NEW YORK – The good citizens here rarely need justification to boo. They'd jeer a cockroach scurrying across subway tracks just as quickly as they'd hiss a nun moving too slowly in the crosswalk.
But it wasn't until the fifth inning of Tuesday's game at Citi Field that New Yorkers truly cleared their lungs. Whatever gunk had been accumulating – soot, rage over the home team's incompetence, disgust at cheating ballplayers – got expunged in a massive exhale, as Manny Ramirez threw a tantrum and was ejected for acting like a petulant baby.
It was Ramirez's fourth at-bat in a laugher Los Angeles would win, 8-0. Already he had three RBI and one strikeout, with Hirschbeck ringing Ramirez up in the first inning on a 3-2 pitch that kissed the plate's outside corner. Hirschbeck's strike zone was generous, clearly, but Ramirez had been treated fairly by the full house in his third start since returning from a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. Ramirez was booed in his first plate appearance in his hometown, but it wasn't the kind of vitriol New Yorkers showered on Barry Bonds when he came visiting, and it was a whisper compared to the fury Mets fans have been known to bestow on their own closers when they blow a game. (Somewhere, John Franco and Armando Benitez felt their ears burning.)
"Ster-oids! Ster-oids," sang most of the fans as Ramirez sauntered to the plate. "Man-ny! Man-ny!" came the chant from other pockets. New Yorkers do love a good argument.
The first time Hirschbeck called strike three, Ramirez briefly argued, and the conversation continued from the visitor's dugout, where TV cameras caught him barking at the ump. The second time Hirschbeck called strike three, there were two outs, the bases were loaded and the fans' throats were sufficiently lubed.Pitcher Mike Pelfrey got Ramirez blinking on a slider away, and Ramirez responded by tossing his helmet. As he walked toward left field, Ramirez then flipped his elbow guard in the direction of Hirschbeck, who was looking elsewhere. Hirschbeck's delayed response was brilliantly timed, if only because Mets fans needed a reason not to start doing swan dives off the Triborough Bridge. As soon as Hirschbeck raised his arm to signal Ramirez's night was done, Citi Field imploded. The Mets might never win another game, but at least they had this one despair-snapping moment.
"He's human, he makes mistakes," Ramirez said later of Hirschbeck. "That's a ball. I only play five innings so I was leaving anyway, so that was good. It wasn't a big deal."
Ramirez lives in the moment, for the moment. If he has any regrets about the suspension that he jokingly calls his "criminal behavior," he has no desire to share them with the world. If he cares about the consequences of his sometimes-irrational actions, he rarely admits it.
He was as carefree as a hummingbird early in the day, when he spotted the ultra-large media blob waiting for him at Citi Field. "Guess I'm the most wanted man alive," Ramirez cracked, and when he told reporters to "put in a good word for the All-Star Game next year," it was clear whatever remorse he might be feeling is probably limited to the $8 million hit his bank account took. Baseball questions only, Ramirez warned reporters, as if the how and why behind his suspension had nothing to do with baseball.
MLB dodged a travesty with Ramirez finishing seventh among NL outfielders in fan voting for starting All-Star spots, but the sport will continue to take a hit as long as one of the game's most popular players persists on acting as if his unpaid leave was a harmless vacation. Dodgers manager Joe Torre implored Ramirez to answer all questions about his suspension honestly, with a dash of humility, but as he did in San Diego over the weekend, Ramirez swatted away inquiries with mindless indifference.
The more he repeated that he didn't want to talk about the past, the more Manny sounded like Mark McGwire. Ramirez wouldn't say why he was caught with a prescription for human chorionic gonadotropin, the drug prescribed for women undergoing IVF treatments in the hope of getting pregnant. When men use HCG, experts say it is because they are trying to restore natural testosterone levels in an attempt to help the body cycle off steroids. Say what you want about Alex Rodriguez's conflicting statements during his press conference where he admitted using performance-enhancing drugs, but at least A-Rod acted as if he understood his role in the contamination and corruption of an entire era. Either Ramirez hasn't a clue or, more likely, he simply doesn't care.
