Stop. Seriously.

It's gotten a bit much in Fort Myers. Manny Ramirez showed up today, in great shape, took his physical and stepped in -- against Daisuke Matsuzaka. Plenty of storylines, not the least of which is that Manny showed up three days before the team said he had to, and one day before Major League Baseball said he had to. To recap, that means Manny Ramirez is ONE DAY EARLY TO CAMP.

So, of course, in a press conference with his agent, the Boston sports media tackle the important questions:

Manny is 34 now. Do you think it’s time for him to be more accountable instead of being babied like a 12-year-old?

[Genske:] “Well, I wouldn’t accept your characterization of his behavior to begin with, and again I’ll just say he’s reported to spring training here, he’s happy to be here he’s here before he’s required to be here, either by the team or the mandatory report date. He’s happy to be here and ready to go.”

Do you think since he’s your meal ticket, you should try to help him grow up?

[Genske:] “Again, I wouldn’t agree with your characterization, either of Manny’s behavior or of whatever else you’re talking about.”

Let me repeat: Manny Ramirez showed up early to camp! He ... showed up ... EARLY ... to camp. Earlier than the team expected him, and earlier than the league required him. That is all.

Also: OK. That's not all.

Later in the linked transcript, Genske and Manny's other agent, Gene Matos, talked about Ramirez's knee -- he had it worked on in November and December, underwent a rehab program and now feels 100 percent. I wonder if Edes, Shaughnessy or any of the other Knights of the Keyboard plan to write a rebuttal, explaining just how they knew so well that Manny was faking the injury -- beyond the usual "I've got super-duper secret sources that you don't have, so just take my word for it" crap they've been falling back on for so many months.

Like Lockland and Brad stated in the thread below, the actions of the press here have been atrocious. If this were any other section of the newspaper, someone would be requesting sources and questioning motives, and certain writers would be scrambling for their jobs. Sadly, because it's sports, they can continue to get away with whatever shabby excuses for journalism they come up with.

Comments

[tommy]

Any idea who asked those questions?

[VicSF]

Great post Paul... Particularly the stuff about the Boston press corps. I've been trying very hard this spring to avoid the childish, mailed-in stories by Shaughnessy, and instead read Rob Bradford's blog and columns. He knows how to write, and how to report the news.

[LocklandSF]

I want names and publications and I want them now. If anyone knows how we can get this info, please let me know, I'm going to get electronically medieval on their asses.

[ToddSF]

The Boston press asks ridiculous nonsense like this day in and day out, and then acts so shocked when Manny says he wants out. Its hard to blame him sometimes. What a small fishbowl.

[sam YF]

Yeah poor Manny. Id say that in order to put up with this kind of "abuse" i'd need to be paid at least $21 million a year.

[Jim Dean]

As MFYF I can't believe that transcript. i thought A-Rod got it bad when they asked him fifty times to renouce his opt out.

My god, after all this I'm a huge fan of Manny - they guy is one of the best hitters in baseball and put up huge numbers during last year's massacre. And yet the Boston media destroys him because he isn't their BFF?

Wow.

[SF]

Do you think since he’s your meal ticket, you should try to help him grow up?

Seriously, who asks this kind of question?! The spinless White House press corps does better, and they suck.

[10019]

I see nothing wrong with this line of questioning, what kind of questions did he think he was gonna get? Manny does act like a 12 year old and when the media actually calls him, his representation, and the FO out about it you guys just defend him? Drink some more Kool Aid while you're at it. Had this been the same exact situation with ARod people would be ripping him to shreds right now.

[Brad]

Had this been the same exact situation with ARod people would be ripping him to shreds right now.

.
actually, most people on this site have been nothing but critical of the NY media re: the A-Rod situation. Many of us have expressed our dislike for the agenda when it comes to him, so I'm not sure which fan's you're talking about.

[sam YF]

Amen 10019.
Like it or not, nobody can say Manny isnt treated entirely different than everyone else on his team. He didnt show up a day early as the post says he showed up 5 days late compared with the rest of his teammates. I understand that Manny is a great hitter and all but that doesnt give him a free pass to avoid media scrutiny. I cant imagine that SF's on this board would be so opposed to a simlar line of questioning if someone like Renteria or Beckett who have not performed like Manny over the years acted like him. To me it seems like Manny can do no wrong in the eyes of the Sox nation...

