. Now they finally get a chance to play at home, against their hated rival, and they're angry at starting the season this way. I'm betting Boston takes the series over the Yankees this weekend. Remember the rocky start the Miami Heat got off to at the beginning of the NBA season, with all the superstars they brought in during the offseason? Now look where they are. Expect the Red Sox to bounce back in similar fashion.
This is just a classic example of putting too much emphasis on the opening moments of a baseball season. We have six months and 156 more games to go. It doesn't make sense for anyone to be panicking this early. The same message goes out to the Tampa Bay fans and the Houston fans. You can't measure a season by a six-game stretch. Especially not a six-game stretch in April. Come on, people. Have some faith.
And it works both ways. The Rangers are not going to go 162-0. The Baltimore Orioles will not finish the season in first place in the AL East. The season does not end today, so why make such a big deal about your team's start? And don't start throwing historical numbers at me. Those stats are kept specifically for instances like this where they can finally be put to rest or disproved. As far as I'm concerned, it will just add to the Red Sox legacy. This is a winning team, and pretty soon, we're all going to see it for ourselves. So what if we haven't just yet?
April 3, 2011
Rangers Still Doing Their Thing
There are many things that one learns when taking in the opening weekend of the Major League Baseball season, but if there is one thing we should take away from Opening Weekend, its this:
The road to the World Series in the American League still runs through Texas.
Despite all the offseason talk about the Boston Red Sox and their free agent signings, the Texas Rangers are still the team to beat, and they showed it in their opening series against the Red Sox. Earning a sweep of the series, the Rangers hit 11 home runs on their way to early AL dominance.
Here's the thing about the Rangers: we've always known they can hit. Dating back to the A-Rod days, scoring runs was never the problem. It was always a lack of pitching that plagued the Rangers. So now that they have just a little bit of pitching (which is arguably more than a little bit with the young arms they have), they become a very dangerous team. They went to the World Series last year for a reason, and that reason seems to be holding true so far in 2011.
Make no mistake - Boston will be fine. In fact, they'll be more than fine. But for now, it's Texas that holds the reins, and this weekend's confirmation was a marvelous thing to behold.
The road to the World Series in the American League still runs through Texas.
Despite all the offseason talk about the Boston Red Sox and their free agent signings, the Texas Rangers are still the team to beat, and they showed it in their opening series against the Red Sox. Earning a sweep of the series, the Rangers hit 11 home runs on their way to early AL dominance.
Here's the thing about the Rangers: we've always known they can hit. Dating back to the A-Rod days, scoring runs was never the problem. It was always a lack of pitching that plagued the Rangers. So now that they have just a little bit of pitching (which is arguably more than a little bit with the young arms they have), they become a very dangerous team. They went to the World Series last year for a reason, and that reason seems to be holding true so far in 2011.
Make no mistake - Boston will be fine. In fact, they'll be more than fine. But for now, it's Texas that holds the reins, and this weekend's confirmation was a marvelous thing to behold.
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