fifteen seasOns

manny ramirez is kook.


Playing outfield!
and not a very nice one either. wayward O received very thoughtful message about mamble ramble from longtime baseball watcher via email machine:

I think this is the baseball story of the year. For the first time in baseball history we have a superstar who has mixed up the twin issues of baseball - the diamond and the business. By refusing publicly to play at top level performance with the Sawx he has thrown down the gauntlet. Can any team now hire him and expect to get performance? He and Boras are basically extortionists, saying to teams: "love him by giving him everything he asks, or he won't give it his all."

however, as l.a. time columnist bill shaikin and many others have pointed out:

Manny doesn't do losers. Full seasons in the major leagues: 15. Teams with a losing record: 0.

yet when he quit on the red sox last year that team was well on its way to a winning effort. so clearly above emailer is right: it's not even really about that.

wayward o suspects soon it may not matter: fifteen seasOns ... one day perhaps not so far off in future Manny's powers will diminish or disappear ... wayward o can't tell whether it would be fun if that happened during the tenure of his current $45 milllion, two-year deal.

it will probably be sad to watch.