nba musings

So, the Celtics season ended just in time for me to witness Manny Ramirez’s triumphant return to Fenway. I was SO eager to see another Los Angeles team come skipping into town, let me tell you. I am the first to admit that I have major mixed feelings when it comes to Manny (like much of Red Sox nation). But, the mixed feelings would have to classified as 80% negative, 20% positive. Had I been at Fenway, I would have booed, no question about it. ESPN of course, was all over this story like Rachel Nichols on Brett Favre’s doorstep. Will the Red Sox fans cheer or boo? How will Manny be received? Will Manny be Manny?

From the moment the topic came up at the beginning of the weekend, I kept hearing (on the radio) or reading (on Twitter) that “real” fans can’t boo Manny and still claim the 2004 and 2007 championships. Um, huh? Really? What does one thing have to do with the other? I have to excuse his shiteous spoiled bratty dumbass behavior because he — oh I don’t know — DID HIS JOB in 2004 and 2007? Fuck that. That’s like saying it’s ok for my boyfriend to slap around now, if years ago, he bought me a mansion and a convertible. I don’t think winning past championships should buy anyone an “I can be an asshole” card. I agree that Red Sox management was partly to blame for Manny getting away with being Manny for so many years, but I’m not going to say they’re more to blame than he is. Somewhere along the line, he had a choice to make about whether he was going to be an arrogant spoiled prick or not and chose to be one. I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen.

The emperor is naked. Boooooooooooooooooo!

Perk is betrothed
* Perk married his baby mama! From Boston.com:

The Celtics center got hitched in Houston over the weekend to his longtime girlfriend Vanity. Wedding guests included teammates Rajon Rondo and Leon Powe, and former men in green Ricky Davis and Patrick O’Bryant.

There are some great pictures at LOY’s Place if you want to check them out. Perk is even smiling, which shocks most everybody but me. I saw him smile huge once talking about his baby boy. I knew he had it in him.

Manny’s bobblehead to reporters: This is my town (until I join the Yankees someday)
* Apparently the Dodgers’ recent “Manny Bobblehead Night” did not go off without a hitch. From MercuryNews.com:

The Dodgers are still the major leagues’ best team and Manny Ramirez is still the star attraction, but this season will continue to contain its odd moments. For instance, Wednesday night. It was Manny bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium. But the initial sponsor, Kaiser Permanente, had to pull out because of that icky little steroid/female fertility thing.

In grand ole Manny fashion though, he got the last word. Despite initially sitting out with injury, he went in to pinch hit and ended up drilling a grand slam home run right to his faithful flock in the Mannywood section. Oh Manny…

Daniels to join the Celtics, someday… I think…
* I realize I have yet to post about Marquis Daniels joining the Celtics. There are a few reasons for this. The main reason is that I have absolutely no idea when/if he’s coming on board. I’m not super interested in players who “might” join the Celtics. Until they actually show up at the presser and hold up their jersey, I’m kind of meh.

Brett Favre, Attention Whore (It’s on the business card)
* This just in… Brett Favre has informed the Minnesota Vikings (and Rachel Nichols, his BFF) that he is going to remain retired. (pause) Except… I just read this tweet from Rich Eisen:

Stop the insanity!

Hmmm, now that I think of it, maybe Starbury’s boy Mooncricket could set up Favre with his own 24/7 Justin.tv channel.

Hey Reggie, call me
* Also recently just in… Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush bit the dust couple-wise. YES! Reggie Bush, back on the market. Be still my heart. Tony Romo apparently also tossed Jessica Simpson into the bedpost notch deadpool – on the eve of her 29th birthday no less. It’s like Logan’s Run! “Umm, Jess… You’re almost 30. An NFL QB like me has a short window of time where he can score the grade A tail. I’ve gotta toss you like a Domino’s pizza, sorry… Oh yeah, and you can’t come over anymore! I’m putting up a sign — persona non grata!”

Show me your number ones! Show me your number ones! Clap seal, clap!
* Speaking of StarburyTV, what kind of shenanigans are going on at Stephon Marbury’s house today? I don’t know… I can’t watch it at work (probably for the best), but when I checked it around 7pm tonight, this random dude was dancing in front of the camera telling the viewers to show him their number 1s. I had to call bullshit on this. It’s bad enough when Steph goes apeshit and demands number 1s like we’re all a bunch of trained f-king seals, but I’ll be damned if any old douchebag gets to jump on his camera and do it. C’mon Steph, we need standards and practices, babe.

Who is this dude?

If you’re interested, be my guest… but be prepared to throw your number 1s, number 2s, numbers 3s or to keep it 100. Love is love, Daddy.

