Manny Being Manny: The Saga Ends
Let me preface this blog entry by saying I'm a little drunk. Maybe that's the state of mind you need to be in to write about Manny Aristides Ramirez and his legacy with the Boston Red Sox. Look, Manny needed to leave the Red Sox. Whether or not you believe the report that the Red Sox had a secret meeting where the team voted 24-1 that Ramirez should be gone ... he had to go. He had worn out his welcome in Boston. He turned his organization into a Circus Act. He wasn't happy in Boston (had he ever been?) and the front office clearly had no plans to extend his option. So you sell Manny for 50 cents on the dollar? That's what had to be done. Personally, I won't miss Craig Hansen and I won't miss Brandon Moss, who in our organization was always going to be a fourth outfielder at best. I will miss Manny's bat, but I'm excited about what Jason Bay will bring to the Red Sox. I'm excited to see a real defensive left fielder, to see how he adjusts to playing in Boston, in front of the Green Monster, and in the AL East among real competition and a pennant race. I'm not asking Jason Bay to be Manny Ramirez. I have realistic expectations for how this season will progress, and I feel excited for 2009.
That being said, I wanted to reflect on Manny. And what better way to close out Manny's career than a Top 5 List of Manny Being Manny moments. The zany, the awesome, the clutch, the incredible. These are my favorite Manny moments.
1) Easily my favorite moment is the 2007 walk-off home run off K-Rod. I'll always remember I was in Atlanta at a Sox bar watching this game with George. I felt good about it from the start, because the Sox absolutely own the Angels in the postseason. After intentionally walking David Ortiz, Manny was given an inside fastball from K-Rod that sealed the game and the series. He lifted both arms in the air in a "Touchdown" motion. He knew it was gone and all of Fenway and RSN did too. I've never been so overjoyed by any hit of Manny Ramirez. I went nuts, running around the bar and hugging random strangers. Thanks, Manny. This was your finest moment.
2) July 21, 2004: Manny's cutoff. In one of the most bizarre defensive sequences in baseball history, Manny Ramirez played cutoff man to Johnny Damon's throw ... from about 15 feet away in left field. David Newhan's sure double caromed off the wall and Damon threw to in to the infield. Ramirez decided to dive for the ball to play cutoff man ... in the fucking outfield. Needless to say, Newhan turned the play into an inside-the-park home run. It's safe to say we members of RSN will not miss Manny's defense. Speaking of which ...
3) September 2004, Manny robbing Miguel Cairo of a home run in the Bronx. Cairo was so sure he hit a home run that he shook hands with Kenny Lofton, who was on deck at the time. Ramirez still ranks the catch as the best one he ever made. The catch proved to prevent the tying run from scoring against the Yankees, and the Sox came back against Rivera and won 3-2. I will never forget Manny actually coming down with the ball, then motioning into the Yankee dugout with his trademark two-armed point. The look on Cairo's face was incredible. Bless you, Manny.
4) Going along with No. 3, you absolutely cannot write about Manny's zaniest moments without mentioning this year's catch ... an out-of-this-world catch followed by high-fiving a fan in the first row of the left field seats and doubling up Aubrey Huff at first base. The video is located at this site. "Only Manny," comments Jerry Remy. His re-creation of the catch in the dugout with Ortiz is absolutely priceless. Please watch the video again. It's Classic Manny.
5) "Manny's back and he's back BIG." 2005, trading deadline, many Red Sox fans were sure he was going to be traded after expressing disappointment with the organization (some things never change). Manny enters the game in the eighth inning to pinch hit against Juan Rincon and ends up driving in the winning run, a little squibler past Nick Punto and Luis Rodriguez. He came in to a standing ovation and the hit prompted Don Orsillo's rather lame but enduring quote. Sox win 4-3. After the game Manny said, "Forget about the trade man. This is the place I want to be man. It’s a great man. They love me here man. This is the place to be. ‘Manny being Manny,’ he’s great man…we’ve been through a lot; this is the place for me. I’m just happy to be here…I’m back."
There are lots of other moments that stand out. Not just Manny failing to run out ground balls, or rolling over balls in the outfield. The errors in the 2004 World Series. The 2004 World Series MVP speech where he misspoke and said it was our "destination," not our destiny, to win. Getting drinks with Enrique Wilson. Not pinch-hitting in Philly (Thanks, Trot!) Losing his diamond earing in an exhibition game. Wearing an MP3 player in the field. Taking a leak in the Green Monster while Wade Miller was pitching. The hilarious SportsCenter commercial that's been airing lately. Selling his grill on Ebay. "Jeter is playing golf. This is better." Living in the Four Seasons for year after year. Running out on to the field with an American flag after he obtained his citizenship. Home run No. 500, which he hit when my dad and I were driving to Maine and barely had radio reception to hear Joe Castiglione call the homer. The first home run that he hit for the Red Sox in his first at-bat at Fenway. He, of course, went on to win AL Player of the Month and hit .408 with 31 RBI. For better or worse, all of these moments stand out.
