March 01, 2006

Manny: Red Sox In, WBC Out: "I'm not ready, so I'm not going to go out there and make a fool of myself," he said. I was eatin' chowdah when I read this, and I laughed so hard a clam shot out my nose.

posted by BullpenPro to baseball at 04:34 PM - 60 comments

Plus, they don't have urinals in the outfield like they do in the pros.

posted by wingnut4life at 04:38 PM on March 01, 2006

clam shot Tou-freakin'-che.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 05:02 PM on March 01, 2006

manny is being manny.look at our olympic hockey team. these are pros,the better thet preform the more they can demand. cant do that playing in the wbc

posted by arturo at 05:13 PM on March 01, 2006

BullpenPro you win my challenge. Of course, I don't have anything to give you....

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:23 PM on March 01, 2006

Fine with me. The fewer Red Sox in the WBC, the better. Stay in Spring Training.

posted by jerseygirl at 06:45 PM on March 01, 2006

I agree with you jerseygirl. But BullPen, that is nasty.

posted by nort_12345 at 07:38 PM on March 01, 2006

Fine with me. The fewer Red Sox in the WBC, the better. Stay in Spring Training. Does it really matter jerseygirl? King george already promised a ws win for the yankees. We're doomed!

posted by justgary at 07:56 PM on March 01, 2006

Not enough $$$$$$$

posted by Sports Sage at 08:23 PM on March 01, 2006

Somewhat off-topic: Any of you BoSox nuts coming down to TX for opening day? I should have my tickets tomorrow. E-mail me if you want to meet up/need advice on dealing with the Metroplex.

posted by Ufez Jones at 08:26 PM on March 01, 2006

No Ufez. Not this year unfortunately!

posted by jerseygirl at 08:30 PM on March 01, 2006

God, if there's one line I'm sick of it's "Manny's being Manny." Seriously, though, the Red Sox need to keep him happy, because without his bat in the lineup, they're hurtin'.

posted by dyams at 07:14 AM on March 02, 2006

BullpenPro, now tell me if you're a real man -- did you eat the piece of clam that came out of your nose?

posted by wingnut4life at 07:35 AM on March 02, 2006

the Red Sox need to keep him happy, because without his bat in the lineup, they're hurtin'. How so?

posted by yerfatma at 07:49 AM on March 02, 2006

I wish I was a professional sports franchise owner so I could slap the sh*t outta these little cry babies. Wouldn't it be nice to see an 80yr old owner smack one of these punks upside the head with their cane??? I would pay to see that...

posted by budpatient at 09:15 AM on March 02, 2006

Wouldn't it be nice to see an 80yr old owner smack one of these punks upside the head with their cane? No. The love for billionaires at the expense of multi-millionaire "cry babies" never ceases to amaze me. Let's all get in line to suck off a robber baron! Someone dig up the corpse of John D. Rockefeller; if it's anything like Nelson's, it's still stiff.

posted by yerfatma at 09:42 AM on March 02, 2006

the Red Sox need to keep him happy, because without his bat in the lineup, they're hurtin'. How so? As a Yankee fan, I'd LOVE to see this guy out of the lineup, ANY lineup. He's one of the most dangerous, potent hitters in the game! 610 RBI, averaging .316 over the past 5 seasons, 199 homers? The Red Sox go into this season with newcomers JT Snow, Mark Loretta, Alex Gonzalez, Mike Lowell, and Coco Crisp? That's a lot of unknowns. How will they react to playing in Boston (a tough place to play)? How will the ones switching leagues react? Some are coming off horrible years, and are now expected to have impressive comeback years in one of the most pressure-packed races (the AL east) in baseball? Outside of Ortiz, Manny is going to be needed more than ever, in my mind, as one of the only consistent pieces of a team that won a World Series a few years ago. I really don't know of any teams that could afford to lose a performer like Ramirez, especially one with so many new faces.

posted by dyams at 09:56 AM on March 02, 2006

The love for billionaires at the expense of multi-millionaire "cry babies" never ceases to amaze me. You are forgetting one thing. The owners actually have a few hundred million dollars invested in the team. What do the players have invested in the team? Maybe someone should whack you upside the head with a cane.

posted by budpatient at 11:35 AM on March 02, 2006

Maybe someone should whack you upside the head with a cane. If yerfatma doesn't know how Boston's lineup would be hurt by the absence of Manny Ramirez, it's quite possible this has already happened. BullpenPro you win my challenge. Of course, I don't have anything to give you.... I'd settle for a plaque on my profile, as long as it was dedicated to chicobangs. I feel like I stole his thunder, but I just couldn't resist.

