Preaching to the Choir

By Andrew Lipsett
I made a horrible mistake this morning, while in my car: I turned on the radio. I’m not sure what I was expecting – after all, I turned it on toward the back end of the Dennis & Callahan Racism Power Hour – but I guess I was thinking something along the lines of, oh, say, talking about last night’s game and the team in general.
Instead, the first thing I heard was a mock commercial for “Manny Flakes”, the point of which was exactly what you’d imagine.
This may seem like a random leap, but stick with me. Every year, around late April, my college – a small, liberal arts school – developed a major complex. The subjects were varied, but what was a certainty was the mass protest that no one ever really understood. It simply happened, like clockwork: some minor issue that wouldn’t have been a big deal had it not been crunch time suddenly became worth holding rallies on the main lawn. I generally found it ridiculous then, and as I look at media reaction to this latest “transgression” by our Hall of Fame left fielder, I find I still do.
Because honestly, that’s what this is. The fanbase is stressed, the media is stressed, and Manny sitting out due to a cramp is our outlet.
The media gets off on this. I can’t speak for the fans, because the fans I talk to with any frequency agree with me, but what amazes me is how even the journalists and media personalities I respect the most – guys like Mike Holley, Peter Gammons, and Sean McAdam – fall into this annual Mannygate festival every time. Haven’t they learned? Don’t they, at this point, realize that this is the tiniest of issues? You think their ratings are being boosted by Manny, or by people wanting to vent over the Sox in general? It’s almost tough getting mad about this, because it’s just incredible that these morons haven’t learned.
It’s almost too easy to do at this point, but let me just throw a few things out there: of those Sox players that play defensive positions, Manny has appeared in more games than… all of them. Other than David Ortiz, not one player has taken the field more often than Manny Ramirez in 2006. When he’s on that field – and more specifically in that batter’s box – he is one of the primary reasons that this team remains viable. His OPS is third in the majors, and is among the best of his storied and incredible major league career. He is, to my mind, the MVP of this league. What’s more, he’s likeable and entertaining, he puts butts in seats, and he has been arguably more responsible for the success this team has enjoyed over the last several years than any other player.
So shut the hell up. Seriously. I’m so sick of this. The only thing I want to hear from anyone about Manny Ramirez, until the end of the season or the end of his Boston career, is thanks that we’ve had the privelege of watching this man play baseball.