I'm just going to go ahead and glob a few thoughts together here. All of them feel wrong in my heart, and yet seem terribly obvious to my brain. I never, in a million years, imagined I'd say any of these things... so rather than just spitting out one of them... I'm going to put them all out in the open.
1) The Yankees should sign Manny Ramirez.
Why? Because he'd be incredible in New York. He'd get 19 games a year to remind the Red Sox what a horrible mistake they made by letting him leave, and if his performance in Los Angeles is any indication of what he's capable of when happy and motivated to stick it to the Red Sox, he'd probably win the Triple Crown in his first season in New York. Is he a giant boogie man? Yes, he is, but in case you hadn't noticed, Alex Rodriguez is sorta turning into a boogie man... so maybe Man-Ram would even succeed in taking some pressure off of Fragile-Rod's delicate psyche, especially in these trying times during which A-Rod has to learn the principles of Kabbalah while retaining his home-run swing.
2) The NFL was too hard on Adam (Don't Call me Pacman) Jones.
Did I say something about this before? Yeah. Did anybody ever bother to consider that the guy might have a drinking problem? And that the vast majority of his problems might have been occurring while he was intoxicated? Doesn't the NFL have some degree of obligation to look out for this guy's well-being, rather than just labeling him as a bad guy, and looking for ways to throw him out of the league? And here's the bigger question... if Adam Jones was a white guy, do you think Roger Goodell would still have this giant, obvious boner for trying to throw him out of the league? What if he was a white Quarterback, instead of a black Cornerback? Still?
More the case, Jones got into a scrap with a bodyguard. The bodyguard was an employee of the Dallas Cowboys, assigned to look after Jones. So at worst, isn't this a team matter? And shouldn't the Dallas Cowboys be entirely in charge of how it's resolved? Yes, there was an altercation, and yes, police were called. Was an arrest made? Nope. And aren't people in this country supposed to be "innocent until proven guilty"?
By that logic, isn't it then impossible for Jones to have been guilty of anything, if he was not arrested and charges were not filed?
3) Stephon Marbury needs to play for the Knicks, like, immediately.
Benching him for the first game was stupid. Moving him to the inactive list was moronic and inexcusable. And keeping him there... probably makes the baby Jesus cry. I'm not even exaggerating.
I understand that Mike D'Antoni's logic is, that since Marbury won't be here beyond this year, the minutes are better spent "developing" players who will be here. There's a problem with that logic though...
The guys who are playing instead of Marbury aren't going to develop into anything special. Anthony Roberson is an undrafted free agent who got a 2-year contract for playing well in the summer league. And Mardy Collins is a late first rounder with almost zero potential. And Chris Duhon is garbage, pure and simple, garbage. None of these guys have the jumpshot to be productive in D'Antoni's offense, regardless.
Marbury, on the other hand, has played the part of "good soldier" the whole way. He's said all the right things. And on top of that, he came to camp in terrific shape, worked his ass off in the pre-season, and showed the ability to grasp the offense to some degree. He's done everything he possibly can to distance himself from the last couple of years.
Show me one team, in the history of the NBA, that's won games while it's best player was a healthy scratch. In fact, show me one team in professional sports history, that's ever deactivated their best player and improved as a result. That's what the Knicks are doing.
They claim to want to trade Marbury. And how, exactly, are you going to trade a guy who's not playing? If Marbury were to see 10 minutes a game, and he played well, looked rejuvenated, had his old quickness back, along with that relentless drive... wouldn't his value increase? Wouldn't it become easier to move his $22 Million expiring contract? Couldn't you even, perhaps, bring back something of value for him?
These three points go against everything I feel like I should know about professional sports by now, but they seem to need to be said.
Showing posts with label Manny Being An Asshole. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manny Being An Asshole. Show all posts
Monday, November 3, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Manny the Bastard! More Amazing Spin!!
Yup, right here. Bob Lobel of OT Boston (who?) thinks that Manny should be banned from the game for his "re-enactment of the 1919 Black Sox Scandal."
