Yes, I'm a Red Sox fan. Yes, I love Manny. Still do to this day. I wish he was still in Boston.
Manny Ramirez has been the best Red Sox hitter ever since he signed in 2001. Better than David Ortiz, despite what the numbers show. Ortiz would probably be a 20-25 home run hitter per year without Manny's protection.
Unfortunately, Boston Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy was looking for something to write about.
He could have written about Joba Chamberlain outdueling Josh Beckett in a 1-0 loss to the Yankees. Maybe even about Mike Lowell's rare ejection from the game or the more than questionable umpiring.
Instead, Shaughnessy decides to write about Manny possibly faking a knee injury in order to get out of the game.
Shaughnessy states that "The Red Sox are fed up with Manny," and he also states that he's "comfortable with the theory that Manny is using his alleged knee injury to send a message to the ball club."
Shaughnessy, that's great and all but you have no evidence whatsoever. Not only could he not provide any quotes from Red Sox management or ownership, but his theory is one that could easily be qualified as libel.
Manny's MRI's showed no injuries, but some knee injuries can't be found through MRIs. But Shaughnessy is gonna milk this for all it's worth.
- B/R Ticket Guide
That article was written on July, 26 2008. It was the first of six articles about Manny leading up to the trade deadline.
Shaughnessy is an influential guy. Influential as in able to change the opinions of people. His articles are always on the front page and the Boston Globe is something that can be spread through the Associated Press.
Shaughnessy's articles spread everywhere, whether fans realized or not. And the media took advantage.
Manny has had issues with the Red Sox front office ever since he signed the contract. The Red Sox were able to deal with him and his talent more than made up for it. While some of his antics are inexcusable for a job, people who are great at something often get away with inability do deal with others.
But the media stopped recognizing this and made him out to be a monster to all of baseball fans. Eventually, enough was enough.
Manny was provoked to the point in saying, "The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me." He also said that mental peace was more important to him than anything and he wasn't getting that with the Red Sox.
Boston used to be Manny's home. He lived there for years. He said he wanted to retire with the Red Sox in the 2008 preseason. His happiness and confidence changed the attitude of the team in 2004. Manny used to be a perfect fit and he loved it in Boston.
But one problem is the media. Without it, we wouldn't know anything. But because of it, we have our opinions swayed while not all the information is unveiled. It's like the old saying, a little knowledge can be a very bad thing.
The media made its choice. It would go along with Shaughnessy's accusations and not think twice about the unrevealed details of the matter.
Randy Johnson hit a teammate to get off the Mariners. People have forgotten about that rather easily because it was hardly talked about. The media decided to put the spotlight on Manny.
It's not like Manny didn't bring this upon himself at all. But it was not completely his fault. Everyone cares to an extent about what people think of them, even someone with Manny's carefree attitude.
Manny simply did not feel comfortable in Boston anymore. It forced a seemingly one-sided trade in the Dodgers' favor.
The day before Shaughnessy's first Manny article, he wrote an article saying Dustin Pedroia would be as good as Pete Rose.
Perhaps it was Shaughnessy's time of the month. Perhaps he was just having a bad day. Maybe he wrote the Manny article because he hadn't put out an attacking column for a few weeks.
Either way, it should be known that we still don't know the whole story of Manny's last days in Boston.
Maybe he did bring it upon himself. But next time you read an article attacking someone in sports rather than glorifying them, look at the justification of the article.
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about 1 month ago
Not this Sox fan! If you REALLY think that this sportswriter had ANYTHING to do with the whole Manny situation, you're foolish! There is not a sportswriter in America that has THAT kind of influence. Unlike most of us who write/comment on here, we are not privy to what goes on in a locker room, writers like this are. It's easy to see when everyone is getting along or when the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. No matter what your opinion is on the matter, Manny got himself kicked out of Boston, plain and simple. An article like this cannot be written by a FAN (which is short for fanatic!) objectively. That supposed knee injury that kept him out of the lineup in Boston sure looked ok when he got to Los Angeles! Guess it was all that extra sunshine out there, eh?
from about 1 month ago
The Boston pressure has affected a lot of players that have come here. Whether it's Eric Gagne, Edgar Renteria, ect. That is partly due to the large media sector in Boston.
Shaughnessy is a writer who doesn't even go in the locker room. For years, they have felt uncomfortable with him around the team and in his articles, he never has quotes to show what the Red Sox truly think.
And this was not an objective article. Neither were Shaughnessy's. His articles were completely irresponsible and lacked any evidence.
A lot of this was Manny's fault. He was the one who took away his no-trade clause and he clearly wanted to leave. But it's not only because he's a head case.
about 1 month ago
I agree with a lot of what you said. Shaughnessy is all that is wrong with Boston sports media. There is no question about it, he launched a HUGE anti Manny campaign. As much as I love the current ownership and Theo, I know that someone in the front office had a hand in what Shaughnessy wrote and that bothers me. Manny was told by one of the owners at the beginning of 08 that they were happy with him and would sit down with him soon to talk about his contract. They never did and Manny took that as a clear message they didn't want him back. From there it went to hell. Many things were said on both parts that shouldn't have been. What's done is done. 1/2 of me says Manny quit on us and the other 1/2 says Manny reacted to the FO antagonizing him. I believe and always will that Manny disliked the FO and not the fans. Great article.
about 1 month ago
Josh, I am going to go out on a limb and guess that you own a "Manny Being Manny shirt.. One person is responsible for Manny's departure and that is Manny himself.
about 1 month ago
After Manny saved the sorry-ass Red Sox franchise and got them their ring (2, actually) after 100 years --- Red Sox management didn't want to pay him.
I hope it is 100 more years until the Red Sox win another title. Every time I read these Boston fans, it makes me want to vomit...
Manny earned his 100 million dollars. A-Rod never did....
about 1 month ago
Unfortunately, there exists a subset of sportswriters who serve as a tool for the management to get some dirt out in the public's view without wanting the story to come back to them. It would appear that Shaughnessy is one of these tools.
While Manny is not blameless in this matter, having employed Lucifer Boras to represent him, the impetus for this sorry situation looks to have come from somewhere in the Boston front office. From someone too gutless to have his face see the light of day.
about 1 month ago
Many - for lack of a better word - basically was a cunt.
Plain and simple.
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