I’m on vacation this week so I’ve been watching wayyyy more ESPN than usual. Yesterday, the worldwide leader spent the day vomiting up Brett Favre to the Vikings news and it was nauseating. I was pretty sure I was in for the same diet of regurgitation today. Oh how wrong I was… I was making lunch, when out of the corner of my ear I heard the word “Manny,” and of course sprinted from the kitchen to the living room to see what the news was (I’ve already admitted that TJ Simers is right and I’m a bitter no-lifer who spends my time thinking about new and unique ways to hate on Manny). I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the ’50 game suspension for performing enhancement drugs’ headline scroll. My mom is retired so we were hanging out together and I screamed to her to get her ass out to the living room so she could see for herself. It was quite a scene.

As the day wore on and it was covered by every talking head available for comment at ESPN, it became very clear that Manny was taking the “I didn’t know the harmless medication my doctor prescribed for me was banned. My bad. Sorrrry…” stance. To their credit, most of the analysts weren’t having it. Surprisingly though, Peter Gammons seemed to buy that crock of shit. Come on Pete, you didn’t just fall off the turnip truck son. By the end of the day, the banned substance was finally revealed. Drumroll please. Women’s fertility medication! SAY WHAT? Manny was trying to get pregnant? Wow, he really is eccentric. No no, apparently these meds are used at the end of a steroid cycle for some reason or another. Phew. That’s better, I guess.

I’m not going to bust on what Manny did. The reason being that someday, god I hope not, but someday — it may be revealed that a player that I love was using. I don’t want to be a hypocrite down the road when I defend them or at the very least, don’t come down on them. So, I’m going to shut my trap now and not condemn Manny for using. I’m just going to say that I feel bad for all those Manny loving Dodger fans who invested in the Dodger caps with sewn in dreads. I feel bad for JetBlue Airways and their $99 Manny Fans promotion. I even feel bad for T.J. Simers. He looks like a real asshole now.

Related news:

• Ramirez deserves a one-way ticket out of Mannywood
• Manny Ramirez suspension shocks, disappoints fans

I really love this column. I’m not being facetious, I really love it. In fact, I’m surprised someone out in la la land didn’t write it sooner. I’ve been waiting for someone in LA to articulate what I knew they’ve been thinking about the Manny situation:

When Manny Ramirez reported for Dodgers duty he tried to explain to us why he was so happy to be out of there.

He said he was “suffocating” in Boston, the city and everyone in it relentless in their over-the-top devotion to things that really don’t matter. I’d rather read a Dwyre tennis column than anything written by Boston’s ponderous and self-important sports columnists.

And just imagine living in a place where everyone talks funny and all they want to do is talk, talk, talk about what they think.

Around L.A. we didn’t much care what happened in Boston, but while Manny began to fit in here, the bitter no-lifers back there handled the divorce the way they do most everything else.

They obsessed. And they continue to obsess.

[From: Boston won't give up its obsession with Manny Ramirez, by T.J. Simers, Los Angeles Times]

He’s right. I am obsessed. I often wonder why I can’t let go of Manny. He was never my favorite player. Why should I act like we were married for ten years and he left me for a younger woman? The simple answer is, he was a huge douchebag. He didn’t care about the team, didn’t care about the fans and didn’t care about the city. He only cared about making the maximum amount of money he could get because he thought he was owed that. Like a spoiled celebrity, he eventually got to the point where he felt entitled to act any way he wanted. I don’t know about the Dodgers or their fans, but in Boston, we expect our players to play with passion and care about winning. I don’t know any professional athlete who thinks it’s ok to dog it.

Do Simers and his ilk really think it should be so easy for Boston fans to forgive and forget?

Never. Until my dying breath, I will hope and pray that Manny fails. I hope he never hits another home run, never collects another $45 million dollar paycheck, never gets another autograph request and is never given the opportunity to give another cutesy oddball quote to the press. Yeah, it’s like that. And do you know who you are Manny-loving Dodgers fans? You’re the 2nd wife that thinks it’s going to be different with her. You think he’s going to appreciate you and love you, but he’s really just biding his time with you until a better situation comes along. Right around the end of this season in fact.

That’s when I’ll say, I told you so.

Manny wants to be a Yankee and mark my words, someday, that’s exactly what he’ll be. Another good reason to hate him. Come to think of it.

They can say whatever they want, but Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras lost. “Gas is up and so am I.” No. You’re not. As Bill Plaschke pointed out in the Los Angeles Times:

He wanted as many as five years — he agreed to less than half of that.

He wanted as much as $100 million — he agreed to less than half of that.

The Dodgers wanted a slugger who will stay hungry — they got exactly that.