[10019]

Brad,
ARod is ripped to shreds for working hard and not living up to his potential, Manny on the other hand is being ripped for acting like a 12 year old. Different story all together. Its not like Manny gives it 100% every day like ARod who at least tries his best. These are completely different situations. If ARod showed up to camp several days after everyone else and wanted special treatment, he would get and deserve the same treatment in the NY media that Manny is receiving now.

[10019]

Oh yeah and please stop with this one day early to camp sh*t. He may be one day early according to MLB regs but according to the team and the other players he is late.

[SF]

Questioning why Manny might think it's ok to show up late to camp is a question for Manny, not his agent. The least you can say about the A-Rod thing is that at least they threw the questions to A-Rod himself. And asking his agent "do you think you should help him grow up" is exactly the same as asking the question "when was the last time you beat your wife". Whether you are an SF or a YF, and assuming you have some reasonable standards, questions like these should be universally scorned by fans.

Coming from a professional sportswriter/journalist makes it even more pathetic. We bloggers do better; witness the questions we posed to Curt Schilling last year.

[10019]

Since Manny does not make himself available to the media for questions and his agent puts himself out there as his representative to answer questions I see no problem with this.

[Brad]

get and deserve the same treatment in the NY media that Manny is receiving now.
___________________________________

Listen, I'm not pretending to say that A-Rod wouldn't be getting the same exact treatment, however I am saying the Re: of whom the target is, it's nothing short of shodddy, spineless reporting that should be held accountable. Someone this stupid should be called out by his or her peers for making people who breathe oxygen look stupid.
Who cares if A-Rod would recieve the same treatment (which, I make no excuses that I'm an A-Rod supporter to get the respect he deserves), that's not my argument.
The attacks have got to stop, regardless of the person on the short end of it.
It's just stupid.

[Brad]

I see no problem with this.

cool. You see no problem with Manny or his agent being attacked for showing up to spring training on time. I didn't see that coming. At least we know you're able to distinguish between your dislike irresponsible beat writers and bad writing, and your hatred for Manny. At least I know you're presenting a reasonable argument in support of this.

[LocklandSF]

"Its not like Manny gives it 100% every day like ARod who at least tries his best."

You know that how? Every person that has ever played with Manny says he's on of the hardest workers on the team, gets to the park earlier, puts in the most hours, etc.

You're just so wrong, it's not even funny.

Media scrutiny is one thing, the questions today were just offensive and unprofessional. Nobody here is saying the media should lay off Manny, but he DID show up early, both by the what the team allowed and by what the CBA allows, so Sam, you're also totally wrong.

This is the REAL WORLD guys, and players like Manny get the benefit of doubt because of their amazing production year in and year out, that's just the way it is.

[sam YF]

SF,
Why did his agents show up at camp with him then? No other players do this. Clearly, they were there to put a positive spin on Manny's antics over the past 6 months. If they put themselves in a position to answer questions about Manny, anything is fair game. Sure the questions may have been a bit harsh but thats the way it goes. Manny is one of the highest paid players in the game and as such opens the door to extra levels of critique and attention. He can complain about the Boston media all he wants but the attention he gets as a Red Sox has made him into a bigger superstar than he would be anywhere else (except NY of course).

[Brad]

good analogy, SF. The stupidity level is basically the same there.

[10019]

For the last time get your head out of your ass, HE IS NOT ON TIME!!! All of his teammates have been there praticing together for days!!! He showed up to spring training late... again.

[10019]

"You know that how? Every person that has ever played with Manny says he's on of the hardest workers on the team, gets to the park earlier, puts in the most hours, etc.

You're just so wrong, it's not even funny."

Correct me if I'm wrong here but doesn't Manny have a rep for not running out balls hard and turning doubles into singles??? To me that is not giving 100%. And showing up days late to camp after you teammates are already practicing together is not giving 100% either. Either is quitting down the stretch in August and September last year.

[SF]

sam: when was the last time you had an intelligent thought about baseball?

Now do you see how questions like this work?

(point of fact: this is a rhetorical device to explain how leading and unfair the question is to Genske, not a comment on your lack of baseball understanding)

[sam YF]

Lockland,
Sure thats what the CBA says but that doesnt change the fact that he was the only one waltzing in 5 days after everyone else on the team. Whatever you want to call it early or late, its still a 24+1 mentality when it comes to his team.
Thanks for letting me know what the REAL WORLD is. I presume Barry Bonds does not live in this world because he certainly hasnt received the benefit of any doubts despite his production. Other parts of said world include people not being nice to you all the time.

