That's just Manny being Manny

[Chip R]

This is hilarious. Manny catches a fly ball, climbs the fence, high-fives a fan and manages to double the runner off 1st. :lol:

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?&brand=null&videoId=3396400&n8pe6c=2

[Matt700wlw]

Good thing he got the out...because I doubt that was really HIS main concern.

[OnBaseMachine]

After showing that highlight on Baseball Tonight last night, they pulled out a top 10 reel of Manny being Manny. Included in the top ten was my personal favorite - the quadruple cutoff when Manny dives and cuts off Johnny Damnon's throw. Just an absolute classic. Another hilarious clip was on a pop up to shallow left- center field and Renteria was camped under it, ready to make the catch when out of no where Manny Ramirez calls him off and the ball lands 10 feet in front of Manny and then he manages to kick the ball into shallow RF.

[blumj]

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/05/15/red_sox_trip_on_okajimas_slip/

It's not easy to decipher Manny, but he does leave the impression that the ball just happened to accidentally land in his glove and he had no clue there was any chance to double off the runner. Manny's career highlight/blooper reel is sure going to be an entertaining one, though.

[MWM]

After showing that highlight on Baseball Tonight last night, they pulled out a top 10 reel of Manny being Manny. Included in the top ten was my personal favorite - the quadruple cutoff when Manny dives and cuts off Johnny Damnon's throw. Just an absolute classic. Another hilarious clip was on a pop up to shallow left- center field and Renteria was camped under it, ready to make the catch when out of no where Manny Ramirez calls him off and the ball lands 10 feet in front of Manny and then he manages to kick the ball into shallow RF.

I was rolling when they were showing that reel. I'd love to see the entire 28 minute version. Manny is an interesting character. What's interesting is that I doubt he'd be as beloved in Cincy given some of his antics and the perception that he's lazy.

[KronoRed]

He'd be hated here because he dares to have fun on his job, the torches and pitchfork crowed would burn effigies of him daily.

Funny stuff all the same :D

[BrooklynRedz]

He'd be hated here because he dares to have fun on his job, the torches and pitchfork crowed would burn effigies of him daily.

Funny stuff all the same :D

With the numbers he's put over his career, I doubt too many people would complain about the antics. A large part of the consternation on the part of Reds fans over the past 18 years is the lack of success. If Manny had one a couple rings in Cincy, they'd be singing folks songs about him in the streets.


SEASON TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
1993 Cleveland Indians 22 53 5 9 1 0 2 5 16 2 8 0 0 .200 .302 .170
1994 Cleveland Indians 91 290 51 78 22 0 17 60 151 42 72 4 2 .357 .521 .269
1995 Cleveland Indians 137 484 85 149 26 1 31 107 270 75 112 6 6 .402 .558 .308
1996 Cleveland Indians 152 550 94 170 45 3 33 112 320 85 104 8 5 .399 .582 .309
1997 Cleveland Indians 150 561 99 184 40 0 26 88 302 79 115 2 3 .415 .538 .328
1998 Cleveland Indians 150 571 108 168 35 2 45 145 342 76 121 5 3 .377 .599 .294
1999 Cleveland Indians 147 522 131 174 34 3 44 165 346 96 131 2 4 .442 .663 .333
2000 Cleveland Indians 118 439 92 154 34 2 38 122 306 86 117 1 1 .457 .697 .351
2001 Boston Red Sox 142 529 93 162 33 2 41 125 322 81 147 0 1 .405 .609 .306
2002 Boston Red Sox 120 436 84 152 31 0 33 107 282 73 85 0 0 .450 .647 .349
2003 Boston Red Sox 154 569 117 185 36 1 37 104 334 97 94 3 1 .427 .587 .325
2004 Boston Red Sox 152 568 108 175 44 0 43 130 348 82 124 2 4 .397 .613 .308
2005 Boston Red Sox 152 554 112 162 30 1 45 144 329 80 119 1 0 .388 .594 .292
2006 Boston Red Sox 130 449 79 144 27 1 35 102 278 100 102 0 1 .439 .619 .321
2007 Boston Red Sox 133 483 84 143 33 1 20 88 238 71 92 0 0 .388 .493 .296
2008 Boston Red Sox 41 156 26 48 12 1 8 27 86 18 40 1 0 .386 .551 .308
Career Totals 1991 7214 1368 2257 483 18 498 1631 4270 1143 1583 35 31 .409 .592 .313

[blumj]

He'd be hated here because he dares to have fun on his job, the torches and pitchfork crowed would burn effigies of him daily.

