Thought of the Week: Manny Ramirez

Every day it becomes increasingly more likely that the Boston Red Sox are prepared to trade Manny Ramirez. The real question at this point is almost when and where he will go. The Dodgers seem to be the most likely destination: Fox Sports reports that the two teams have met, and many ESPN writers seem to think that Manny will be headed to the other coast as well.

These things are almost impossible to predict, so am not going to try. Rather, I am going to comment on the 6+ year saga that is the relationship between Boston and Ramirez that began when he was signed for $160 million after the 2000 season: mostly, the points of tension that will probably culminate in his departure from Boston this season.

Trade Talk
There is no question that Ramirez has been a great hitter, and no more of question that he is still a very capable hitter. Despite missing about a fifth of this season, he hit 30 HRs and 100 RBIs for the ninth straight year. And yet, it seems there is always talk of trading him. Often, it is Ramirez himself who spurs the talk, like when he said in 2003 that he wanted to play for the Yankees. In 2005, his home in Boston went for sale. The trade that will likely happen soon is also in part due to Ramirez's express wishes.

Manny Being Manny
Ramirez is probably the only sports figure whose behavior is excused recursively. Whether he's not running to first base, being careless in the field, or getting mad about pitches over the plate, it's just "Manny being Manny" (okay, Boston fans excused that last one because it happened against the Yankees). This strange phenomenon is due to a number of factors, including his production at the plate, which keeps him popular with Boston fans, no matter how boneheaded he can be anywhere outside the batter's box. He is not a Terrell Owens, whose fusses ruin teams. Rather, though Ramirez can do some odd things, they never seem to hurt the team in the end. There's always the trade talk, often spurred by Ramirez's quirks, and you would think he would have been traded already because of them. But his popularity with the fans has thus far prevented a move.

And So, We're Here Today
It is clear that Ramirez has brought much of the tension with the organization on himself. It seems that this time, it will not blow over, and he will be gone. Have the Red Sox finally chosen peace and quiet over one of the best hitters in the game? Even though teams now have no reason to pitch to David Ortiz? The oddballs can never avoid wearing out their welcome, and though it may not be the correct baseball decision, Ramirez has become too much for Boston and the Red Sox.