[Brad]

now we're putting Manny in the same category as Barry Bonds?
Ha.
Before it was stupid, now it's just funny and misguided. Sam, do you think Manny puts up those kind of numbers without working hard every day of the week? You think he does it by accident? Also, do you know his mother, and whatever situation he had to take care of?
Your accusations are as unfounded, biased, and outright off mark as those of those the reporters asked today.
If you don't like him, just say so, but try to stick with the facts of the situation.

[tommy]

"To me it seems like Manny can do no wrong in the eyes of the Sox nation..."

True that. As long as he continues to average .300-plus with 40 hrs and 120 RBIs, I don't care if he skips spring training all together.

[LocklandSF]

Sam, sorry if this offends you, but if you don't know the difference between Bonds and Manny, than it's silly to even debate with somebody as misinformed as you.

[Brad]

For the last time get your head out of your ass, HE IS NOT ON TIME!!
______________

yep. let's sink to this type of stuff, then maybe your point will come off as substantial and factual, and I'll change my mind on the situation.

Your hatred for all things Manny (and I don't blame you - I've seen the numbers), have blinded you to the fact that this thread started as bash against the reporters asking stupid questions to Manny's agent, not a rant against the man himself. No body here suggested that Manny doesn't deserve some of the critic's best shots, but in this case, they didn't even have the professionalism to hold off until they could actually field the questions to the man himself.

[SF]

Sportswriter: "Mr. Boras - Why is your client such an insufferable, unclutch narcissist?"

I for one would have a major problem with that kind of question being asked of anyone's agent or of a player himself. Fans that think this line of questioning is justified, useful, dignified, or insightful, are beyond out of it.

[10019]

Granted I don't like Manny, but we all know that mother situation or not, there was no way Manny was showing up to camp on time. Whether is be a mysterious undiagnosable injury or a vague remark about the health of a family memeber, we know that Manny will use any excuse possible to get whatever special treatment he feels he wants or deserves. So yeah, maybe the line of questioning used by the unnamed reporter might have been a little harsh for your experience journalistic pallete, but maybe the reporters are just sick of the hero worship lauded upon a guy who obviously doesn't give a crap about his team or its fans.

[Devine]

Hahahaha, this is stupid!

So you KNOW he quit without reason, eh, 10019? Maybe you can tell us more than, say, Shaughnessy.

Manny has the rep of not running out ground balls...a rep that say half the league should have. Somehow, Manny gets hit for this harder than anyone, I'm guessing because he's paid a lot, is a very good player, and doesn't talk to the media.

Any team would kill to have him show up 5 days late to their camp. 35+, 130+ is what counts, and that's pretty much what Lowell said a few days ago ("we're better with him than without him" or something similar). I bet his teammates resent it some, but what're you gonna do, cry?

Now I'll go back to not caring about this like any sensible person would. Bait away, trolls.

[10019]

"Sportswriter: "Mr. Boras - Why is your client such an insufferable, unclutch narcissist?""

If you cannot see the difference between the Manny situation and your above hypothetical than your really not as bright as I thought you were.

[LocklandSF]

Wait, wait, wait, wait 10019!

So you're suggesting that if a player shows up after a large group of players voluntarily show up early, that player should be considered showing up late?

So, your boss tells you to be in by 9:00 and you show up at 8:45, but for some reason other workers showed up at 8:00, are you late?

Nice logic.

[sam YF]

Brad
I wasnt trying to compare him to Bonds just using him to show that the statement "players like Manny get the benefit of doubt because of their amazing production year in and year out" is just not true.
I also never said anything about Manny's work ethic.
As far as his mom goes i know nothing about her. But it does seem that he has a new excuse each year. (Im wondering what the skip the allstar game excuse will be this year.)
Believe it or not I actually respect Manny as a player quite alot, I just find it interesting the way people try to justify how he acts. I think more people should simply be honest like Tommy's post above and not care what the media says or does...

[10019]

I really can't believe we are debating the fact that he was late to camp. This conversation makes me glad I moved back to the city after spending the past 3 years in Boston. I might as well be arguing with Sully from Southie right now.

[LocklandSF]

Why oh why do I feed the trolls?

