West Coast Bias » Manny Ramirez

Welcome Back to the West Coast, We've Missed You

WCBias — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:21:23 +0000

Welcome back to the best side, Manny and Co.

Manny Ramirez is back, and so is The Bias.

OK, so Manny was nowhere to be found during the offseason, kind of like WCBias.com over the weekend during our redesign, but we’re back. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

So we’ve gots some new stuff to tell y’all ’bout here at the West Coast Bias Sports Blog.

Yeah, there’s the whole Manny thing. He’s back. Baseball’s back. We have stuff to write about now. About time.

We’d also be writing about the Lakers brawling with the Blazers and all of that, but not sure where our Lakers blogger has gone of late. Guess dude’s been looking for a job or something. But, I think Pembertonian just found Ryantific a gig, considering the quality of graphic design going on at CSC. Brutal. Somebody hire RK to do their logos. Please.

Speaking of design, WCBias.com has undergone a major redesign. Looks better. Feels better. Brings you everything you want to read about the West Coast better.

It’s Web 2.0 and then some.

RSS feed clearly located at the top, so you can stay up to speed on The Bias while we’re writing away on company time at our “day jobs.”
We’ve got the new search engine dialed in.
Tag cloud to go along with our categories, so you can read more about your favorite topics on WCBias.
We’ve got the latest West Coast sports headlines pulled in below that, courtesy the LA Times.
Archives, an ad about some frozen chicken appetizers, recent comments and a blog roll.

Does it get any better than that? Well, it does.

You too can contribute to WCBias now. That’s right. You heard correctly. If you’ve got game, want to write about West Coast sports, we’re willing to give you a shot. Just sign up here and attempt your first post. New users are limited in their privileges, but try an initial blog entry, and we’ll let you know if it’s WCBias material.

Thanks for checking in with The Bias, where it’s all West Coast all the time: unless Pembertonian is blogging about the Pirates, of course.
But that’s where Manny comes into play. Ah, Manny, where would we be without you this spring? Probably in the cellar in the NL Worst.

Welcome back to the West Coast Manny and Co. We’ve missed you.

Like our new design? Don’t like it? Have thoughts on how we can improve it. Let us know in the comments tab on the left or by e-mailing editor@wcbias.com.

Right Back Where We Started From–A Delayed Manny Reaction

WCBias — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:53:00 +0000

I figured I needed a day to sort out my feelings about the Manny signing but after thinking and waiting I realized my feelings, much like the tortuous negotiations themselves, haven’t really changed much. I was happy when I heard the news and I’m still smiling twenty-four hours later. The only thing better than having Manny is having a motivated Manny and with an opt-out clause (really, can’t we just call them JD Drew clauses from here on out?) at the end of the season it’s reasonable to assume that we’ll see Manny’s helmet flying off his head plenty of times over the summer. So good times, right? Sure. There are tons of studies out there showing that lineup protection doesn’t count for anything but don’t you think the (re-) addition of Manny is going to take some heat off of Martin, Loney and Ethier? Instead of trying to muscle up and jerk one out of the yard they can focus on knocking some bingles and drawing some walks to set Manny up for the heavy lifting…so really we’re all winners here….

…well everyone except Scott Boras, but it’s not like he gives a fart in the wind about his reputation amongst fans or ownership. The man is a shark-robot hybrid and has no emotions, so he doesn’t care that people hate him. I did come across this gem earlier today while I was looking into non-guaranteed NFL contracts though; can’t you just picture him snickering over his keyboard while he typed this?

“Max (Montreal): What do you think of what Drew Rosenhaus is doing with Terrell Owens in the owner friwndly NFL?

Scott Boras: A few Owens questions… “Renegotiate” is not in my vocabulary. I advise players to consider all the variables, such as injury vs improvement, before they sign a contract.

I have had players call me about bad contracts they had signed and I always advise that the sanctity of the contract is important for the survival of any system based on performance. To change it when there is improvement is a double-edged sword that will inevitably lead to degrading the contract when the player malperforms.

What a jackass. Or as Miracle Max would say: To blave. Anyway, Manny’s back onboard, the lineup is settled (unless you want to debate Martin or Hudson in the 2-hole) and the rotation is sickening and makes me wish I was dead. Let’s play some ball.

Do You Think Manny Ramirez Knows We're In a Recession?

WCBias — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 01:36:00 +0000

This is gonna date me, but I vividly remember when the Yankees made Dave Winfield the highest paid player in baseball.