So yes, basically more sour grapes coming out of Boston. And yes, that makes this post blog-on-blog crime. And I'm not sorry.
Remember the eight players from the 1919 Black Sox who threw the World Series for money? Perhaps one of the original Black Sox came back as Manny. "Shoeless Joe," back as "Clueless Manny." Black Sox outfielder Oscar Felsch, known as "Happy," back as "Dopey."
No, I don't remember the eight players from the 1919 Black Sox. How old are you?
And secondly, who paid Manny to throw games? You want to ban the guy from baseball for "not hustling"? Okay... then I guess we should strip the Red Sox of the 2004 and 2007 World Series titles... since one of the keys to them winning those series, was a player who cheated and violated the rules and all this and that, and should be banned, right? No? You don't want to give back those titles? Then shut the fuck up.
Shoeless Joe as Clueless Manny? Nah. More like apples to oranges. Nobody paid Manny to do this. It wasn't organized by the mob. And moreso, the Sox didn't have to trade him. Despite all the press, they could have kept him, continued to endure his antics... and come post-season time, with another title in sight, he'd have done exactly what he did in Los Angeles.... for Boston.
It was dissatisfaction with $15,000 back in 1919 and displeasure with $20 million to $40 million in 2008.
It was dissatisfaction with $15,000... and the fact that the fucking mob was involved. Supplying money. Paying these guys a lot of money to throw the games, so they could turn a profit.
Manny's "displeasure with $20 to $40 million in 2008" isn't why he did this. He was being disrespected by that organization in every way. For years. He's watched "Boston Heroes" like Pedro Martinez, Keith Foulke, Derek Lowe, Mark Bellhorn, Bill Mueller, Nomar Garciaparra, Johnny Damon, Trot Nixon, Kevin Millar and Bronson Arroyo get lowballed, cut and traded over the last few years, in favor of whatever "newer better model" Theo wanted to build upon.
He knew he was going to get a shittty lowball offer, or hung out to dry in some other unceremonious way, and he was going to be left to pick up the pieces in the off-season, so he did what people do in professional sports. He looked out for #1.
The word out of Boston for the last 3 or 4 years, has been that Manny's not happy. Manny wants to be traded. Manny hates playing in Boston. And yet, year after year, Manny put up numbers, made that team competitive, and knocked the cover off the ball in the post-season.
Now he's gone, and Boston's on their way out the door. So cry me a fucking river.
Their strategy: Play less -- for more pay. And, 89 years later, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Manny's strategy wasn't "Play less -- for more pay." His strategy was "get the fuck out of Boston, and go somewhere where they appreciate me, and then play more!"
Lets make this clear. Manny's probably going to get some sucker to shell out 7 years, at $20 Million per, because of what he did in August and September in Los Angeles. Manny could have stayed in Boston, batted .400 with 20 homers and 50 RBI for the last 50 games, batted .550 in the playoffs... and gotten the same money.
He didn't NEED a trade to boost his value by going batshit insane for 2 months. He wanted out of Boston, because the organization didn't appreciate him, and didn't treat him with respect.
Fast-forward to a new super Hall of Fame ballot before the Baseball Writers of America. (By the way, and it's not only my observation, I believe the electors would have trouble passing over the famous Hall of Fame character clause.) Here is the super ballot of villains before us today:
Pete Rose
Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Manny Ramirez
So... let me get this straight.
Pete Rose bet on baseball games... but that's cool.
And Barry Bonds broke US Law, by taking an illegal substance. And then broke US Law by lying about it. And broke US Laws by not paying his taxes. And that's cool too.
And Roger Clemens did all the stuff that Barry Bonds did. Plus he lied to Congress about it. And none off these are problems...
But Manny Ramirez... didn't hustle. And orchestrated his way out of Boston. And it hurt the Boston Red Sox. And that's the guy you want to go after? Do you even pretend to have a neutral, non-homer opinion?
By your logic, Carlos Delgado should also be thrown out of the game for what he did in New York this year.
