My Baseball Hero

I'm writing this for myself since I doubt any of you share interest in the subject -- baseball great, Manny Ramirez.

After a lengthy period of arrant uninterest I got back into baseball due to Manny Ramirez. What lured me back wasn't Manny's phenomenal ability at the plate; it was his unorthodox rejection of boring tradition. The phrase "Let Manny Be Manny" captures the man's eccentric, sometimes bizarre behavior. Manny was a sharp slap to the face of traditionalists in baseball -- which is almost all followers of the sport. Manny's violation of the sport's norms appealed to me. Intensely. Game recognizes game.

In the 1990s and 2000s Manny was the most feared hitter in pro baseball. With Big Papi (David Ortiz), Manny led the Boston Red Sox to two world championships. In one campaign they came back from a 3-0 series deficit and defeated the Yankees in remarkable fashion. That was a feat never accomplished before or since in MLB history. 

In 2008 the Red Sox traded Manny to the LA Dodgers and I followed him there. That's what began my love of the Dodgers. Manny had his own section of fans who cheered his antics in left field. I was spiritually among them. 

The catalyst for my remembrance of Manny's career is an announcement this week, by Manny's agent, that he wants back into the sport as a hitting coach. While it'd be a smart move for any team to hire Manny in such capacity it's unlikely to occur. Baseball's traditionalists (and perhaps some of you) still hate Manny for his wild eccentricity. What I love about Manny is HIS TALENT WAS UNDENIABLE -- so even his harshest critics can't dispute that plain fact while clutching their pearls and railing against Manny's behavior. For years critics said Manny would "destroy baseball" but, as we know, it still exists.

Ecce Manny!