One of the 25 ... always. I have an extensive photo collection of the Red Sox. Here are some of my favorites:
That being said, I wanted to reflect on Manny. And what better way to close out Manny's career than a Top 5 List of Manny Being Manny moments. The zany, the awesome, the clutch, the incredible. These are my favorite Manny moments.
1) Easily my favorite moment is the 2007 walk-off home run off K-Rod. I'll always remember I was in Atlanta at a Sox bar watching this game with George. I felt good about it from the start, because the Sox absolutely own the Angels in the postseason. After intentionally walking David Ortiz, Manny was given an inside fastball from K-Rod that sealed the game and the series. He lifted both arms in the air in a "Touchdown" motion. He knew it was gone and all of Fenway and RSN did too. I've never been so overjoyed by any hit of Manny Ramirez. I went nuts, running around the bar and hugging random strangers. Thanks, Manny. This was your finest moment.
2) July 21, 2004: Manny's cutoff. In one of the most bizarre defensive sequences in baseball history, Manny Ramirez played cutoff man to Johnny Damon's throw ... from about 15 feet away in left field. David Newhan's sure double caromed off the wall and Damon threw to in to the infield. Ramirez decided to dive for the ball to play cutoff man ... in the fucking outfield. Needless to say, Newhan turned the play into an inside-the-park home run. It's safe to say we members of RSN will not miss Manny's defense. Speaking of which ...
3) September 2004, Manny robbing Miguel Cairo of a home run in the Bronx. Cairo was so sure he hit a home run that he shook hands with Kenny Lofton, who was on deck at the time. Ramirez still ranks the catch as the best one he ever made. The catch proved to prevent the tying run from scoring against the Yankees, and the Sox came back against Rivera and won 3-2. I will never forget Manny actually coming down with the ball, then motioning into the Yankee dugout with his trademark two-armed point. The look on Cairo's face was incredible. Bless you, Manny.
4) Going along with No. 3, you absolutely cannot write about Manny's zaniest moments without mentioning this year's catch ... an out-of-this-world catch followed by high-fiving a fan in the first row of the left field seats and doubling up Aubrey Huff at first base. The video is located at this site. "Only Manny," comments Jerry Remy. His re-creation of the catch in the dugout with Ortiz is absolutely priceless. Please watch the video again. It's Classic Manny.
5) "Manny's back and he's back BIG." 2005, trading deadline, many Red Sox fans were sure he was going to be traded after expressing disappointment with the organization (some things never change). Manny enters the game in the eighth inning to pinch hit against Juan Rincon and ends up driving in the winning run, a little squibler past Nick Punto and Luis Rodriguez. He came in to a standing ovation and the hit prompted Don Orsillo's rather lame but enduring quote. Sox win 4-3. After the game Manny said, "Forget about the trade man. This is the place I want to be man. It’s a great man. They love me here man. This is the place to be. ‘Manny being Manny,’ he’s great man…we’ve been through a lot; this is the place for me. I’m just happy to be here…I’m back."
There are lots of other moments that stand out. Not just Manny failing to run out ground balls, or rolling over balls in the outfield. The errors in the 2004 World Series. The 2004 World Series MVP speech where he misspoke and said it was our "destination," not our destiny, to win. Getting drinks with Enrique Wilson. Not pinch-hitting in Philly (Thanks, Trot!) Losing his diamond earing in an exhibition game. Wearing an MP3 player in the field. Taking a leak in the Green Monster while Wade Miller was pitching. The hilarious SportsCenter commercial that's been airing lately. Selling his grill on Ebay. "Jeter is playing golf. This is better." Living in the Four Seasons for year after year. Running out on to the field with an American flag after he obtained his citizenship. Home run No. 500, which he hit when my dad and I were driving to Maine and barely had radio reception to hear Joe Castiglione call the homer. The first home run that he hit for the Red Sox in his first at-bat at Fenway. He, of course, went on to win AL Player of the Month and hit .408 with 31 RBI. For better or worse, all of these moments stand out.
One of the 25 ... always. I have an extensive photo collection of the Red Sox. Here are some of my favorites:
posted by Jennifer at 11:24 PM
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