posted by BullpenPro at 12:09 PM on March 02, 2006

BullpenPro you win my challenge. Of course, I don't have anything to give you.... Undying love and uncomfortable episodes of affection? Maybe someone should whack you upside the head with a cane. bud strikes me as not very patient at all.

posted by jerseygirl at 12:17 PM on March 02, 2006

Undying love and uncomfortable episodes of affection? (Hands in pockets) Jerseygirl, um... (twists shoulders) would you, uh... (looks down, shuffles feet)... be my Filter-tine?

posted by BullpenPro at 12:57 PM on March 02, 2006

bud strikes me as not very patient at all. That's beautiful. budimpatient

posted by dyams at 01:02 PM on March 02, 2006

He's one of the most dangerous, potent hitters in the game! Yeah, I get that the loss of Manny would hurt the Red Sox offense. What I'm not sold on is that they would be completely unable to compete with a replacement-level LF. The pitching is improved, the defense is improved and the rest of the offense is a question mark compared to last year. I don't think J.T. Snow will be starting; I imagine Youkilis will. Either is a match for Kevin Millar. Mike Lowell is a complete mystery. Loretta should be equal or better than Graffanino (if not, they have a player much like Graf on the bench). Coco Crisp's numbers aren't very different from Damon's. Trot Nixon . . . has hopefully lost weight. Whomever plays short won't be the offensive threat Renteria was, but he won't be crippled at D either.

posted by yerfatma at 01:02 PM on March 02, 2006

What do the players have invested in the team? Maybe someone should whack you upside the head with a cane. Welcome to Logical Fallacy Land, pop. U. What do most employees have invested in the company they work for? Figure it out on paper. I think you'll be pleasantly suprised.

posted by yerfatma at 01:04 PM on March 02, 2006

In Manny's case, he has nothing to lose. Without baseball he would be picking oranges and playing barefoot baseball with a rock and a tree branch.

posted by budpatient at 01:23 PM on March 02, 2006

They have orange groves in Washington Heights, NY?

posted by jerseygirl at 01:24 PM on March 02, 2006

This bud's for Yahoo!

posted by The_Black_Hand at 01:25 PM on March 02, 2006

What I'm not sold on is that they would be completely unable to compete with a replacement-level LF. I think a big problem when any team even thought about dealing for Manny was, who would be equal in compensation? There are only a few players in his category, statistically, and any other team would have to willingly take on his (often) questionable attitude. Getting a replacement left fielder near in value to Manny just wouldn't happen. They may be able to develop someone, but if they hope to compete for a championship this season, they need him.

posted by dyams at 01:31 PM on March 02, 2006

Without baseball he would be picking oranges and playing barefoot baseball with a rock and a tree branch. I love this. If there was no baseball, we would be playing baseball. Descartes to Escher to Budpatient, double play.

posted by BullpenPro at 01:32 PM on March 02, 2006

Ohhh.... So that's a New York accent that Manny has?!?!?!?!?

posted by budpatient at 01:32 PM on March 02, 2006

Was that an exclamatory question? I think you need more punctuation. Well he was raised in Washington Heights, and also lives in South Florida in the offseason. There are oranges in South Florida. I am sure that's what you meant, and not something derogatory about his race or family origin.

posted by jerseygirl at 01:38 PM on March 02, 2006

I am sure that's what you meant, and not something derogatory about his race or family origin. I'm sure you're right, since budpatient would never be a freakin' hypocrite or anything, right? Right?

posted by The_Black_Hand at 01:43 PM on March 02, 2006

That was... priceless.

posted by jerseygirl at 01:47 PM on March 02, 2006

In Manny's case, he has nothing to lose. Without baseball he would be picking oranges ... That kind of comment isn't welcome here, budpatient.

posted by rcade at 02:23 PM on March 02, 2006

Undying love and uncomfortable episodes of affection? (Hands in pockets) Jerseygirl, um... (twists shoulders) would you, uh... (looks down, shuffles feet)... be my Filter-tine? I think I'm supposed to be the one giving you undying love and uncomfortable displays of affection..... Anyway I can't be the one to make you a plaque since my knowladge of computers, or at least HTML code (which you'd need to put it in your profile) is basically none. Just ask NoMich.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 02:30 PM on March 02, 2006

