Beantown Blowhard (MLB)

Ok, Manny bein’ Manny can be quite endearing. Going to the Green Monster to take a leak, high-fiving a fan after a great catch, watching your own long balls sail out over the outfield wall—this is funny, amusing and what I like about baseball.

But what is not cool, nor funny (and certainly not endearing) is dogging it. That’s right Manny, you are dogging it. You’re being paid millions and you still take your sweet time getting to first base. (Over five seconds? I could beat that on crutches!)

You’re holding your team hostage, hinging on your temper tantrum. And not just any team either, but the Boston Red Sox; a team with serious play-off possibilities and a legitimate shot at back-to-back World Series Championships.

So you know what that makes you Manny? Selfish. More so than a certain quarterback who is also holding a team by the you-know-whats.

You have claimed the Sox have done this before to other players, like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, making them seem like the bad guys when they are no longer wanted.

Yet, you are the one out there not trying. How does that make you look? I’ll tell you: like the bad guy.

And all this is happening while the Red Sox are slipping, losing the last 5 of 6 games played including a sweep in Fenway by the Angels.

In Monday’s game, Manny casually trotted to first base on a hard hit grounder. Later, Manny took a leisurely stroll to second resulting in a double-play. He wasn’t even fast enough to be in the camera shot!

Manny has said the Red Sox are going to try and paint him as the bad guy, but with this behavior, it ain’t gonna take much paint.

He also said the Red Sox don’t deserve a player like him. Which player is that, Manny? The one with 24 post-season homers is surely what you mean, but I can’t stop thinking of the player who answers his cell phone in between innings, lollygags in the outfield, and basically lays down on the job.

Anyone with a real job knows that type of attitude will quickly land you in the unemployment line.

But whether or not the Sox “deserve” Manny is moot. He’s staying in Boston. So here’s my advice Manny—shut up and play ball. Get the lead out and try. Run out hard hit grounders, slide into second to break up the double play, and help your team win another Championship.

You say you love the fans in Boston, well now is the time to show them just how much you love them by sucking it up.

–Aaron Whitebread, RED Editorial Staff.