Funny stuff all the same :D
I don't know, Sox fans tend to have a lot of that same sort of attitude, but Manny's just so goofy and charming that the more you see of him, the harder it is to hold anything against him, like he's just a big kid who's not responsible for anything.

[BCubb2003]

Yes, the whole "Manny being Manny" thing was a response to earlier tensions between Manny, the management and the fans.

[Outshined_One]

Part of the clip they showed on BBTN was Manny's first hit in the majors, a ground rule double. He thought it was a HR and kept rounding the bases. :lol:

[MWM]

With the numbers he's put over his career, I doubt too many people would complain about the antics. A large part of the consternation on the part of Reds fans over the past 18 years is the lack of success. If Manny had one a couple rings in Cincy, they'd be singing folks songs about him in the streets.


If the Reds were losing, even with his numbers, he wouldn't likely be loved here in town. He'd be called a bad example for his teammates, etc...

[NJReds]

If the Reds were losing, even with his numbers, he wouldn't likely be loved here in town. He'd be called a bad example for his teammates, etc...

He wasn't loved in Boston all that much before the World Series win, either. He was almost traded for ARod, and he was put on waivers at one point and nobody bit because of his contract.

[cincinnati chili]

The Sox fans nearly ran him out of town in 2003. Team put him through waivers at least in 2002 and maybe other times. It all changed among a portion of Sox fans (some still hate him) when the Sox won the ring in '04.

If you're team is winning rings, it's being colorful. If your team misses the playoffs by one game because you did something goofy, then you're a clown.

[Highlifeman21]

Manny is arguably the best RHB I've seen in my lifetime.

Yup, I said it.

[Matt700wlw]

The guy can flat out hit, no question.

He also likes to show people up, he has a tendancy to be lazy, and rarely takes responsibitilty when he makes mistakes...he just laughs about it as if he doesn't care. If his little antic last night (which was pretty funny) ended up backfiring and giving up runs, he wouldn't have cared...after all, he'd be getting attention. With Manny, it's about Manny...the Red Sox are secondary.

I think that's what rub people the wrong way about it.

[MWM]

The guy can flat out hit, no question.

He also likes to show people up, he has a tendancy to be lazy, and rarely takes responsibitilty when he makes mistakes...he just laughs about it as if he doesn't care. If his little antic last night (which was pretty funny) ended up backfiring and giving up runs, he wouldn't have cared...after all, he'd be getting attention. With Manny, it's about Manny...the Red Sox are secondary.

I think that's what rub people the wrong way about it.

The Cincinnati sports fan, ladies and gentleman.

[dabvu2498]

The Cincinnati sports fan, ladies and gentleman.

Also the Boston sports fan, the Philly sports fan, the New York sports fan, the Timbuktu sports fan, and so on and so on.

[MWM]

Also the Boston sports fan, the Philly sports fan, the New York sports fan, the Timbuktu sports fan, and so on and so on.

Not in my limited experience (I've never lived in Botson, NY, Philly, and Timbuktu). I think you're probably right about the northeast, but I don't think it's like this anywhere you go.

[dabvu2498]

Not in my limited experience (I've never lived in Botson, NY, Philly, and Timbuktu). I think you're probably right about the northeast, but I don't think it's like this anywhere you go.

What exactly do you mean by "like this?"

[MWM]

What exactly do you mean by "like this?"

I could be comepletely wrong, but I'm referring to the tendency to take the city's better players and drill down on every imperfection they have to the nth degree. And it usually revolves around attitued, laziness, lack of hustle... you know, all of Pete's qualities. I've been pretty plugged into the sports culture everywhere I've lived and I've never experienced it anywhere else. It's the Philly sports fan stereotype. But I have little dount that had Manny played his career in Cincy during these losing years, putting up the same numbers he's put up, Matt's comments above would be commonplace. Rather than the fact that he's one of the best players of this generation, it would all be about selfishnees, laziness, etc...

Again, this is my perception. I might be over-reacting. Who knows.