Descartes to Escher to Budpatient, double play. Almost made the racist drivel worth slogging through. Thanks.

posted by yerfatma at 02:41 PM on March 02, 2006

The truth really does hurt

posted by budpatient at 07:12 PM on March 02, 2006

BullpenPro must have big nostrils!

posted by ayankeefan at 10:46 PM on March 02, 2006

The truth really does hurt posted by budpatient at 7:12 PM CST on March 2 Just stop.

posted by jerseygirl at 09:05 AM on March 03, 2006

Oh wait, did he mean "The truth" in re: the racist drivel? What a fantabulous bon mot. Since it got deleted from the really horribly racist thread, let me repeat myself (or let me repeat Jello Biafra, as the case may be): Punk ain't no religious cult Punk means thinking for yourself You ain't hardcore cos you spike your hair When a jock still lives inside your head Nazi punks Nazi punks Nazi punks-Fuck Off! Nazi punks Nazi punks Nazi punks-Fuck Off! If you've come to fight, get outa here You ain't no better than the bouncers We ain't trying to be police When you ape the cops it ain't anarchy [Repeat chorus] Ten guys jump one, what a man You fight each other, the police state wins Stab your backs when you trash our halls Trash a bank if you've got real balls You still think swastikas look cool The real nazis run your schools They're coaches, businessmen and cops In a real fourth reich you'll be the first to go [Repeat chorus] You'll be the first to go You'll be the first to go You'll be the first to go Unless you think

posted by yerfatma at 09:09 AM on March 03, 2006

Sorry, didn't realize that picking oranges was racist. Also, if Manny Ramirez was born and raised in this country then we need to take a long look at our educational system. The man can't speak a clear, complete, and gramatically correct sentence. Sorry for putting one and two together. I guess I came up with four this time.

posted by budpatient at 03:30 PM on March 03, 2006

That's the wonderful thing about trolling: you can try to hide behind obtuseness because people are willing to believe you're that dim.

posted by yerfatma at 03:37 PM on March 03, 2006

Perhaps I am.

posted by budpatient at 05:41 PM on March 03, 2006

Also, its hard to be Nazi when you aren't white.

posted by budpatient at 05:42 PM on March 03, 2006

Who cares? Anyone? Bueller?

posted by jerseygirl at 07:21 PM on March 03, 2006

The fantastic news is you can still be a complete idiot. Also, I am not a carbon-based form of life.

posted by yerfatma at 07:31 PM on March 03, 2006

Sorry, didn't realize that picking oranges was racist. I'm not convinced that he's BEING racist. Budpatient clearly was under the impression that Manny is Dominican. One of the chief industries of the Dominican is agriculture. Budpatient could easily have said, "garage mechanic" or "factory worker" without being called a racist, but these are not as prominent in the class of "menial" positions in the Dominican (which I think was his point -- he was trying to say that Manny is not qualified for a position higher than manual labor, and you can take what offense you want from that, but it's not necessarily racist). He was under the impression that he was making a comment within the context of Manny's background and culture, which could be interpreted as showing some semblance of sensitivity (except that budpatient didn't bother to check Manny's actual background, and you can take what offense you want in that -- of course, Manny IS playing for the D.R. in the WBC, so it was a fairly easy mistake for someone who is not familiar with Manny to make). I almost didn't write this, but I decided that not writing it would be a mistake (and maybe someone will show me a flaw in my logic and I'll learn something about cultural sensitivity, which I am always open to). I know what a hot button racism is on this site, and I applaud the efforts to make Spo-Fi a welcome and culture-sensitive place, but I think that sensitivity can sometimes result in finding racism where there may not be any, and I would like to see that kept in check as well.

posted by BullpenPro at 11:13 PM on March 03, 2006

BullpenPro, an eloquent, respectful, and thoughtful post. Unfortunately, I think in this case, it's merely pearls before swine. Nice try, though.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 05:55 AM on March 04, 2006

I agree with THE Black Hand here BullpenPro. Being of "latin-american" descent I can tell you that no self-respecting Mexican, Guatemalan, Brazilian, Dominican, or any other Latin American would take kindly to being labeled a "fruit-picker" of any sort. It is a highly derogatory remark that is very commonly used. To phrase it another way, this is like saying that if Barry Bonds couldn't swing a bat he would be eating fried chicken. He very well could, but thats not really the point or intent of the statement, is it?

