Manny Being Manny is a phrased that was coined to represent many quirky things the Sox left fielder has been prone to do: Manny being silly, Manny admiring a long home run/fly out, Manny being lackadaisical on the base paths or in the field, Manny taking a leak behind the Monster during a game...
But over the last couple of weeks MBM has taken on a different meaning: Manny Being Mean.
Earlier this month cameras caught Ramirez bitch slapping teammate Kevin Youkilis in the dugout during a game against the Rays at Fenway, and the story that followed said Ramirez, like many fellow Sox teammates, had become tired of Youk's post-at bat tirades so Manny decided to make his feelings known, very vocally I guess.
When Youk protested, Manny unleashed a backhand that sent Youk sprawling, and then Ramirez had to be held off by coaches and players as he lunged for the chrome domed first baseman.
The incident was downplayed as a minor flare up that occurs during the course of a long season when 25 mean spend the majority of their time together for 6-8 months, and both parties as well as the Sox management brushed it off as an isolated incident, forever to be forgotten.
Until now.
A report in today's Providence Journal states that Ramirez laid another smackdown on a member of the club, this time the team's traveling secretary Jack McCormick, Saturday afternoon in Houston.
And suddenly Manny Being Manny isn't so cute anymore.
This latest incident is interesting for the simple fact that it illustrates a side of Ramirez that has rarely been seen, or at least publicized, in all his years with the Sox.
Reportedly Manny asked for 16 tickets to Saturday night's game sometime Saturday afternoon. When McCormick, a retired cop who handles all ticket requests for players both at home and on the road, informed Manny that he might not be able to come up with such a large number so soon before game time, Ramirez fired back at him "just do your job."
That response begot a heated exchange between the two, with the ex-cop and longtime Sox secretary presumably telling Manny to stick his request in his dread-nest (pure speculation on my part, but what do you think a retired cop would tell a spoiled athlete?)
Anyway the situation has once again been downplayed, with McCormick stating that "It's over. He apologized. That's it. Everything's fine" and Francona blowing it off by saying "Sometimes things happen and when they do, we choose to handle them internally."
That's all well and good, but when an incident becomes public, that internal bullshit goes out the window.
The big question here is why a guy known for his easy going manner and good natured playfulness is suddenly taking swipes at teammates and 60-year-old club personnel.
Is it a sign of a surly Manny Ramirez, upset over a recent mini-slump that saw him go 15 games without a homer while he battles a hamstring problem?
Or perhaps this behavior is a direct result of the fact that Ramirez came into this season with a new attitude, arriving to spring training on time, vowing to table the annual "Manny wants to be traded" talks and generally trying to be a model citizen and teammate?
Or is he cracking under the pressure of living up to Manny Being Manny?
Who knows. But maybe next time he explodes he can direct his ire towards an opponent and not someone in his own clubhouse.
Tonight against the Rays might be a good place to start.
But over the last couple of weeks MBM has taken on a different meaning: Manny Being Mean.
Earlier this month cameras caught Ramirez bitch slapping teammate Kevin Youkilis in the dugout during a game against the Rays at Fenway, and the story that followed said Ramirez, like many fellow Sox teammates, had become tired of Youk's post-at bat tirades so Manny decided to make his feelings known, very vocally I guess.
When Youk protested, Manny unleashed a backhand that sent Youk sprawling, and then Ramirez had to be held off by coaches and players as he lunged for the chrome domed first baseman.
The incident was downplayed as a minor flare up that occurs during the course of a long season when 25 mean spend the majority of their time together for 6-8 months, and both parties as well as the Sox management brushed it off as an isolated incident, forever to be forgotten.
Until now.
A report in today's Providence Journal states that Ramirez laid another smackdown on a member of the club, this time the team's traveling secretary Jack McCormick, Saturday afternoon in Houston.
And suddenly Manny Being Manny isn't so cute anymore.
This latest incident is interesting for the simple fact that it illustrates a side of Ramirez that has rarely been seen, or at least publicized, in all his years with the Sox.
Reportedly Manny asked for 16 tickets to Saturday night's game sometime Saturday afternoon. When McCormick, a retired cop who handles all ticket requests for players both at home and on the road, informed Manny that he might not be able to come up with such a large number so soon before game time, Ramirez fired back at him "just do your job."
That response begot a heated exchange between the two, with the ex-cop and longtime Sox secretary presumably telling Manny to stick his request in his dread-nest (pure speculation on my part, but what do you think a retired cop would tell a spoiled athlete?)
Anyway the situation has once again been downplayed, with McCormick stating that "It's over. He apologized. That's it. Everything's fine" and Francona blowing it off by saying "Sometimes things happen and when they do, we choose to handle them internally."
That's all well and good, but when an incident becomes public, that internal bullshit goes out the window.
The big question here is why a guy known for his easy going manner and good natured playfulness is suddenly taking swipes at teammates and 60-year-old club personnel.
Is it a sign of a surly Manny Ramirez, upset over a recent mini-slump that saw him go 15 games without a homer while he battles a hamstring problem?
Or perhaps this behavior is a direct result of the fact that Ramirez came into this season with a new attitude, arriving to spring training on time, vowing to table the annual "Manny wants to be traded" talks and generally trying to be a model citizen and teammate?
Or is he cracking under the pressure of living up to Manny Being Manny?
Who knows. But maybe next time he explodes he can direct his ire towards an opponent and not someone in his own clubhouse.
Tonight against the Rays might be a good place to start.
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