As Ramirez sparred with the media, longtime Dodger coach Manny Mota stood off to a side, rotating the mirror on Ramirez so it reflected a different angle. "He works harder than anybody on this team. You should see the way the younger kids look up to him and want to be like him," Mota said. "Manny brings us so much energy and fun and positive vibrations. I don't know how you can't appreciate that."
The Boston Red Sox, Ramirez's former team, would add that Ramirez committed the most egregious crime of all by quitting on his teammates so he could force a trade and sign a new contract. The kids at George Washington High, the school on the northern edge of Manhattan that Ramirez attended, would add that Manny has reneged again and again on promises to donate cash and baseball equipment to their dirt-poor programs.
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The Dodgers still see Ramirez through rose-colored goggles. They've reinstated the Mannywood section in left field at Dodger Stadium, which promises to be a financial windfall. The Dodgers proved to be a very good team without Ramirez, but with him they are a traveling circus that packs ballparks, clogs TV airwaves and sprinkles dollar bills on everyone affiliated with baseball. The sport continues to profit from its sins.
New York was thought to be Ramirez's grand test, a city sure to torment and taunt him for his cheating ways. But fans here, like elsewhere, sounded mostly like they don't much care what Ramirez did to his body while thumbing his nose at the lofty idea of fair play. In San Diego, Ramirez was treated as though he was returning from a pulled hammy. At Citi Field, he was hissed and jeered, but not much more than any other player who hurts the Mets.
Sure, they mocked his eyes and his timing on those two strikeouts -- was it all the games he missed or the lack of drugs? -- but then came the sound of tens of thousands of fans collectively choking in the second inning when Ramirez slapped a bases-loaded, broken-bat blooper into center field. Two runs scored, the scoreboard flipping to 3-0, Dodgers, and Ramirez's RBI single in the fourth made it 5-0.
"Man-ny! Man-ny!" grew the chants, bolder and louder than before. He froze, then pouted, then got tossed in his final at-bat, but as he audaciously noted later, he never planned to play more than five innings. His solipsism is truly Hall of Fame material.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-08-2009 @ 9:25AM
James said...
Manny did the crime and paid the time and fine. That's more than anyone can say about 104 MLB players who tested positive for PEDs, but Bud wants to keep those names 'private.' What was Pettitte's punishment? Or Giambi, Sheffield, Clemens, Kevin Brown, A-Roid, etc. etc. Nothing. Just a 'I'm Sorry' and all is forgiven. 'Roids and HGH have been in baseball and all other sports since the 1950's, and everyone knew it in sports. They call this the 'steroid era?' Read this....it will be enlightening..................
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2005-05-03-steroids-house_x.htm
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7-08-2009 @ 9:39AM
dolphin976 said...
Yes, Manny got caught and did the time. I wish they'd all get caught. But Manny quits on his team, there's never an excuse for that. LA fans don't care how they win, as long as they win. 18 months ago in pre-season, Manny was their worst enemy, now they love him. I respect all good players, not just some of them. Quitters never win . . . winners never quit. Mannywood is a joke, as are most LA fans.
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7-08-2009 @ 11:03AM
rkbujinkan said...
They should take his sorry a** and cut off that nappy hair of his with a chainsaw. Then give him a fine trim with a baseball bat to the face. He is nothing but a douchebag and I truly hope that he breaks both legs and has 50 million ants infest his anus.( At the same time)LOL
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7-08-2009 @ 11:07AM
dewit202 said...
He just didn't want to play anymore. He always pulls stuff like that: imaginary physical problems where he can't remember which leg to limp on etc. When it's too hot, too cold, too wet Manny the faker prima donna always manipulates his way off the field. Manny being Manny short for self centered creep.
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7-08-2009 @ 11:15AM
papam11 said...
When all is said and done, Manny won't be remembered as a great player, but as a BOZO.
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7-08-2009 @ 11:39AM
Ed Fielding said...
Bunch of right coasters here, I see. The ump was wrong. Period. He should be thrown out of baseball. It is not his job to change what has become the status quo in baseball, that's what Selig should be doing. The ump's job is to call balls and strikes fairly, without any predispositions.
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7-08-2009 @ 11:52AM
John Tussey said...