posted by lilnemo at 02:33 PM on March 04, 2006

Being of "latin-american" descent I can tell you that no self-respecting Mexican, Guatemalan, Brazilian, Dominican, or any other Latin American would take kindly to being labeled a "fruit-picker" of any sort. It is a highly derogatory remark that is very commonly used. Lesson learned, and my defense apologetically retracted.

posted by BullpenPro at 03:02 PM on March 04, 2006

So what other job is Manny Ramirez qualified for? Since he can't even do an interview in which he responds intelligently to a question, my guess is nothing. Picking oranges, serving french fries, pumping gas, construction??? I do apologize for offending all you fruit pickers and children of fruit pickers. I just assumed that those who pick fruit for a living wouldn't be able to afford a computer.

posted by budpatient at 10:12 AM on March 05, 2006

Get off the fruit-picking crap. Ramirez is one of the five best hitters in baseball, so he'll be paying others to do anything he wants them to do for quite some time to come, probably for the rest of his life. It doesn't matter what else he could do, he does what he does better than most anyone.

posted by dyams at 10:35 AM on March 05, 2006

Then why does he cry so much about where he plays and how much he gets paid? Minimum wage is $6.75 in the US. I bet its like .25 in the Dominican (if they even have a minimum wage). My point was just that he should shut up and be more greatful for the life that MLB (including the Red Sox) has provided for him.

posted by budpatient at 10:43 AM on March 05, 2006

Like it or not, and putting your own jealousy aside for a minute, he's comparing himself to all professional baseball players, not people salting fries at McDonalds. If you were the best employee in your field of work and someone else not nearly as productive or valuable was making more money, what would you do or say? "Oh, that's OK, it doesn't matter. I feel good for them. I do most of the work, but they can make more than me. I'm OK with that." No, you wouldn't. You'd want to be paid what you deserve, and be paid more than those who can't and/or don't do what you do. It doesn't matter if we're talking about the difference between making $50,000 and $60,000 in a "regular" job or $9 million or $12 million in pro sports. As for liking "where" he plays, that's his choice. He plays in someplace like Boston, then there's no possible way he can "shut up" because every comment he makes will be printed and (over) analyzed until he's made to look like the biggest ass in society. Maybe if he played in Anaheim it wouldn't be as bad. Maybe it would be OK for a while and then he'd be dissatisfied there. Who knows. But we're talking about Manny in comparison to major league baseball players, not minimum wage earners. If there's a person right now making $6.75 who could be hitting .320 with 40 homers and 120 RBI, then they'd better get themselves to Florida, pronto!

posted by dyams at 11:15 AM on March 05, 2006

He plays in someplace like Boston, then there's no possible way he can "shut up" because every comment he makes will be printed and (over) analyzed until he's made to look like the biggest ass in society. No one has brought up the point that he's asking to be traded away from a WINNING team. Most players demand to be traded away from losing situations.

posted by budpatient at 11:46 AM on March 05, 2006

Winner or not, I haven't ever heard conclusively that it's Manny who is always the one who wants to be out of Boston, or that Boston wants him to go elsewhere. Remember, it wasn't that long ago the Sox wanted him gone and A-Rod in. They were very eager to let him go then, and I'm sure he hasn't been totally overjoyed with the team since then. Playing on a championship team didn't keep Pedro from wanting to leave for the Mets. Andy Pettite left the Yanks (and almost yearly World Series participation) to go to Houston. It's not unheard of that players leave a supposed "contender" to play for someone else.

posted by dyams at 11:57 AM on March 05, 2006

but it does seem pretty damn selfish. What's better than winning? Being the most famous and highest paid at your position? If thats true then the essence of sport is truly being wasted

posted by budpatient at 12:51 PM on March 05, 2006

So what other job is Manny Ramirez qualified for? I didn't realize you were his high school guidance councelor.

posted by jerseygirl at 02:47 PM on March 05, 2006

I do apologize for offending all you fruit pickers and children of fruit pickers. I just assumed that those who pick fruit for a living wouldn't be able to afford a computer. Thanks, budpatient, for making me feel even worse for defending you than I did yesterday.

posted by BullpenPro at 11:24 PM on March 05, 2006

Well, at least it was a learning experience for you, BP YYM still loves you, so there's that.

posted by jerseygirl at 08:32 AM on March 06, 2006

...

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 02:44 PM on March 06, 2006

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