Manny Being Manny

By: Nick Silvestri
Posted In: Opinion

With all of the controversy that surrounds Manny Ramirez, what is it exactly about him that makes him attractive to MLB (Major League Baseball) ball clubs? Sure, it is obvious the man is one of the greatest hitters in the game, and may very well be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he retires, but he also carries one of the biggest egos that this game has ever seen.

Though his hitting ability is undeniable, Ramirez has been described as a “prima donna” and has periodically displayed a lack of enthusiasm for the game, which is also a result of a lack of his concentration for the game which he gets paid millions of dollars to play. These incidents are typically described as “Manny Moments” or “Manny Being Manny.”

What is really troubling about Manny is that he does not understand why so many people despise him around baseball. Maybe it is because of his ridiculous contract demands that he had over the off season. The Los Angeles Dodgers have repeatedly offered him a 2-year deal for $45 million, which he and his agent Scott Boras have rejected each time over the winter. Many people would have gladly taken that offer, but not Manny.

At the beginning of the off-season, Manny and Boras believed that they had the baseball world in their clutches and Boras firmly believed that they could get him the biggest contract in all of baseball.

Thankfully, that never happened.

With our country suffering through a recession, it is absurd that Manny actually believed that he still could get a better offer. Apparently, $22.5 million a year was not good enough for him. Many people in our country do not even come close to making a million dollars in their lifetime.

Despite all of the negative traits that Manny has, there is something about him that is valuable to baseball and its fans.

The man can hit a baseball. He has a god-given ability to be able to do this. Many believe that the toughest thing to do in professional sports is to hit a baseball coming at you at 90 mph. Manny not only can hit a baseball, but he makes it look so easy.

He manages to keep putting fans in the seats, and often will keep fans on the edges of their seats when he plays. In any given at-bat, there is a good chance he is going to take the pitcher deep and hit a long home run.

While his antics have been very noticed around baseball, one has to think that the selfish side that this slugger has may ultimately tarnish his great career. The man has the most talent in the league, and if he played the game 100% all the time, he may very well be the greatest hitter ever.

Many wonder what Manny could have done if he played the game with 100% intensity. Although he has over 500 home runs in his career, he may have had more if he tried harder during his years in Boston.