He played like complete shit under Willie Randolph. He didn't hit, he didn't hustle, he did nothing. And as soon as Randolph got fired... Delgado caught fire! That means that he didn't hustle for Randolph, and therefore, he should be banned for life.
Do you know how many other examples of this I can give you?
In 2004, Adrian Beltre hit 48 homers and batted .334/.388/.629 for the Dodgers, with 121 RBI and 32 doubles.
The Seattle Mariners rewarded him with a big, fat contract. And since then, he's never hit close to .300, and his home run totals are 19, 25, 26 and 25.
So basically, Adrian Beltre played really hard during his walk-year... in order to get a big fat contract... and then he never hustled again. Should we also ban him? And everybody else who has a career-year during a contract year... then reverts to being shitty?
Where do we draw the line? Wait... let me answer that.
We only punish guys who screw over the Boston Red Sox... right Bob?
This entire article is a bad analogy, so that tag's been added. Thanks to Jane for the tip.
So yes, basically more sour grapes coming out of Boston. And yes, that makes this post blog-on-blog crime. And I'm not sorry.
Remember the eight players from the 1919 Black Sox who threw the World Series for money? Perhaps one of the original Black Sox came back as Manny. "Shoeless Joe," back as "Clueless Manny." Black Sox outfielder Oscar Felsch, known as "Happy," back as "Dopey."
No, I don't remember the eight players from the 1919 Black Sox. How old are you?
And secondly, who paid Manny to throw games? You want to ban the guy from baseball for "not hustling"? Okay... then I guess we should strip the Red Sox of the 2004 and 2007 World Series titles... since one of the keys to them winning those series, was a player who cheated and violated the rules and all this and that, and should be banned, right? No? You don't want to give back those titles? Then shut the fuck up.
Shoeless Joe as Clueless Manny? Nah. More like apples to oranges. Nobody paid Manny to do this. It wasn't organized by the mob. And moreso, the Sox didn't have to trade him. Despite all the press, they could have kept him, continued to endure his antics... and come post-season time, with another title in sight, he'd have done exactly what he did in Los Angeles.... for Boston.
It was dissatisfaction with $15,000 back in 1919 and displeasure with $20 million to $40 million in 2008.
It was dissatisfaction with $15,000... and the fact that the fucking mob was involved. Supplying money. Paying these guys a lot of money to throw the games, so they could turn a profit.
Manny's "displeasure with $20 to $40 million in 2008" isn't why he did this. He was being disrespected by that organization in every way. For years. He's watched "Boston Heroes" like Pedro Martinez, Keith Foulke, Derek Lowe, Mark Bellhorn, Bill Mueller, Nomar Garciaparra, Johnny Damon, Trot Nixon, Kevin Millar and Bronson Arroyo get lowballed, cut and traded over the last few years, in favor of whatever "newer better model" Theo wanted to build upon.
He knew he was going to get a shittty lowball offer, or hung out to dry in some other unceremonious way, and he was going to be left to pick up the pieces in the off-season, so he did what people do in professional sports. He looked out for #1.
The word out of Boston for the last 3 or 4 years, has been that Manny's not happy. Manny wants to be traded. Manny hates playing in Boston. And yet, year after year, Manny put up numbers, made that team competitive, and knocked the cover off the ball in the post-season.
Now he's gone, and Boston's on their way out the door. So cry me a fucking river.
Their strategy: Play less -- for more pay. And, 89 years later, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Manny's strategy wasn't "Play less -- for more pay." His strategy was "get the fuck out of Boston, and go somewhere where they appreciate me, and then play more!"
Lets make this clear. Manny's probably going to get some sucker to shell out 7 years, at $20 Million per, because of what he did in August and September in Los Angeles. Manny could have stayed in Boston, batted .400 with 20 homers and 50 RBI for the last 50 games, batted .550 in the playoffs... and gotten the same money.
He didn't NEED a trade to boost his value by going batshit insane for 2 months. He wanted out of Boston, because the organization didn't appreciate him, and didn't treat him with respect.
