Eric Neel combines about 500 examples of Dodgers player, coach, executive and fan optimism into one zeitgeist-capturing article. Bookmark this one.
Includes a great picture of him with Andruw Jones, in which Manny is wearing his Dodgers uniform but still has his Red Sox glove and shoes. And Jones looks like he’s about 6’7” and 300 pounds. According to BB-ref they’re only one inch apart in height, but…
He joked with the assembled media at the afternoon presser, promising to “start stealing some bases.” And he brushed off questions about potential lingering bad feelings in Boston by explaining that “Boston is in the past. If you ask me about Boston, I put my brain on pause … boop!”
He put the palms of his hands together and bowed to closer Takashi Saito in the clubhouse. He bounced in the dugout before batting practice, hugging teammates and giggling. “You got me covered out there tonight?” he teased right fielder Matt Kemp (thinking Kemp might be playing center). “I’m beat. You know I can’t be running out there …”
There was some feeling here in L.A. that his devil-may-care attitude might be just what the doctor ordered.
“This can sometimes be a serious clubhouse,” said outfielder Andre Ethier. “And we’ve had some struggles, some ups and downs, with injuries and things. Manny being here, enjoying things the way he does, may lighten things up for us.”
Kemp, who has felt the pressure that comes with trying to establish himself in a veteran clubhouse these past two seasons, agreed: “Having fun is what he’s about and having fun is just what we need.”
OH G-D WHAT HAVE THE RED SOX DONE?! An MVP candidate and a great clubhouse guy.
Every time Ramirez came up Friday night the Dodger Stadium crowd, 55,239 strong (30,000 tickets were sold in the 24 hours before the game began), erupted, giving him a standing ovation for a ground ball to shortstop in the second inning and chanting his name each time he made his way from the on-deck circle to home plate. Beto Duran of ESPN Radio 710 said the atmosphere was like nothing he’d ever seen here: “Even the beach balls are bigger tonight!”
Los Angeles hasn’t had a Hall of Fame-caliber slugger since Gary Sheffield was traded in 2002. They haven’t experienced the rush of a big-time player acquisition since the ill-fated Darryl Strawberry experiment from 1991 to 1994. The city and the organization are hungry, barely able to remember what the run to the 1988 World Series title felt like.
Why is he wearing #99?
Reader Comments and Retorts
Go to end of page
Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.
24 is retired (Alston), he wanted 34 but that's unofficially retired (Valenzuela) he says they just gave him 99. 99 Is a good number for Manny though.
Tribute to his old hero, Wayne Gretzky.
Manny's personality is great when you're winning. Things could get really ugly out there if the Dodgers go on a losing streak. That's the way I read this.
Manny's actually a big Wilf Paiement fan.
Therefore, they are not big time.
Duh.
How soon they forget Andruw Jones.
Andruw Jones says, "HEY!" to both of those statements.
Or he would, if he could get the chicken leg out of his mouth long enough.
now we know the real reason the Dodgers acquired Manny.
So you're saying he makes the players around him better?
If it wasn't in the article when you first read it, it's certainly in the article now.
Not Maxell?
And that Wilf Paiement commercial is hilaripus.
My friends and I used to joke that the real reason Manny didn't fit in with the Red Sox was that nobody on that team wanted to smoke pot with him. LA should be a much better fit.
And it's not like he'll be a longtimer with the Dodgers anyway.
Now, now, the Andruw mentions were tongue-in-cheek.
Also, to nitpick, the quote was an HOF-caliber <b>slugger</i>. OK, I'm guilty in not realizing he actually has a career SLG of 500 (would have thought it was in the 450 range) but he's still under 400 HR, has only one season over 35 HR (only 2 more over 30) and "just" a 122 OPS+ career. An HOF-caliber 2B but not exactly a "slugger".
In his 3.5 seasons in LA, Sheffield hit an impressive 129 HR.
Much as I think the Dodgers overpaid for two months of Manny (and hopefully, two high picks), at least they were paying for an elite hitter, and not mediocrities that looked good if the squinting was done just right.
I don't understand why people get made fun of for wearing out-of-date jerseys. Doesn't that show you to be a non-bandwagoner more than practically anything else could?
Still the only replica jersey I have with a player's name on it is the Eagles #7 jersey from circa 1997. Oh, my dad said he was a bum, but my enthusiasm for Bobby Hoying would not be restrained.
Not that he was famous enough at the time for them to make replica jerseys...I think.
You must be Registered and Logged In to post comments.
<< Back to main