Who cares about losing?

By John Gottlieb
The Phanatic Magazine


This is something Manny Ramirez will never understand…that he contributes to the happiness or deep depression suffered by millions and millions of Red Sox fans.

Ever since Ramirez signed his eight-year, $168 million contract he’s been looking for a way to get out of Boston. However, for some reason no team wants the greatest right-handed hitter over the last 20 years and his lazy attitude.

Nobody wants the slugger that takes a month off every season.

There are many reasons why Manny wants out of Boston (and make no mistake he still wants out), but two of them are the cramped clubhouse and the ever-present media in the biggest baseball-crazy town in America.

Manny should be Manny, but he should keep it to himself. No wonder why you don’t hear a lot of quotes from the enigmatic slugger. Yesterdays comments are the perfect example as to why Ramirez should keep quiet.

For all of those sleeping in a box Manny said this referring to his teams chances of another miraculous comeback in the playoffs, “It doesn't happen, so who cares? There's always next year. It's not like it's the end of the world.”

Fine, maybe it’s not the end of the world, but do you need one of your best players talking like this on the eve of an elimination game. Either he’s extremely stupid or extremely confident. I don’t know about you but I’m leaning towards the former.

My biggest problem with Ramirez’s statement was the “who cares” part. I can think of 2,970,755 people who paid to go to Fenway this year that care. Then, add in Bill Simmons and all the other Red Sox freaks worldwide that won’t take their eyes of the television tonight as we hear Joe Buck and Tim McCarver wax poetic about things that every common baseball fan already knows.

I wonder if John Henry cares? Or if Larry Lucchino cares?

Maybe this is just Manny being Manny as he once again gets ready to demand a trade from the Red Sox before his prayers aren’t answered.

It’s bad enough that we have to deal with Manny and eBay, trade demands, home run admirations, and the fact that he refuses to run out a ground ball, but this may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

I was listening to Mike & Mike this morning and they seemed to think that Manny’s comments weren’t that bad because maybe the fans expect too much from their favorite teams or athletes.

After taking some calls, most of them talking about the money they pay to go see Manny play, Golic kept bringing up the fact the Manny is a great player and was named the World Series MVP in 2004. Lets leave out the fact that anyone could've been named the MVP of that series.

I was surprised at the former football players words, even more so than Manny. (I expect something like this from Manny.)

Golic should know, now being on the other side of the media-athlete relationship, how much this means to people in Boston or any other baseball town.

Fans live and die with their team for 162 games throughout eight months. Some may even say year-round as free agency keeps people involved during the off months. Of course Red Sox will be destroyed in hearing Ramirez spout out these words.

Manny gets to collect his $18 million this season and go to the Dominican Republic, or where ever he goes after the season is over, but the fans get to live through a cold winter until February.

One thing is certain: the one person that doesn’t care is Manny.