So Manny is not perfect, but neither are the umpires officiating the game. They've blown so many calls this season alone that the entire group should be replaced. And the strike that Manny got called out on was a ball!!! It was outside the plate, and as defined by the rules of baseball it was a ball. Umpires seem to believe they have the right to make their own strike zone and that is wrong!!!!!!! Call the game the way the rules state or get into another business. I understand Manny's frustrations on that at bat, he saw a ball thrown only to have Hirschbeck call it a strike. If the umpire cannot see the difference between a ball and strike they need to get out of the game. Some of those guys are baseball 'wannabees.' I've played ball and I've also coached and umpired. Umpiring is not easy but if you can't make the right call then get the heck out of the game. I am tired of seeing umps feel they are bigger than baseball, which it appears they do. Another example of this was a game a week ago or so between the White Sox and Indians where a foul ball was hit down the first base line. The home ump called it foul, only to have Ozzie come out of the White Sox dugout to complain. The umps got together and ruled it fair after that yet replay upon replay showed it to be foul!!! Umps are ruining the game with their own agenda!!!!!!!!!!!!
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7-08-2009 @ 12:31PM
jeffjlong7 said...
Manny is everything that is wrong with Americas favorite pastime he is a cancer and a joke. I dont know why he is considered to be a good player i must have missed something.
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7-08-2009 @ 12:57PM
big blue said...
YOU must have missed alot then. I would think his stats alone would speak for themself. As a Yankee fan, the LAST person i wanted to see coming to bat in a clutch situation, when playing the Red Sox was Manny. As a matter of fact the last player i wanted to see coming up was Manny. Yes he priced himself at a high number, but if his salary was much lower, how many teams would want him?? Id say mostly ALL. Look at his stats, coz i thnk YOU must have missed many things, when it comes to Manny.
7-08-2009 @ 12:46PM
mdcsl said...
Josh Hamilton, turns his life around and makes the All-Star game after being on the D.L. most of the season. Manny-Roid,has to be made by the team owner to apologize to his team, does his time and doesn't make the All-Star team. Coincidence, I think not.
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7-08-2009 @ 1:08PM
willow said...
manny is a joke He is whats wrong with sports.Drug addicts over paid joke.Not a role model to my children for sure.Why do these guys think there god.They have been coddled all there life because of sports,and think there above any rules
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7-08-2009 @ 1:22PM
gonzo1 said...
the manny circus hits the big apple and the jackson circus hits los angeles .... ahhh we've come full circle on the circus thing .
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7-08-2009 @ 2:08PM
Porter said...
What a biased, poorly written article. The pitch kissed the edge in the first? Manny blinked at the 3-2 slider away? Anyone watching the game clearly saw the pitch was 12 inches outside. Suspension or no suspension, everyone should be upset at a call like that. It was a poor call. The strike zone should not change depending on how much the umpire likes the batter. If this situation happened to any other player the dumbass writting this article would take the batter's side of the story.
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7-08-2009 @ 2:26PM
sachatwo said...
The media persists in accentuating the negative.
Chances are that if we got to know professional athletes personally, we would dislike most of them. Manny is sensitive and temperamental but
his teammates love him and he comes to play. He has apologized to them. As fans, our only concern should be his performance between the lines. He is an exciting, charismatic player and an explosive hitter. There is no pill or drug that would explain his exploits. Last season, he batted just under .400 for LA and almost took a sub-.500 team to the World Series. Watch what he does this season. Leave him alone. The media feeding frenzy doesn't help him or us.
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7-08-2009 @ 4:20PM
dewit202 said...
Yep good numbers, gotten with the aid of PEDs. And his team mates do not "love him" He is known by every team he has ever played for, when his teammates are free to speak honestly, as a "cancer in the club house" He's a self centered selfish pig who does not join the team in visiting terminally ill children or vets and never puts himself out in any human way off the field. As far as playing the game, aside from being a good hitter, he's less than average at fielding, base running, or playing through even the slightest discomfort. All teams passed on Manny (even NY who had the money but "not the time") for a reason
7-08-2009 @ 5:21PM
Paul Chernis said...
You obviously have strong feelings about the steroid issue and I can't blame you for resenting players who tainted the game and maybe the record book. But I think you're being excessive when you presume that the achievements of a Ramirez or a Bonds can be explained by a PED. There is no drug that would account for the bat speed, the timing or the plate discipline of
either of them.