Ok, 10019, run along now and let the adults talk, it's been fun.

[Brad]

but we all know that mother situation or not, there was no way Manny was showing up to camp on time.
---------------------

HE IS ON TIME!!!!!
Why is this too hard to understand? Granted he didn't show up early like the other guys, which I don't agree with, but he is, in fact, ON TIME!
Also, my experienced journalistic pallette isn't all it's cracked up to be, but I know that it's absolutely no different than a reporter asking A-Rod why he's such an emotional mess re: his love fest with Captain Intangible. It's stupid! Ask something relative, and if you're that tired of Manny, stay the hell away from the scene altogether.

[10019]

You can call me a troll all you like, but just because we have different points of view that does not make me a troll. I thought this place was supposed to be an open discussion? I guess thats only the case when you agree with the SF's here.

[LocklandSF]

Fine, 10019, I will give you another chance, so here it is, answer my question:

Your boss tells you to be in by 9:00 and you show up at 8:45, but for some reason other workers showed up at 8:00, are you late?

[10019]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/01/25/reporting.dates/index.html

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9947407

http://www.springtrainingonline.com/features/reporting_dates.htm

[Brad]

I might as well be arguing with Sully from Southie right now.

yeah. argument over. Head over to LoHud, this way you can be on the same page as everyone. You can bash Manny 'till your blue in the face and everyone will agree with you.
PS - Sully from Southie, I'm sure of this, would be much, much less patient with you.

"Your boss tells you to be in by 9:00 and you show up at 8:45, but for some reason other workers showed up at 8:00, are you late?"

If you the other workers all got together and said, yeah we're gonna show up at 8:00 and you're the only one who shows up at 8:45 then yes, you are late in mine and also in your coworkers eyes as well.

[10019]

Sorry the above comment was me as well, not sure why it signed me out.

[LocklandSF]

"If you the other workers all got together and said, yeah we're gonna show up at 8:00 and you're the only one who shows up at 8:45 then yes, you are late in mine and also in your coworkers eyes as well."

That's silly, you don't know that any such conversation took place.

[SF]

Yesterday I got a parking ticket. The sign said that I had to move my car by 8am for street cleaning. I actually saw the officer writing my ticket as I was approaching the car (this was at 747am and I wanted to move the car by the 8am deadline) so I jogged over quickly, asking him why I was getting a ticket even though I didn't have to move it until 8am. The officer said "well, your car was the only one left on the street -- everyone else had their car moved by 730".

SAT question: Was the officer justified in giving me a ticket?

[Brad]

You can call me a troll all you like, but just because we have different points of view that does not make me a troll.
________________________

no. you may not be a troll, but you are trolling, nonetheless. You saw a chance to rip on Manny for doing nothing wrong, and took it. Based on nothing more than your own Pinstriped blinders (bias), you created a situation which compared Manny to A-Rod and called this journalistic (loosely used) attack on Manny's agent okay and just. Then you went on to say that you feel like your arguing from Sully from Southie, which is no different than me saying I feel like I'm arguing with Angel or Jesus from the Bronx, and that's just your anger getting the better of your intelligence, you know, like a troll.

[sam YF]

How about this situation.
Your boss tells you that contractually you must be in by 9 but they expect you and everone else to come in at 8 because you are leader in your industry and the competition is fierce. You show up at 855 after everyone else has been working hard for the last hour. Are you late?

[LocklandSF]

None of this is the point anyway, yes, Manny does things that annoy me from time to time, that's not what this is about, this is about the fact that the media was WAY out of line this morning and there is no excuse for it.

[SF]

Nope. You may be doing something that people don't like, but you aren't late.

[10019]

Your arguing semantics at this point. No conversation was had, the boss (red Sox FO) said show up at 8:00, everyone else did but Manny. His spokesman (Julian Tavares) told them he was showing up late, and they said OK after the fact. Granted after the boss said Manny could show up at 9:00, it turned out that the line at the Dunkin Donuts drive in was shorter than expected so he got in at 8:45. You want to pat him on the back now?

[Brad]

SAT question: Was the officer justified in giving me a ticket?

what? really? did this really happen to you?

[Brad]

You want to pat him on the back now?

No. We can do that after he, once again, puts up those All-Star numbers and jacks balls out of Yankee Stadium like it's his own personal hobby to do so.

