Manny's Actions

Let's get one thing straight -- the message that Manny Ramirez sent to his teammates by not playing in Wednesday's game when his team needed him to be on the field is just the latest example of "Manny being Manny." And as for the business of "Manny being Manny," it is nothing more than a cop-out for a player who obviously only cares about himself. This is not even close to the first time that Manny has put Manny before the rest of the team. There was the incident in 2002 when he failed to run out a ground ball in Tampa Bay. In 2003 there was the lost weekend versus the Yankees and the refusal to pinch hit on Labor Day in Philadelphia. Don't gotget 2004 when Manny said his hamstrings were to sore to play on in Anaheim, only hours after playing in the All-Star Game. The problem is the Red Sox management have their hands tied by Manny. The mercurial slugger is a Hall-of-Fame talent with the maturity of Michael Jackson. Place the blame on Terry Francona all you want, if the Sox skipper came down on No. 24 then the inhabitant of the Green Monster urinal would most likely go into a funk costing the team any chance it has at repeating as World Series champions. As for trading Ramirez, see what the market is for an aging outfielder who needs constant babying. Oh, I also forgot the $57-million that Manny is owed until 2008. So all the chatter about trading or benching Manny right now is ridiculous. It just won't happen. It can't happen. What the Red Sox need to do right now is what they always do with Manny -- nothing. Continue to rely on Johnny Damon, Jason Varitek, David Ortiz and the other guys who show up on a daily basis and give their all for the Boston Red Sox. If the professionals on the roster keep on producing then the practice of coddling Manny just might produce another World Series. But the thing is, this offseason, be ready to bid farewell to Manny Ramirez. Don't bet on Theo Epstein and the ownership putting up with the "Manny being Manny" mantra anymore.