Fast-forward to a new super Hall of Fame ballot before the Baseball Writers of America. (By the way, and it's not only my observation, I believe the electors would have trouble passing over the famous Hall of Fame character clause.) Here is the super ballot of villains before us today:
Pete Rose
Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Manny Ramirez
So... let me get this straight.
Pete Rose bet on baseball games... but that's cool.
And Barry Bonds broke US Law, by taking an illegal substance. And then broke US Law by lying about it. And broke US Laws by not paying his taxes. And that's cool too.
And Roger Clemens did all the stuff that Barry Bonds did. Plus he lied to Congress about it. And none off these are problems...
But Manny Ramirez... didn't hustle. And orchestrated his way out of Boston. And it hurt the Boston Red Sox. And that's the guy you want to go after? Do you even pretend to have a neutral, non-homer opinion?
By your logic, Carlos Delgado should also be thrown out of the game for what he did in New York this year.
He played like complete shit under Willie Randolph. He didn't hit, he didn't hustle, he did nothing. And as soon as Randolph got fired... Delgado caught fire! That means that he didn't hustle for Randolph, and therefore, he should be banned for life.
Do you know how many other examples of this I can give you?
In 2004, Adrian Beltre hit 48 homers and batted .334/.388/.629 for the Dodgers, with 121 RBI and 32 doubles.
The Seattle Mariners rewarded him with a big, fat contract. And since then, he's never hit close to .300, and his home run totals are 19, 25, 26 and 25.
So basically, Adrian Beltre played really hard during his walk-year... in order to get a big fat contract... and then he never hustled again. Should we also ban him? And everybody else who has a career-year during a contract year... then reverts to being shitty?
Where do we draw the line? Wait... let me answer that.
We only punish guys who screw over the Boston Red Sox... right Bob?
This entire article is a bad analogy, so that tag's been added. Thanks to Jane for the tip.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Really Jayson Stark? REALLY?!
Manny Ramirez is fucking Benedict Arnold.
And whoever gives him a new contract is setting a bad precedent for the game... because of how Manny got out of Boston.
For a man who decided his personal net worth was more important than an entire franchise and all the people who played with him, covered for him, depended on him?
For a man who's watched as other "Boston Heroes" have been ushered out the door like pieces of shit. Where did 'Boston Loyalty' get Bill Mueller, Johnny Damon, Pedro Martinez, Keith Foulke, Mark Bellhorn, Todd Walker, Kevin Millar, Trot Nixon, Orlando Cabrera, Derek Lowe and Bronson Arroyo?
And these are guys who won the first World Series in 10,000 Bostonian years!!! They got tossed! They low-balled half of these guys, and either dealt or flat-out CUT the rest of them!!!
"It really bothers me," one GM said this week of the Manny-mania lovefest that has unfolded in L.A. "What he did in Boston was criminal. Now he goes there, and everything's OK? No, sir. It doesn't change the fact that how he got there was criminal."
Really, unnamed GM? You really feel that way? It was criminal for Manny to look out for number one? He's spent the better half of his career in Boston, getting bitched out by the media every time he wipes his bum the wrong way... and what defense has ANYBODY on the team ever given for it? "Well, that's Manny being Manny!!"
Let me explain something. That whole "Manny being Manny" thing... was a nice way of saying, "Yeah, the guy's an asshole, but it's okay because we win games." It's not a defense of him. If you wanted to defend him, you'd saying, "Who cares if he takes a week off in September!! He's getting ready for the playoffs... and we all know what he does in the playoffs!!!"
Boston treated Manny like shit. He wanted out about 100 times before this... and he agreed to stay for the good of the team. Now he had a chance to get out and go somewhere good, and he jumped all over it. And if it lands him a $100 Million contract, then good for him!!
Yeah, we know what every Dodgers fan on earth is thinking: "What he did in Boston isn't our problem. He didn't blow up our franchise. So who cares?"