[LocklandSF]

If it's, say, a sales office and Manny sells 60% more than everyone else in the company, then I pat him on the back and buy him drinks after work, because, again, this is the real world and the only thing that matters at the end of the day is results.

[Brad]

http://www.soxandpinstripes.com/

Okay. Is this something that I missed as a spin-off to what's going on here? Does this belong to SF and YF?
If not, it's a novel idea and I'm glad that someone FINALLY put together a website that allows both sides to argue intelligently. It really is the future of blogs, me thinks.

[10019]

"If it's, say, a sales office and Manny sells 60% more than everyone else in the company, then I pat him on the back and buy him drinks after work, because, again, this is the real world and the only thing that matters at the end of the day is results."

Well then your management style sucks. My thinking is if he showed up on time like everyone else then he could have sold 80% more than the rest of his office instead of just 60% more. Just because someone has a high potential doesn't mean you should expect anything less than 100% from them.

[Devine]

Heh, I'm in direct disagreement there. These days, I'm that guy (say 75% more productive than the second-best worker) at work, and if I take a 90-minute lunch, they can fire me, and they'd be dumb to do it.

[10019]

Well you're not under an enforcable contract are you Devine. Manny can either play for the Sox or not play (and not get paid) at all. He has no choice in the matter. I'm the same as you, a 75% kind of guy, then again I don't make $21mm a year. If I made $21mm a year you can damn sure bet I would be working at 100%.

[10019]

No one laughed at my Dunkin Donuts remark before? That kind of hurts.

[SF]

10019:

Do you fashion yourself a Dwight Schrute type, or a Michael Scott type?

[LocklandSF]

WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!!

So now you're saying that if Manny showed up last week his numbers for the year would be 20% better?

Ok, you're off the deep end of stupidity now.

[Devine]

Well, actually I'm more like 175% right now. It's not a constant thing, I have my good weeks/months, bad weeks/months, but I've been hammering this job really good the past few weeks and can be relied to have patches like this several times a year. I'm really pretty okay with outstanding individuals getting exceptions or benefits at work. I don't agree with everything Manny does (not by a long stretch, even though as you may have realized he's my favorite player), but the mantra "Results over everything" (as long as it's not truly immoral) is fine with me.

I guess if you wanted to, you could argue that Manny showing up 5 days late = happier Manny = more productive Manny, but that's probably nonsense and we'll just go in circles. I'll just say, I can see why you would think what Manny is doing is wrong or a distraction. I don't agree, but I can understand your point of view.

[ToddSF]

This is only an issue for people like 10019 to pile on someone they don't like in the first place... so who cares? I could frankly care less when Manny shows up now as long as he shows up to play. Let's see how those "5 days missed" really affect his game this year. Fact is, Manny can get away with this because he actually comes through... And ironically enough, none of his teammates seem to have an issue here.

[Sully]

10019,

The analogy is flawed. For simplicity's sake, let's not use one. Say you're the Red Sox FO. Crazy Man Tavarez tells you Manny is going to show up late because his mom is having surgery. Are you going to be the guy who decides to say: "Well, he's been late every year, so I think he just doesn't want to be here." Maybe; you might even be justified. But are you then going to be the guy who says: "Sorry, Manny, we'll need video confirmation of you at the hospital, or you're going to be considered late."

Yeah, Manny should have told the FO himself, or at least through his agent that he wouldn't be there with the rest of the team. But any player, or any PERSON who says they need to take care of a parent who just had surgery is going to get the benefit of the doubt. Because if you're not willing to extend that, I really hope you're not managing anyone.

Finally, when Manny shows up before he said he would, it DOES indicate that he has an interest in being with his teammates and preparing for the season. If all Manny wanted was good press for showing up early he would have shown up one day ahead of his own projection, not three.

Thank you for your time,
Sully

[Brad]

Dwight might be the funniest character on TV (outside Stewie, of course). Michael surely makes the show, but I think there's a little Dwight in all of our offices that we can relate to.! ha.

[Brad]

And ironically enough, none of his teammates seem to have an issue here.
_________

Don't know that i agree there. I think they are all tired of the distraction the media creates over this. I'm not sure it's held against the man himself, but rather what happens when he decides to not come EARLY.