I think this ended up being a good deal for Manny and the Dodgers. However, he can dress up this up all he wants, but the bottom line is that he puffed himself up, weaseled his way out of Boston and all it got him was a change of scenery. Enjoy La La Land, Manny. I hope you can manage to feed your family with that paltry $45 million you finally had to accept. Is this what Boras had in mind when he said he was ready to “play chicken” with Dodgers brass? If so, he sucks at chicken.

Great opinion piece by Scott Soshnick on Bloomberg.com on Manny. Here’s a snippet:

This whole episode rekindles unpleasant memories of former basketball player Latrell Sprewell, who in 2004 turned down the Minnesota Timberwolves’ offer of $21 million over three years. Insulting, was the word used by Sprewell, who made matters worse by rationalizing his rejection by telling the world that he had a family to feed.

Repo Man

Sprewell and the Timberwolves eventually parted ways. In 2007, Sprewell’s 70-foot, $1.5 million yacht was repossessed.

Someone ought to remind Ramirez that a smart man learns from his own mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others.

[...]

To Ramirez’s credit, he, unlike Spree, hasn’t made any idiotic comments. But every contract rejection is a statement. A powerful one. It’s a slap in the face to every Dodger fan that fell in love with the fun-loving Ramirez during the team’s run to the playoffs last season.

Hey Dodgers fan, welcome to my world.

But apparently, Manny Ramirez has some things to say (to TJ Simers, Los Angeles Times):

“You’re not listening to me,” he says. “I’ve looked at the big picture from every different angle and life is too short to be mad. I’ve already made a ton of money and now it’s just about negotiating a deal. It’s what happens in sports.

“As long as I’m alive, I’m happy. I’m sitting here in my house by the water, drinking a Margarita, dark glasses on and I’m in a good place. I’m in pretty good shape, too, playing with my three kids all the time.”

Ha ha. You know, I think he means it… and that’s the rub.

In this horrible economy mind you — Manny Ramirez has rejected the Los Angeles Dodgers’ one-year, $25 million offer.

In what completely bizarro world is $25 million dollars not enough? What. a. friggin. tool. I spit on his grave.

Just when I think Manny has sunk as low as he can sink in my eyes, he goes and tops himself. Following the Dodgers getting bounced out of the playoffs, Manny answers inquiries about his future:

“I want to thank the fans for their great support. I think it was a great trade.”

“I’m not talking, guys. I said all I had to say yesterday. I’ll send you guys a Christmas card.”

“I just want to go home and spend some time with my family. I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I.”

Sweet baby jesus. Gas is up and so am I? Really Manny? Really?

Blah, whatever. I pity the fans of whatever team he ends up with. They have no idea how quickly Manny will become Manny and turn into a lazy sack of turnips.

I just listened to the Curt Schilling radio interview where he blasts SPEAKS THE TRUTH about former teammate, Manny Ramirez. It is truly spectacular. I read about it at WickedPissaDude.com, but hadn’t had a chance to check it out. I was reminded about it this morning, because I’m watching First Take on ESPN and it was a topic that Skip Bayliss and Rob Parker were batting around. Rob Parker always takes the anti-Boston side of any argument, so I wasn’t surprised that his take was that Schill should shut his piehole. Skip said he thought it was great that Curt was speaking out, since he’s nothing if not brutally honest. As a Red Sox fan, I love hearing the first person account of the carnival that was Manny. Everything we already knew about Manny in the clubhouse was confirmed. He was a shitty teammate who got away with murder because he was a great player. Skip compared him to Barry Bonds (minus the roids) and I don’t think that’s a bad comparison.

That being said, I miss Manny and that’s why I’ve had such a hard time letting go of him. I miss the entertainment he provided even if it drove me batshrimp crazy. It’s like having an annoying little brother who drives you completely nuts and then he goes off to summer camp and you suddenly miss having someone to yell at.

I’m scared that the most interesting thing about the Red Sox was Manny Ramirez because since he left, I find myself with absolutely nothing to write about. Jason Bay is great. He’s another consistent lunch pail guy with a fantastic work ethic. Christ, what am I supposed to do with that? Schilling used to provide some nice material once-upon-a-time, but he’s gone now too for all intents and purposes. *sigh* I suppose Manny being on another team doesn’t mean I can’t still talk about him, right? So, I decided to see what he’s been up to and Google Newsed him. I was not disappointed. The first article comes up is from the LA Times and is called, “Manny Ramirez’s mixed-fashion sense fits in L.A.” and the subheading is, “Dreadlocks. A suit. Shades. Expect the unexpected from the newly minted Dodger.” Cod damn it, that’s fracking fabulous! Seriously. Manny must be happy as a pig in shit right now. He’s the toast of the town. The center of the universe. King fracking tut… and apparently, a fashion trend setter. Here’s my favorite line from the article:

“From the length of his hair to the number he wears (99), he knows the impact every stylish detail can have.”

You just can’t make this shit up.