Boo-Hoo

Manny Ramirez will not play in the All-Star Game this year, no surprise to Red Sox fans who have heard Terry Francona talk for nearly a week about the likelihood that the slugger's sore knee would keep him from seeing action in the game.

Buster Olney apparently thinks this is horrible.

Manny Ramirez shouldn't be on the ballot in 2007, or 2008, or any year going forward, until he informs Major League Baseball that he wants to participate in the All-Star Game. If and when he wants back in, his name can be restored to the ballot.

Give me a break. This isn't a third-grade field trip.Name me one Red Sox fan who would rather see Manny play in the All-Star Game than rest a knee that has clearly cost him time during the games that actually count.

If Olney finds the questions surrounding Ramirez's knee dubious, he need only do a little research -- foreign to most ESPN pundits and commentators -- that for the past month, the slugger has sat out and been sat early because of the problem. I'll gladly give Ramirez the three days off to rest his knee so we can have those games in September than risk him aggravating it (a la Pedro's shoulder, 1999) in a meaningless exhibition.

There are problems with the All-Star setup *coughRedmancough*. Letting hurting-but-unDLed players rest during the break is far from being one of them.

Comments

[Nick-YF]

I don't know, Paul, I think it's pretty obvious where Olney's coming from here. Manny has a history of trying to get out things like spring training and the All-Star game. I think it's a legitimate point. I'm sure there are plenty of players who'd rather not play in the game because of nicks and scratches. They do it anyway. I'm guessing it's because they feel it's a way to acknowledge the fans.

[Paul SF]

I know there's the extenuating circumstances -- missing games in the past, being the leading vote-getter, etc. I just think Olney's overreacting, coinsidering there's little evidence in this case (unlike in years past when there were trade rumors, trade demands, questionable hamstring complaints, etc.) that Manny's faking it. It seems Olney picked the wrong issue to get up on the high horse about, considering the many documented wrongs in the All-Star process this year, and chose the wrong way to go about it.

[BenRS]

This is just plain weird. Onley is one of my favorite "traditionalist (ie. rejecting (to some extent) more in-depth mathematical analysis))" columnists, but on this one he was dead off.

During a time with lots to write about like the AS game, it seems that most writers try to find something to write about, if merely just for the purpose of making some noise.

I read this article, and it seems to me almost like this was one of those articles, somewhat misguided to boot.

I don't understand why he would write about something like this; in the past I've seen him rant about small issues like most writers, but I've never seen him write about something so trivial and understandable. It's almost like it was a joke or something.

If only truly did research on this and still thinks that Manny is faking, he's very delirious. If he realizes that Manny was faking but still feels strongly over this issue and is actually mad that Manny had the balls to sit out of an exhibition game so that it won't cost the Sox a game or two down the stretch, he's being stupid and immature. The only way that I see Onley coming out of that article looking like a winner is if he was somehow joking.

I don't know what he was thinking, but his writing came off as awfully childish, almost like a 10 year old kid whose favorite player was Manny and was mad at him for not playing.

I just don't understand what is so wrong about nursing a sore knee.