Sorry for the summer hiatus...perhaps like old friend Manny Ramirez, taking some time off in August is good for the fall.
File under: Allerton Being Allerton?
Showing posts with label Manny Ramirez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manny Ramirez. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
World Series Champs and Hall of Famers (2001 - 2007)
(All likely or possible HOFers.)
2007 - Boston Red Sox (OF Manny Ramirez (on Bill James' HOF Monitor, 208 out of 100), P Curt Schilling (171/100))
2006 - St. Louis Cardinals (1B Albert Pujols (189/100), Mgr. Tony LaRussa)
2005 - Chicago White Sox
2004 - Boston Red Sox (P Pedro Martinez (202/100), Ramirez, Schilling)
2003 - Florida Marlins (C Pudge Rodriguez (228/100))
2002 - Anaheim Angels (P Troy Percival (86/100))
2001 - Arizona Diamondbacks (Schilling, P Randy Johnson (322/100))
Projected HOFers = 11, out of 6 WS Championship teams = 1.8 HOF/WS
Note: DH Frank Thomas played 34G for 2005 CHW; did not play in WS.
2007 - Boston Red Sox (OF Manny Ramirez (on Bill James' HOF Monitor, 208 out of 100), P Curt Schilling (171/100))
2006 - St. Louis Cardinals (1B Albert Pujols (189/100), Mgr. Tony LaRussa)
2005 - Chicago White Sox
2004 - Boston Red Sox (P Pedro Martinez (202/100), Ramirez, Schilling)
2003 - Florida Marlins (C Pudge Rodriguez (228/100))
2002 - Anaheim Angels (P Troy Percival (86/100))
2001 - Arizona Diamondbacks (Schilling, P Randy Johnson (322/100))
Projected HOFers = 11, out of 6 WS Championship teams = 1.8 HOF/WS
Note: DH Frank Thomas played 34G for 2005 CHW; did not play in WS.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The State of Manny
Speaking of Manny, it's been a bizarre ten days in Manny-World, punctuated by today's quote:
But why has Manny gone off the deep end all of a sudden? After a relatively quiet first half of the season, where the only news Manny made was that he was actually talking to the media, why are we getting another edition of Manny-World with, seemingly every news cycle?
As every one knows, the Sox own two successive options over Manny for 2009 and 2010, each for $20M each. (The Manny contract, by the way, although negotiated by Sox anti-Theo Dan Duquette, has looked better and better over time.) As also has been made clear to everyone, Manny turns 37 next May; while a 36-year old player might get a 4 year deal, it's unlikely that a 38-year old (going on 39) would get one in the winter of 2010-11.
So let's say that Manny is looking for one more contract. With each year that goes by, it becomes less and less likely that some GM will invest $90-100M to a 37 or 38-year old.
After all of that, what if I told you that Manny switched agents (to Scott Boras) last winter?
And what if I told you that if the Red Sox exercise one or both of the existing options on Manny, Boras gets paid nothing for the next two years and his previous agent collects 5% (or a cool $1M per option) for each year?
And what if I told you that as a 10/5 player, Manny can veto any trade unless the new team meets his agent's, rather, Manny's conditions? And what if those conditions included getting a four-year extension, the commission on which would be payable to Boras rather than the previous agent?
Do you think a new contract is something Mr. Boras -- or rather, Manny -- would be interested in?
Of course, there is more than a little irony in the fact that agent Boras may be trying to orchestrate the revocation of a team option; it was little more than a season ago when JD Drew opted out of his (player) option with the Dodgers to take a big payday with the Sox.
JD's agent? The same Mr. Boras.
The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me. During my years here, I've seen how they [the Red Sox] have mistreated other great players when they didn't want them to try to turn the fans against them. The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy. I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don't deserve me. I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price, and I don't have peace here.In fact, fan sentiment has turned against Manny, at least as judged by the callers on nitwit, er, sports radio.
But why has Manny gone off the deep end all of a sudden? After a relatively quiet first half of the season, where the only news Manny made was that he was actually talking to the media, why are we getting another edition of Manny-World with, seemingly every news cycle?
As every one knows, the Sox own two successive options over Manny for 2009 and 2010, each for $20M each. (The Manny contract, by the way, although negotiated by Sox anti-Theo Dan Duquette, has looked better and better over time.) As also has been made clear to everyone, Manny turns 37 next May; while a 36-year old player might get a 4 year deal, it's unlikely that a 38-year old (going on 39) would get one in the winter of 2010-11.
So let's say that Manny is looking for one more contract. With each year that goes by, it becomes less and less likely that some GM will invest $90-100M to a 37 or 38-year old.
After all of that, what if I told you that Manny switched agents (to Scott Boras) last winter?
And what if I told you that if the Red Sox exercise one or both of the existing options on Manny, Boras gets paid nothing for the next two years and his previous agent collects 5% (or a cool $1M per option) for each year?
And what if I told you that as a 10/5 player, Manny can veto any trade unless the new team meets his agent's, rather, Manny's conditions? And what if those conditions included getting a four-year extension, the commission on which would be payable to Boras rather than the previous agent?
Do you think a new contract is something Mr. Boras -- or rather, Manny -- would be interested in?
Of course, there is more than a little irony in the fact that agent Boras may be trying to orchestrate the revocation of a team option; it was little more than a season ago when JD Drew opted out of his (player) option with the Dodgers to take a big payday with the Sox.
JD's agent? The same Mr. Boras.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Washington Heights' Finest
The George Washington High School in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan has a number of notable alumni. Henry Kissinger's diplomacy, Harry Belafonte's creative juices, and Rod Carew's hitting stroke all trace their origins to the school. The two alums, however, who are still grabbing the most headlines in today's world, Alan Greenspan and Manny Ramirez, are seemingly very different, yet share a common opacity to the general public. To wit:
Ramirez: "Forget about the trade man. This is the place I want to be man. It's great man. They love me here man. This is the place to be. 'Manny being Manny', it's great man."
July 31, 2005; just after having delivered a game-winning hit on the trade deadline after fully expecting to leave the Red Sox
Greenspan: "I guess I should warn you, if I turn out to be particularly clear, you've probably misunderstood what I've said."
1988; shortly after becoming Fed Chairman
You could make the argument that lack of clarity gives a Fed Chairman the freedom and flexibility to react appropriately as the economic conditions and markets ebb and flow. And that eccentricity also gives a baseball player the freedom and flexibility to "be himself" in a high-pressure media market.
But what happens after "the game is over"? Greenspan's The Age of Turbulence offers valuable insight into how he formed his worldview and applied it to his job. I, for one, can't wait until Manny's career is over and he writes his book.
Ramirez: "Forget about the trade man. This is the place I want to be man. It's great man. They love me here man. This is the place to be. 'Manny being Manny', it's great man."
July 31, 2005; just after having delivered a game-winning hit on the trade deadline after fully expecting to leave the Red Sox
Greenspan: "I guess I should warn you, if I turn out to be particularly clear, you've probably misunderstood what I've said."
1988; shortly after becoming Fed Chairman
You could make the argument that lack of clarity gives a Fed Chairman the freedom and flexibility to react appropriately as the economic conditions and markets ebb and flow. And that eccentricity also gives a baseball player the freedom and flexibility to "be himself" in a high-pressure media market.
But what happens after "the game is over"? Greenspan's The Age of Turbulence offers valuable insight into how he formed his worldview and applied it to his job. I, for one, can't wait until Manny's career is over and he writes his book.
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