Baseball for America

Funny how things change. Manny Ramirez is considered one of the five best hitters of this era. He has a lifetime batting average of .314, he is in the 500 home run club, and also has a good shot to hit 600 career home runs. He is a constant threat at the plate, and will go down as one of the best post season hitters of all time. A guy with these kind of credentials is someone that would be a mainstay with whatever franchise he’s with, but for this character of sorts that has not been the case. Manny Ramirez was the main cog in the Red Sox line up that made everything go. Year in year out he drives in over 100 R.B.I’s without breaking a sweat. He makes the game look effortless with his keen sense at the plate.

Two World Series Championships later he finds himself on a new team, in a new city, with a familiar face whom he only recognized as the manager of the hated Yankees up until 2007. After all that success on a franchise that prior to his addition had not won a championship in decades, he was told to hit the road. A series of off the field incidents prompted G.M. Theo Epstein of the Red Sox to get rid of him. He had been walking a tight rope all season long, but comments he made about the franchise’s willingness to trade him was the straw that broke that camels back. After one hundred games the Red Sox parted with the animated slugger, and traded him to a team that at the time was struggling to remain 500. They put him on a team that hasn’t been relevant for years, and put him in a different league with hopes of never having to see the guy ever again. The Red Sox were over “Manny being Manny.” The clubhouse took a vote on whether or not to keep him and it was near unanimous, with David Ortiz being his only ally in the dugout. What they did do was underestimate his worth.

By the time the playoffs are over the Red Sox may be kicking themselves. Not only have the Dodgers played great baseball since Manny’s arrival, they were able to swing their way into the playoffs, and now find themselves up 2-0 against the team with the best record in the N.L. The Dodgers in all likelihood will advance to the next round. The Red Sox are also up 2-0. With both teams playing well, their is a good chance they will meet in the World Series in a Bi-coastal battle that would have endless story lines. The most intriguing being Manny playing against the team that traded him away. If this dream match up does go down, Manny will have the chance to get the ultimate revenge against the Red Sox. Even if he were to lose to the Red Sox, he can still look those same players and coaches in the eyes with a grin on his face.

No one expected this type of return, but this man has put the Dodgers on his shoulders and showed them how to win. If these teams meet in the World Series and the Red Sox are on the losing end you can very well expect Manny to rub it in the face of his former franchise as he has never been one to hold his tongue. Could Manny be the beholder of the Red Sox curse? While he was on the team, they won it twice, only time will tell if they they win it again, but if the Dodgers beat the Red Sox, which is pure speculation, Ramirez’ mantra will no longer be “Manny being Manny” it will become “Manny Giveth and Manny Taketh Away.”