It was 1981, and Winfield got a 10-year deal for $23 million. At the time, people bitched and moaned because 1.) In the Reagan recession, regular Joe’s (and Jane’s) weren’t seeing their checks increase, though the richest Americans would be getting nice fat tax breaks. Also, it was just two years earlier that Nolan Ryan had become the first player to make a million bucks a year.

So in two years, the highest salary more than doubled.

Now here we are in 2009, and manny Ramirez is looking for a 2-year $45 million deal — and that’s not even the highest salary in baseball. That belongs to A-Rod (insert snide steroid comment here), who makes $27.5 million a year — $2 million of which is injected into his ass. (Sorry — couldn’t resist.)

So in 30 years, the highest baseball salary is now 27.5 times more than it was in 1979.

Now I don’t want to be one of those namby pamby people who whines about baseball salaries. Boo hoo freakin hoo, right? Because, for one thing, even if owners didn’t have to pay huge players salaries, I’ll bet they’d still charge us out the wazoo to see games.

That’s just how they are. Greedy jerks.

But I do sort of think wistfully about that making that kind of coin. I mean, imagine how that sort of surge in salary would affect your take-home.

For instance, for some insane reason, I decided to pursue the non-lucrative career of journalism. Now in 1979, I was spending more time playing Whiffle Ball than I was writing crappy stories for the local rag. But I’d guess the average pay for a journalist then was probably around $20,000. (Heck, some papers probably still pay that.)

Now if the journalist salary increased as much as the Major League Baseball salary, I’d be making — let’s see . . . a little math calculation here . . .

Oh, snap! I’d be making $550,000!

Not too shabby. In fact, if I were making $550,000 a year, I’d probably never complain about pinhead management decisions. I woudn’t gripe about having to write crappy stories. And, shoot — I might even stop fabricating my time sheets.*

Alas, all I can do is sit on the couch with a bag of Fritos and watch baseball, wishing I could hit a 95-mile per hour fastball.

If only I’d played a few more games of Whiffle Ball.

* These are fictional accounts, of course. Not only do I love my bosses and work VERY hard, but I constantly think (and dream) of ways I can better myself as a professional journalist.

Adios

WCBias — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:36:00 +0000

Manny is out, Dodger fans. He’s not coming back, it’s not going to happen. At this point the man has two optionsâ€”either a) take less money to play elsewhere or b) retire. I don’t see any other way, do you? No team has a bigger chunk of money burning a hole in their collective pockets than the Dodgers so where does Manny land? Here’s my list, in order of most to lease likely:

San Franciscoâ€”A perfect fit. One big bat can make a difference in the NL West and few bats are bigger than Manny’s. At this point it would make sense for Manny to take an offer similar to the one he turned down from the Dodgers just so he can napalm that bridge. And you know what? I’d love it. The Dodger/Giant rivalry hasn’t been fully frothed since Bonds left the game and what better way to edge into Yankee/Red Sox territory than a subplot like this? I’d actually rather see him sign with SF than LA at this point.
Saint Louisâ€”Pujols and Manny:the best 3-4 combo since, well since Big Papi and Manny I guess.
New York Metsâ€”This is predicated on Bernie Madoff’s ponzi’d money magically re-appearing in the Wilpons coffers. Do you really want to go to war against the Phillies with a hodgepodge of corner outfielders like Ryan Church, Fernando Tatis and Duck Duckerson?
Washingtonâ€”Nobody cares about this team, they’ve got a new stadium and a bunch of stiffs that play inside of it:they wouldn’t win even if they signed Manny but at least they’d sell some tickets which is probably more important at this point for the franchise anyway.
Some Random Team in the Caribbeanâ€”Why not? Say Manny doesn’t care about piling on some stats and finishing as a Top 5 right handed hitter of all time? Maybe this is his chance to play David Beckham and live like a king in Antigua

With Abreu, Dunn and Orlando Hudson still available on the market there’s plenty of Option Bs available, even though I think I might rather just roll with Blake DeWitt instead of the O-Dog but I won’t quibble either way. In any event, take care, Manny. It’s been real.

It's official: Journalism degrees are now worthless

WCBias — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:55:00 +0000

You know what’s funny, aside from the Detroit Lions going 0-16, and Manny still searching for a home (the Dodgers are apparently looking at Adam Dunn as another option to replace ManCan’tFindAHomeMann)? The number of jobs in sports journalism these days.

Not that I’m into journalism any more, but if I were, I’d be bummed. BG regularly sends out his “update your resume” entries, but there haven’t been many coming out of the sports journalism sector these days.

