On July 19, the Boston Globe wrote an article titled “Doing the Right Thing for the Left?” To say that Manny Ramirez is making left field look tough because he’s playing too shallow, allowing too many doubles that haven’t hit the wall, blah blah blah. Don’t the Globe folks have better things to write about now that the Red Sox have given the Yankees some ground in the AL East Standings?
It’s so typical of the Globe, and everyone else in Boston, to start panicking when the team faces a little adversity. Let’s clear up a few things, the Sox are still 7 games up in the East, and Manny playing five feet ‘too shallow’ IS NOT THE REASON WE ARE LOSING GAMES! So everyone gets on Manny’s case every time he asks for a trade?!? This is an absolutely ridiculous complaint. Manny has been playing superficially since he arrived in Boston.
He has amassed 53 outfield assists since 2001, 7 of which have come this year. I’d bet Manny has taken more doubles this year than he was allowed to bounce over his head. Perhaps the Globe should focus on the fact that Julian Tavarez seems like he couldn’t even pitch in a beer league softball game at times, let alone the major leagues. Maybe they should focus on the fact that JD Drew is having the worst season of his career, after signing a $ 70 million contract?
Or if nothing else, why not write an article titled “Manny Ramirez: Diary of a Scapegoat” because every year, no matter what goes wrong, it’s time to put the blame on Manny. The Globe can write whatever it wants to write, but to be clear: none of this is Manny’s fault.