[SF]

Getting back to the subject of Paul's post, if I were one of the media, I would have walked out of this press conference after three minutes. When a player sends his agent as proxy, there's little that one should expect in terms of quality material. If the player is showing disdain for the media (which Manny may have been doing by sending Genske), then the media would be best served by walking away, simply printing the factual statement "Ramirez sent his agent Genske to answer questions, in lieu of appearing himself". That would be enought to present Ramirez as something less than a stand-up guy (if that's what you wanted to do), and also completely factual, without getting nasty. As it was, some of them just made themselves look worse (and by extension, made Manny look better, ironically) by asking the questions they did.

[10019]

LocklandSF, stop being an idiot, obviously his number wouldnt go up by 20% but the salesmans might. And your the one who brought up the salesman example. Not me.

And I neither the Dwight Shrute or Michael Scott type. I see myself more as the Bill Kaplan type.

[tommy]

"you are leader in your industry and the competition is fierce"

Sam, did you just pick the Sox over the Yanks? Sweet.

I think everyone ought to take a page out of Manny's book and be cool.

[ToddSF]

>I think they are all tired of the distraction the media creates over this.

Perhaps you're right, Brad. Its *got* to be tiring answering the Shaughnessys of the world repeatedly about someone else's quirks. At least it behind them now.

[LocklandSF]

Stewie is the funniest character, ever, in anything, in my opinion.

[tommy]

Abreu's hurt...

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2007/news/story?id=2780365

Sadly, he could've avoided it by showing up late...

[SF]

Am I missing something? Who is Bill Kaplan? Help my pop-culture illiterate ass out here. Same with the "Stewie" thing.

[10019]

LOL, Bill Kaplan is my grandafther. Let's just say he was/is a very good, very motivating manager.

[Brad]

Stewie is the funniest character, ever, in anything, in my opinion

Oh, Lockland - you and I are absolutely in line here. I've never seen anything as funny as Stewie, and to be honest, I laugh my ass of just looking at him. There's some pretty good clips of him here, if you're interested, but I'm sure you've probably seen them:

http://www.mypartypost.com/featured/familyguy.php

[Brad]

SF -
You can't be serious, there. Click on the video and watch the olympic one. It's gold man. Really, it's the funniest thing on television right now.

[Paul SF]

"Stewie" is the maniacal talking baby on "The Family Guy."

[LocklandSF]

Oh, didn't see it mentioned here, but Damon left Yankee camp to deal with personal issues, that he how says have made him a "stronger person."

Anyone want to throw a guess out there....anyone?

[Brad]

miss Damon want's half. That's my guess. Naah, that isn't it.

[SF]

Not a "Family Guy" guy, tv-wise. I am a family guy in general, though, to be clear.

[sf rod]

from yankee camp......damons back after two days. pavano got hit on a comebacker and had to be removed from workout sessions.

[Jim Dean]

MFY fan here again and I have to say that this is the most intelligent comment in the whole thread:

"As long as he continues to average .300-plus with 40 hrs and 120 RBIs, I don't care if he skips spring training all together."

Now me, I'm glad we don't have the Manny distraction in Yankee camp - instead it's Glass Carl and why Jeter and A-Rod aren't BFF.

And I think it's f'in hilarious that Manny drives the Boston writers insane. Not only do they go nuts about a car show as proof that his excuse was't legit (but he never attands, but then they hammer him for being different and showing up on the last possible day. Well, then Manny shows up days earlier, refuses to talk to them after two interviews in two years, and send in his agents to basically say nothing. Manny's just fucking with the writers and it's is really funny, especially since they try so hard to destro the guy and everyone still loves him (b/c of of that steady .300 40 100 line). The questions today are Exhibit A of how crazy he has made them.

God bless Manny.

I hope he gives his one interview to Gammons (in a Sunday night job) so all the Boston papers have to run it as a wire report after everyone has already seen in on television.

[Brad]

http://www.mypartypost.com/watchvideo/514/FAMILY_GUY-_Stewies_Package

funny too.

[agastald-SF]

Sox and Pinstripes isnt affiliated with SF vs YF. Its a blog spun out of two of the MLBlogs community.. specifically two people wo tended to comment and debate on Ian Brownes blog alot (though they both have their own seperate blogs)

[Paul SF]

Back to the debate:

My problem is the nature of the questioning, as SF has said several times. That type of questioning is significantly out of line, particularly considering that Manny is not late -- actually showed up earlier than expected and earlier than required.