In fact, according to the official site of the Associated Press Sports Editors, there have been exactly five jobs in the field posted since late September. FIVE.

My journalism degree and sports knowledge are now officially useless. More worthless than normal. As if you didn’t know that.

A Few of Scott's (Least) Favorite Things

WCBias — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:32:00 +0000

According to mega-agent and soulless vampire Scott Boras, the Dodgers’ offer to Manny Ramirez is nothing short of a gross travesty. With that in mind WCBias has compiled a (not all inclusive list) of other things Scotty B is appalled by:

· Four and a half star hotels
· The dancing scene at the end of “Little Miss Sunshine“
· Pictures of babies playing with puppies
· Sunlight
· The firefighters who ran into the World Trade Center to save people while it was collapsing
· Cal Ripken, Jr.
· Your mom
· Business class
· Ipod Nanos
· Baseball in general

Look, if the Dodgers want to pony up for 2 years of Manny for $45 million and they get a happy and productive left-fielder whose production will probably slightly tail off from what it had been that’s great. If they want to throw in an option for a 3rd year that’s fine too. Anything more is just asking for trouble. You know it, I know it, Scotty B and Manny know it too. Ned Colletti (probably) knows it.

Long Time Coming

WCBias — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:04:00 +0000

It’s been a while since we’ve had something to cheer about. And I’m not talking about your standard “double-play with runners on first and third with one out” or “stolen base by Matt Kemp” type of cheering. I’m talking about cheering. Chanting. Screaming. Buzzing. Little girls (and I mean little, like three years old) squealing “I see Manny! I see Manny!” when they walk down the aisle to their seats. I’m talking about 2,000 people in the left field pavilion doing the Wayne’s World “We’re not worthy” thing. I’m talking about Manny Ramirez. Forget what he means to the Dodgers, a team starved for both an identity and runs, what adding Manny (even if it is just for a few months) means from a fan’s perspective is so much more. I actually saw a kid walk past me wearing a “Arizona Diamondbacks 2001 World Champions” t-shirt and come back down the stairs after a trip to the gift shop decked out in a faux-Manny Ramirez jersey. Magic bullet marketing, my friends (for highlights of Manny’s day yesterday, see here).

If you had to make a Mount Rushmore of Dodger faces over the last 10 years you’d be hard-pressed to come up with any George Washingtons or Thomas Jeffersons:for the most part we’ve been a bunch of Herbert Hoovers and Calvin Coolidges. Russell Martin has certainly asserted himself as the face of the current franchise, Sean Green and Gary Sheffield both had their moments and even Adrian Beltre put up MVP numbers in his final year in Dodger blue. Anyone who ever had the pleasure of watching Eric Gagne lumber in from left field (you know, back when he was Eric Gagne) in a 3-2 ballgame would make a case for his candidacy on the mountain as well. I think you have to go all the way back to Mike Piazza to find someone who had the impact that Ramirez has had on the fanbase. Four of us trucked down to Chavez yesterday and sweated it out in 90* heat and loved every minute of itâ€”Manny got cheered for catching fly balls, he got cheered for stretching before the game, he got cheered after he struck out and he got lauded like he had cured cancer after his bomb to left field. He is the anti-Andruw Jones, he is slugging over 1.000, he is a beast.

One little game out of first place.

Manny Meets the Press

WCBias — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:02:00 +0000

The Great One has touched down in Los Angeles.
During his meet and greet with the L.A. media prior to today’s game against Arizona, Manny Ramirez announced he’d be wearing No. 99 â€” the same number Wayne Gretzky wore when he played for the L.A. Kings, although Manny admitted he didn’t know much about hockey being from the Dominican.
Ramirez also joked about becoming a slap hitter and that he would start stealing bases. No mention of going for a gold glove, however. But he did say he’d be willing to cut his dreads if Joe Torre wanted him to, which might have been the first unselfish thing he’s said in three years.
He also avoided ripping the Red Sox during the press conference, but I guess he did plenty of that in Boston.
“I don’t wish nobody no harm,” he said. “I just wish them the best.”
Here are a few other Ramirez comments worth sharing, although he forgot to add three key words throughout the press conference â€” FOR TWO MONTHS. Maybe they were lost in translation (half the press conference was in Spanish) or on the flight back from Boston.

“It’s a new chapter in my life. … I’m just happy to be here [for two months], that’s all I can say.”

“I’m like a little kid. I’m nervous. It’s a new team, a new city. I’m just going to be Manny and play the game. … I’m going to play hard and do all I can to help the team win [for two months].”