[dabvu2498]

I could be comepletely wrong, but I'm referring to the tendency to take the city's better players and drill down on every imperfection they have to the nth degree. And it usually revolves around attitued, laziness, lack of hustle... you know, all of Pete's qualities. I've been pretty plugged into the sports culture everywhere I've lived and I've never experienced it anywhere else. It's the Philly sports fan stereotype. But I have little dount that had Manny played his career in Cincy during these losing years, putting up the same numbers he's put up, Matt's comments above would be commonplace. Rather than the fact that he's one of the best players of this generation, it would all be about selfishnees, laziness, etc...

Again, this is my perception. I might be over-reacting. Who knows.

Well, as others have said before, that was what was said about him in Boston before 2004.

Cavs fans are wearing out Lebron for not being "clutch" last night. Do they not remember last year's Eastern Conference Finals?

I'm a Vanderbilt baseball fan. (I know, go ahead, get your laughs in.) There's a message board I read from time to time where the other 10 Vandy baseball fans post. Pedro Alvarez, the best player in school history and a consensus top 5 pick broke a bone in his hand during the 2nd or 3rd game of the season. He struggled the first two or three games after he came back and there were posts like "he came back too quick," "he didn't rehab hard enough," "he's letting the hype get to his head." Seriously. Vanderbilt baseball.

Pedro's current line: .322/.434/.570

"It" is everywhere.

[MWM]

Maybe it is. It could be I'm more sensitive to it in Cincy.

I'd be curious if it were the fans who were all over Manny in Boston. I know when Epstein came on, he wanted to get rid of the contract simply because of its length. But I don't know if the fans didn't like him in the city or not. His numbers the first few years in Boston were pretty sick.

[M2]

The Sox fans nearly ran him out of town in 2003. Team put him through waivers at least in 2002 and maybe other times. It all changed among a portion of Sox fans (some still hate him) when the Sox won the ring in '04.

If you're team is winning rings, it's being colorful. If your team misses the playoffs by one game because you did something goofy, then you're a clown.

My perspective was the fans generally liked him (radio call-in blowhards excepted). The media liked to work itself in a lather over him and the front office nearly shot itself in the head with the waivers move (which would have everyone in New England still going psychotic over 1918). Yet the Sox fans I've known and worked with have always been fairly tolerant of Manny's aberrations. Prior to 2004, I don't recall speaking with an actual human who wanted him out of town on a rail.

[NJReds]

Not in my limited experience (I've never lived in Botson, NY, Philly, and Timbuktu). I think you're probably right about the northeast, but I don't think it's like this anywhere you go.

I remember when Mets fans booed Kevin McReynolds because of his perceived "lack of hustle" but they loved Dykstra and Backman. Yankee fans idolized Paul O'Neill to a level that Bernie Williams never experienced. I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area when they would boo Jack Clark. Philly fans almost ran Burrell out of town.

It's not just Cincinnati.

[REDREAD]

If the Reds were losing, even with his numbers, he wouldn't likely be loved here in town. He'd be called a bad example for his teammates, etc...

He'd be cast as the villian, much like Jr and Dunn are the villians now.
As the highest paid player on the team, he'd be a huge target.

As soon as Jr and Dunn leave, expect Phillips to start getting a lot more criticism due to his salary.. Get ready for all the arguments about how he's not a good RBI guy and he's overpaid, etc..

That's just the way it is in Cincinnati. The highest paid players take the heat.

[Spitball]

I remember Carl Yastrzemski being booed at every turn from the early 1960's until 1967 when he had that remarkable year. After that, Yaz had a brief honeymoon before he became the target of fan frustrations again. There was no Yaz being Yaz explanations, just fans venting on the guy like they had vented on Ted Williams before him.

They seem to love certain Latin players. Going to a game pitched by Luis tiant was an experience because there was so much mass love for the guy. The same with Pedro. Manny fits a similar mold.

[BCubb2003]

Yankees fans used to give DiMaggio a hard time, too.

It has a lot to do with the player's personality. The smiling, loveable "Mayor" type is, understandably, going to be loved by the fans, while the aloof, severe, introspective type will be harder to relate too.

[M2]

Yankees fans used to give DiMaggio a hard time, too.

It has a lot to do with the player's personality. The smiling, loveable "Mayor" type is, understandably, going to be loved by the fans, while the aloof, severe, introspective type will be harder to relate too.

Thinking back on it, you know what really cemented Manny as a lovable goof with Sox fans?

In 2004 every time he noticed a camera pan in his direction he'd flash a big smile and fire the double finger pistols. He did it all season long. Suddenly he was getting local TV ads and people went from trying to balance his plate production with his flakiness to loving the guy.