Manny Ramirez Has More Fun Than You
Posted by: Rob St. Hubbins in 2008 MLB, Great Catch, MLB Weirdness, Orioles, Red Sox
Baseball fans of all allegiances flocked to Camden Yards on Wednesday hoping to see Manny Ramirez make history by hitting two home runs to reach the 500 home run milestone.
He did make history in one sense, but not in a manner anybody expected. He did so by turning late Orioles PA Announcer Rex Barney’s famous saying “Give that fan a contract” into “Give that fan an assist.”
Manny turned what could be seen as the first 7-10-4-3 double play in baseball history in the bottom of the fourth inning by high-fiving a fan between making a running catch on a Kevin Millar fly ball and firing the ball into cut-off man Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia then relayed the ball to first-baseman Kevin Youkilis to complete one of the funniest successful plays you will ever see.
I say “successful” because it’s hard to top Jose Canseco’s Zidane-esque home run helper with the Rangers, Jack Cust’s ‘03 home stretch stumble with the Orioles, or Ruben Rivera running the bases for the Giants like a squirrel crossing a busy street (unfortunately I couldn’t find a picture or video of the last play).
The beauty of this play is that it shows how much Manny enjoys playing the game of baseball and has the ability to entertain us with his screwy personality. We’ve all seen hometown heroes take time to acknowledge adoring fans as they step into the batter’s box or come out for a curtain after hitting a big home run, but I’ve never seen mid-play athlete-fan interaction before. Even Moises Alou was too focused to yell at Steve Bartman until the play was over.
Manny’s play would be rivaled only by Albert Pujols signing an autograph while catching a pop-up by the first base dugout or Juan Pierre stealing a hot dog from the first row while rounding third to score a game-winning run.
Some people might criticize Manny because he could have stopped short of the fence and made the throw quicker, but then he wouldn’t be Manny. He took four steps after the catch before jumping to the first row, so his detour was a combination of momentum and … I cringe to say this … ”Manny being Manny” - a term that has become as played out as “Don’t go there” and anything that comes out of Carlos Mencia’s mouth.
Some of Manny’s antics bring a negative light to how he plays the game, such as admiring a warning track shot that ends up in the center fielder’s glove or his annual spring training trade demands, but he also reminds us of his ability to play the game at a high level as well as keep the fans laughing at his light-hearted style.
While I haven’t had the opportunity to consult with any of my Yankee fan friends I think this play is just crazy enough that even they and their fellow Red Sox haters can’t help but laugh and enjoy Manny’s text book DP.
In the end, it’s impossible to deny that this play was both entertaining and well executed. It wouldn’t be so funny if he tried to re-create this move in the playoffs, but the fact that it occured in a mid-May game against the Orioles makes it easier to enjoy and allows us to realize that Manny Ramirez has more fun doing his job than any of us ever will.
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May 21st, 2008 at 11:14 am
Hey manny play the damn game you look like a ten year jumping in the crowed tryin to give a friend a high five YOU GOT A RUNNER ON BASE DUMB ASS this aint little league play the game right HELL when barry bonds broke the home run record he didnt celebrate as much as you did last year your a disgrace to the game celebrating every time you get a homerun your slow fat and ugly with your dreads boy this aint the ghetto its the pros and remember this yankees still got 26 world series what do the sox have what five everybody is on you and the pats band wagon you suck your nothin without big pappi if any yall manny lovers want to argue with this one_2_thre3@yahoo.com
May 21st, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I don’t think Manny can hear you. As awesome as it would be, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t read this site.
It’s funny how you say he looks like a ten year old when you spell like one so anybody with any intellect should be more inclined to take Manny seriously over you, and that really says a lot. Even Red Sox fans recognize how ridiculous he is so your whining has no effect.
Your whole post reads like a frustrated (in multiple areas of life) young Yankees fan with no concept of the sport outside of your own team. Many Yankees and Red Sox fans are able to have fun with the rivalry and show each other respect even when giving each other a hard time, but little morons like you who think it’s necessary to be disrespectful to the other side of the rivalry perpetuate ugly incidents such as these two.
http://www.kansas.com/sports/story/395115.html
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20080508-9999-1m8rival.html
There are idiots on both sides of the rivalry, and you’re one of them on the Yankees’ side. I am a Red Sox fan, but I would much rather watch them play the Yankees with respectful Yankees fans than disrespectful Red Sox fans like two of my best friends from high school and my sister’s fiancee.
The only reason people say anything like what you said here is because they’re idiots with no lives who are trying to impress their fellow fans. If you really want to do that then do it on myspace, not here. Maybe you can add some wanna-be porn stars as friends while your at it.
In closing, I would like to drive home my point that you know nothing by showing how wrong your last point is. You claim Manny is nothing without David Ortiz. In five full seasons playing with Ortiz, Manny has averaged 36 HR and 113.6 RBI. In his five seasons before teaming up with Big Papi, Manny averaged 40.2 HR and 132.8 RBI. I’m hoping your math skills are better than your grammatical skills.
We here at the Derby encourage fan participation, but intelligence is also encouraged. For the people who plan on making posts like this guy I would like to quote Ron White. “The next time you have a thought, let it go.”