Yeah, he really blew up that team down in Boston!! Boy, those Red Sox are struggling!!! They're what? 30 games back now? Oh wait.. only 3? And they were that many back when they dealt him? Oh, my bad. And that slob Jason Bay, he's terrible, isn't he? Oh wait... he's .327/.393/.473 with 12 RBIs in 13 Boston games... so how, exactly, did Manny KILL THE FRANCHISE? They got 10 years younger, and 100 times better on defense at the position. And about $10 Million cheaper moving forward.
It would, in effect, be an open invitation to every selfish superstar in baseball to pull a Manny. Act up. Stop hustling. Stop trying. Refuse to play. Make up an injury. Whatever you have to do to get back out there on the free-agent market. It's all worth it.
Lets take this step by step. Act up? Check, Manny did that.
Stop hustling? Umm... Manny NEVER hustled. He had his moments, but his effort is more in the preparation than the execution. Everybody knows that.
Stop trying? .299/.398/.529 with 20 homers and 22 doubles in 100 Boston games. Sure looks like he was trying.
Refuse to play? He played in 100 of 109 games in Boston. That's about 91%. Over the course of a full season, he was on pace to appear in 147 games. That would be the MOST he's played since 2005. Not really "refusing to play" if you ask me. Maybe at 36 his body needs rest once in a while... maybe? You think?
Make up an injury? Yeah, he asked out of a game against the Yankees because his knee hurt. One game. Had tests, they showed nothing, and then he played. Again... 36 years old. Maybe just routine soreness? Find ONE 36 year old ballplayer who never takes a day off with aches and pains... I dare you. Find one.
So these angles are mostly bullshit. Thank you Jayson Stark.
"He wouldn't play for me," the exec said. "I'll tell you that. I might cost my team a chance to go to the World Series. But we work too hard to put a team together to take on a guy like that. As soon as you open the vaults for him, you'll wind up with the same problems Boston had."
Lets examine that, Mr. Unnamed Exec. It might cost your team the World Series? Yeah, I think it might... because Manny's pretty good at carrying teams to the World Series, despite his asshole attitude.
And yeah, you don't want to wind up with the problems that Boston had. I mean... how would you face your fans if you won 2 World fucking Championship in 4 years? You'd have to be nucking futs to deal with that!!!!
From that point on it gets worse. Jayson Stark, I understand that you're a card-carrying employee of Red Sox Nation, through it's subsidiary, ESPN... but can we pretend, just for a minute, to be an un-bias news outlet, and offer some realistic analysis?
Maybe Manny saw the shithouse treatment that other so-called Boston Heroes got at contract time? Pedro? Clemens? Greenwell? Mo Vaughn? Pedro? Do I need to keep going? Really? Do I? Boston shits all over their guys when they get old... they've done it habitually for a long time!
You all know that I'm a Yankees fan. And guess what!! The Yankees do the SAME THING!! They did it to Bernie Williams in a MAJOR WAY! Tino got shit-heeled for Giambi. A lot of guys have gotten run out of the Bronx for getting old. It's how you build a winner, by staying young, staying competitive, and re-loading at your key positions...
But don't blame Manny because he didn't want to leave his neck on the fucking chopping block.
And whoever gives him a new contract is setting a bad precedent for the game... because of how Manny got out of Boston.
For a man who decided his personal net worth was more important than an entire franchise and all the people who played with him, covered for him, depended on him?
For a man who's watched as other "Boston Heroes" have been ushered out the door like pieces of shit. Where did 'Boston Loyalty' get Bill Mueller, Johnny Damon, Pedro Martinez, Keith Foulke, Mark Bellhorn, Todd Walker, Kevin Millar, Trot Nixon, Orlando Cabrera, Derek Lowe and Bronson Arroyo?
And these are guys who won the first World Series in 10,000 Bostonian years!!! They got tossed! They low-balled half of these guys, and either dealt or flat-out CUT the rest of them!!!
"It really bothers me," one GM said this week of the Manny-mania lovefest that has unfolded in L.A. "What he did in Boston was criminal. Now he goes there, and everything's OK? No, sir. It doesn't change the fact that how he got there was criminal."
