Manny Ramirez

Like a lot of Sox fans, I'm mean when it comes to ex-Red Sox players. I'm glad that Johnny Damon & the Yankees are out. I'm glad that Pedro Martinez & the Mets are out.

It's too bad that Manny & the Dodgers are in. I hope that the Phillies sweep the Dodgers in 4 & they send Manny packing for the season. Joe Torre has had a little taste of what Francona has had to put up with for 5 years. How do you treat Manny & his hair differently than the other 24 players & still not sacrifice control of your team?

I was in a restaurant after the Manny trade. On their sideboard it had a drawing of Manny & in Spanish it said"Good luck Manny in LA. Thanks for everything." I wanted to barf.

If you or I show up for work & do nothing all day, we get fired. In a perfect world, that would have happened to Manny. The Red Sox should have fired him & withheld his pay. Maybe that would have got his attention & had him come back down to Planet Earth.

But Manny lives in a different universe. He gets to set the agenda. He gets his wish that the Red Sox not pick-up his options. He gets to play hard for 2 months, even run out ground balls, so he can make $25 million or more for the next 3 or 4 years. It's a crime.

I guess what irked me the most was his comment during the first press conference in LA. Manny wanted to thank all his loyal fans in Boston. Wake up, people! Let me translate his comment for you. I want to thank all you fans who let me do whatever I wanted -- knock down a member of the Red Sox management for not getting me 200 tickets at a moment's notice; pick a fight with Youk in the dugout; not play hard or run out my hits if I didn't feel like it; take 3 straight pitches for strikes against the Yankees. The list could go on & on.

In this economy the average person is hoping to keep their job. The average guy is wondering how he will pay his heating bill this winter. The average family is trying to pay their mortgage, keep their home & save for their kids to go to college. Remember that when you hear about Manny signing his next contract & getting his way.

Manny is a shining example of the "me" culture in sports & once again shows how talent makes everything else OK.