“They have rules here and I don’t want them to treat me any different than the other guys. If they want me to cut my hair, I’ll do it. I don’t care [for two months]. It’ll grow back.”

Manny Mania goes Hollywood

WCBias — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:19:00 +0000

For the third straight week, “Quotes of the Week” revolve around Manny Ramirez. (When doesn’t the world revolve around Man-Ram?) But this time, Manny is the object of our affection for good reason â€“ he’s going, going, back, back to Cali. … Manny will officially be welcomed at a 4 p.m. press conference today. We’ll have more on that shortly … if Andruw Jones can get the limo there on time.
Here’s what sportswriters around the country are saying about the trade to L.A.:

Dodgers get Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox and Casey Blake from the Indians. Give them credit for taking their best shot at a winnable division. But if Andruw Jones had done what he was supposed to, they wouldn’t have had to take a chance on a loose cannon like Ramirez.
â€” Paul Hagen
Philadelphia Daily News

“It’s crazy,” said Dodgers manager Joe Torre.
There are some who would argue that’s also an accurate description of Manny Ramirez. OK, he can be a bit of a nut.
He’s also one of baseball’s most feared hitters. Is superb in the clutch.
â€” Steve Dilbeck
Los Angeles Daily News

He will arrive at Dodger Stadium Friday lugging 510 career home runs inside 510 pounds of baggage.
He will take his place in the middle of the Dodger batting order tonight as one of baseball’s biggest hitters and most baffling headaches.
In the biggest late-season acquisition in club history, the Dodgers acquired left fielder Manny Ramirez on Thursday from the Boston Red Sox and Mars.
â€” Bill Plaschke
Los Angeles Times

Theo Epstein again has proved how smart he is. This time he cured Boston of cancer.
… Minutes before the trade deadline Thursday, the Red Sox sent Ramirez to the only place in the world where a jackass can become “Jackass: The Movie.” They sent him to Hollywood.
â€” Jeff Jacobs
The Hartford Courant

The Angels added a silver stick and gold glove; the Dodgers added a bodacious bat and non-stop newsmaker, a 24/7 minefield who can produce headlines as wacky as his hairdo.
â€” Jeff Miller
The Orange County Register

The Dodgers now have too many outfielders. But I imagine they will be sending a limo to pick up Ramirez at the airport, his safety in getting to the stadium critical, so why not have Andruw Jones driving — knowing there’s no chance of him hitting anything along the way.
â€” T.J. Simers
Los Angeles Times

Wham, Bam, Thank You Man-Ram

WCBias — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:31:00 +0000

You’ve gotta be freaking kidding me.
That’s the initial reaction to today’s news that the Dodgers have traded for Manny Ramirez after ESPN reported all day that he was either going to the Marlins or going nowhere.
Which got me thinking:

Am I wrong, or didn’t Joe Torre used to manage the Yankees and despise ManRam?
Didn’t Manny walk straight to the dugout after a pair of fly balls against the Angels last night and also walked down a pair of shots to him in left field?
Didn’t Manny stop, drop and roll on a shallow fly ball to left field against the Angels the last time around, making the error of all fielding errors?
Wasn’t Torre supposed to be a baseball “genius” who cared about the finer parts of the game?

Instead he’s building ~~a circus~~ an American League-type, mash-first-ask-how-to-field-a-fly-ball mentality to Los Angeles.
Next they’re going to build a Blue Monster in left, so Manny doesn’t actually have to play defense and avoids embarrassing himself three times a night in the field (not that 66 errors for a left fielder is bad).
MEMO TO JOE: You’re not in the AL any more.
“You wish you had the DH,” Torre admitted Thursday after the deal was announced.
Next thing you know, Torre’s going to start playing Andruw Jones every night despite the fact he’s hitting .167 with two homers and 13 RBIs. Oh, wait, that’s already happening.
All rants aside, while it might be a horrible move for their outfield, it’s a much-needed move for the Dodger lineup. You have to take the good with the bad, and Manny should push L.A. over the hump in the NL Worst. If not, the move is a complete and total joke.
So I have no doubt the trade will work out for L.A. The Dodger lineup was as desperate to add a big bat as the Red Sox were to unload a cancer in its clubhouse.
It’s reminiscent of Oakland trading Randy Moss to the Patriots for a fourth-round pick. Moss went through the motions in Oakland to all but force a trade, then became a perfect saint and the opposition’s worst nightmare in New England. Same thing should happen in L.A., but there’s always a chance history repeats itself â€“ only next time it’ll come with a much heftier price tag.