Really, unnamed GM? You really feel that way? It was criminal for Manny to look out for number one? He's spent the better half of his career in Boston, getting bitched out by the media every time he wipes his bum the wrong way... and what defense has ANYBODY on the team ever given for it? "Well, that's Manny being Manny!!"
Let me explain something. That whole "Manny being Manny" thing... was a nice way of saying, "Yeah, the guy's an asshole, but it's okay because we win games." It's not a defense of him. If you wanted to defend him, you'd saying, "Who cares if he takes a week off in September!! He's getting ready for the playoffs... and we all know what he does in the playoffs!!!"
Boston treated Manny like shit. He wanted out about 100 times before this... and he agreed to stay for the good of the team. Now he had a chance to get out and go somewhere good, and he jumped all over it. And if it lands him a $100 Million contract, then good for him!!
Yeah, we know what every Dodgers fan on earth is thinking: "What he did in Boston isn't our problem. He didn't blow up our franchise. So who cares?"
Yeah, he really blew up that team down in Boston!! Boy, those Red Sox are struggling!!! They're what? 30 games back now? Oh wait.. only 3? And they were that many back when they dealt him? Oh, my bad. And that slob Jason Bay, he's terrible, isn't he? Oh wait... he's .327/.393/.473 with 12 RBIs in 13 Boston games... so how, exactly, did Manny KILL THE FRANCHISE? They got 10 years younger, and 100 times better on defense at the position. And about $10 Million cheaper moving forward.
It would, in effect, be an open invitation to every selfish superstar in baseball to pull a Manny. Act up. Stop hustling. Stop trying. Refuse to play. Make up an injury. Whatever you have to do to get back out there on the free-agent market. It's all worth it.
Lets take this step by step. Act up? Check, Manny did that.
Stop hustling? Umm... Manny NEVER hustled. He had his moments, but his effort is more in the preparation than the execution. Everybody knows that.
Stop trying? .299/.398/.529 with 20 homers and 22 doubles in 100 Boston games. Sure looks like he was trying.
Refuse to play? He played in 100 of 109 games in Boston. That's about 91%. Over the course of a full season, he was on pace to appear in 147 games. That would be the MOST he's played since 2005. Not really "refusing to play" if you ask me. Maybe at 36 his body needs rest once in a while... maybe? You think?
Make up an injury? Yeah, he asked out of a game against the Yankees because his knee hurt. One game. Had tests, they showed nothing, and then he played. Again... 36 years old. Maybe just routine soreness? Find ONE 36 year old ballplayer who never takes a day off with aches and pains... I dare you. Find one.
So these angles are mostly bullshit. Thank you Jayson Stark.
"He wouldn't play for me," the exec said. "I'll tell you that. I might cost my team a chance to go to the World Series. But we work too hard to put a team together to take on a guy like that. As soon as you open the vaults for him, you'll wind up with the same problems Boston had."
Lets examine that, Mr. Unnamed Exec. It might cost your team the World Series? Yeah, I think it might... because Manny's pretty good at carrying teams to the World Series, despite his asshole attitude.
And yeah, you don't want to wind up with the problems that Boston had. I mean... how would you face your fans if you won 2 World fucking Championship in 4 years? You'd have to be nucking futs to deal with that!!!!
From that point on it gets worse. Jayson Stark, I understand that you're a card-carrying employee of Red Sox Nation, through it's subsidiary, ESPN... but can we pretend, just for a minute, to be an un-bias news outlet, and offer some realistic analysis?
Maybe Manny saw the shithouse treatment that other so-called Boston Heroes got at contract time? Pedro? Clemens? Greenwell? Mo Vaughn? Pedro? Do I need to keep going? Really? Do I? Boston shits all over their guys when they get old... they've done it habitually for a long time!
You all know that I'm a Yankees fan. And guess what!! The Yankees do the SAME THING!! They did it to Bernie Williams in a MAJOR WAY! Tino got shit-heeled for Giambi. A lot of guys have gotten run out of the Bronx for getting old. It's how you build a winner, by staying young, staying competitive, and re-loading at your key positions...
But don't blame Manny because he didn't want to leave his neck on the fucking chopping block.
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