You mention that New York passed on Manny and you suggest that it is because his problems outweigh the talent. I think the real reason is that a four-year $100 million plus package for a 36 year old slugger is not the best way to grow a team. Besides, please don't cite Phillips, Menaya or Cashman for their baseball smarts. NY fans love to list all star teams composed of lost opportunities or talent traded away. Those GMs should be forced to follow the Twins,Marlins, the Angels or Oakland for a season to see how the small market clubs field competitive teams with tiny payrolls.
You talk about Manny's self-centeredness, his non-involvement in charitable work, etc. I won't give you that;I have heard the opposite. I read that he still takes care of some of his less fortunate buddies in Washington Heights, and what he does, he does quietly. But even if what you say is all true, it is not our concern any more than Michael Jackson's bizarre behavior
mitigates his unquestioned talent.
What we do with our sports heroes and entertainers is to put them on a pedestal and then when they display normal inclinations outside of the arena, we can't wait to knock them off. In times gone by, we were more forgiving. We also had less information and the press tended to protect reputations. Babe Ruth was a self-indulgent bozo and a lousy husband and father. DiMaggio was a recluse who had no relationship with his brother Dom or his son.
Finally, you claim that Manny's teammates
don't like him. It is true that when he pulled his sick act in Boston, the team resented him but wherever he has played, he has been immensely popular in the clubhouse and especially accessible to younger players. In LA, he gives hitting clinics and is more than willing to share his considerable knowledge and experience. I'm a Met fan and I sure wish we had him. Incidentally, his defense is underrated and he is a far better left fielder than was Ted Williams.
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7-08-2009 @ 8:08PM
chazlv50 said...
alot you know dolphin lol when manny was with the bosox we could have cared less.....how can you say all of them and some of them? what a dolt!
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7-08-2009 @ 8:21PM
chuck said...
to all you manny haters..... go watch your team and i will watch mine The Dodgers the best team in baseball!
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7-09-2009 @ 12:29PM
Craig Tippins said...
I read your comments about the Manny Ramirez ejection by umpire John Hirshbeck
and especially liked the phrase New Yorker's would "hiss a nun" if she were moving
too slowly in a cross-walk. Right on!
I may be one of very few New York fans who sympathized with Manny. I was switching
back and forth between the Yanks (my team) and the Mets to catch Manny at bat
when I saw the ejection on TV. The pitch appeared to be a ball from the camera angle
and I could understand that Manny was upset.
A different day and Derek Jeter was called out at second base by umpire Marty Foster
ostensibly because of the old adage "the ball beat him to the bag." Derek Jeter
doesn't argue with umpires as a rule and he turned to get an explanation and Marty
told him the ball beat him to the bag. Never mind the tag missed him. What is
interesting about this sequence of umpire calls is the same crew officiated both games.
In the Yankee game (I think it was the day before the Manny call) the manager comes
out to intercede and prevent Derek from ejection. He gets tossed. Not surprising.
What I think is disturbing is how the umpires handle these situations. Fans are paying
a lot of money to come to the games to see the best ball players in the world perform.
When these stars are ejected the fans are being robbed because the umpires let
their personal feelings or their egos get the best of them. The fan is left to watch the rest of the game with a sub who does not have the same drawing power. Is that fair to the fan?
John Hirshbeck is the chief of that particular umpire crew. He is the same umpire who
received the spitting attack by Roberto Alomar of the Baltimore Orioles some years
back. He himself said he would have to talk with fellow umpire Marty Foster for the
way the Jeter call was handled. I would hope that major league officials would look into
the way umpires seem to be losing their patience in handling controversial calls.
With the benefit of replays and different camera angles the calls umpires make are often
incorrect. I find myself making calls at real time to see if I see what the umpire sees and
I'm often wrong while the umps get it right. It's a fast moving game and positioning means
if the umpire will truly see the play and get it right. While arguing the call is itself entertaining, I think most fans would like to see the umpires bend a little to keep the stars in the game. I don't like Manny myself for his petulance, but I think he and the fans got
a bum deal on his ejection!
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