Take away the question of whether or not Manny is late. Let's say he's late, and if so, the press certainly should ask the hard questions about that. Now, if I'm a reporter and I want a good quote on a potentially touchy subject with a source, I don't dive right in with antagonistic "gotcha" questioning. That's bush-league Enquirer crap, great for shallow CNN/FOX News soundbytes. Not for getting substantive information about a situation. No journalist worth their salt does it, which I suppose says a lot about the quality of the journalists involved here. Asking why Manny arrived early? Great. Asking the nature of his tardiness from the team-set date? Great. Asking when someone will tell him to "grow up?" Absolutely, positively unprofessional. There should not be a debate about this. It's akin to a NY media member asking Derek Jeter's agent: "When will you sit down and tell Jeter to lead his team and stop being petty about A-Rod?"

As to the timeline and the debate behind such unconscionable questioning, the team told Manny he could arrive March 1. MLB tells players they can't arrive later than Feb. 27. Ramirez showed up Feb. 26. That does not strike me as the behavior of someone who needs to "grow up." Neither does the constant working out, the defensive drills, the batting practice, the showing up early to games, etc.

If you don't like the fact that Manny kills the Yankees, fine. If you don't like the fact that he receives preferential treatment -- and no one's saying he doesn't -- that's fine, too. But it is completely inaccurate to describe him as immature and irresponsible.

[sam YF]

I agree that the one reporter who asked those two questions about being a 12 year old were totally out of line. I did feel that the rest of the questions in the interview were basically fine and asked in a respectful way. They were all fair game, although I personally feel that the player should be answering these questions himself. Im not sure who asked those two questions but he sure sounds weird in the audio recording.
I do think its funny that these two questions asked by a fool have inspired this long thread. Boy are we all bored. Start playing soon!

[LocklandSF]

"Dale and Holley on WEEI identified the offender as radio reporter John Miller."

I weep for this man's inbox.

[Brad]

I weep for this man's inbox.

ha.

Where's he from?

[LocklandSF]

WBZ I think, I'm working on some more info now.

[sf rod]

it think it's john miller jr.

senior does a spot on harry caray inpersonation.

[Paul SF]

Is he the guy with the gravelly voice? He's always the first to ask questions in nearly all the Globe audio and NESN video clips I've heard and seen.

Edes in a more recent blog entry said he thought some of the questions were not "fair-minded." Radio, newspaper or TV, the questions were simply unprofessional and antagonistic. Absolutely pathetic.

I should note not all Sox media act like this. The majority of the questions were fine. Bradford for one is an excellent reporter. I'd be surprised if Edes -- despite his on-the-record distaste for Manny -- asked anything like that (though that doesn't leave him off the hook for his hit piece on Manny that now seems substantially false). Still, the overall tone of the reports out of Fort Myers about Manny have been leading up to just such a hideous line of questioning, and that's unfortunate for the Boston sports media's reputation.

[lp]

While I like Manny when he’s not being a d+ck on the field, I have to classify him as late by the cultural standards of professional sports. To go back the 9-5 office hypothetical, I would classify the guy who comes in at 9 when everyone else is there at 8 as being late along the same lines. He’s not HR Action-late but he is late by the standards of ‘is he serious about his job’. A guy like that should not expect to get fired but should expect to have his commitment to the company questioned when his review comes up – no matter how well he performs when he’s in the office.

Also, what was up with the car show he was scheduled to attend in NJ while his mates were working out in FL?

While the tone of the questioning was offensive, it comes with the territory. Reporters ask leading and inflammatory questions to provoke the interviewee. Nothing new there whatsoever. And, as someone who defends A-Rod all the time on this site, I certainly don’t see this level of attention paid to the questions asked of him. But I see a lot of Sox fans ridiculing his responses.

As long as we’re comparing to the two, I couldn’t fathom the uproar if A-Rod scheduled a car show against spring training, no matter what the deadline to report is.

[Josh SF (D1)]

The latest Edes mailbag also had something to say about the car show, namely that Manny never actually planned on going.

"What to think of the auto show commitment? People close to Manny tell me he probably did say he would be there, because he doesn't say no to anyone. His agents insist he never intended to be there."

If that's true, if Manny's really unable to say no, that just adds another bizarre dimension to the guy's personality. Hard to imagine him always trying to please everyone around him, but maybe the rule just doesn't apply to the press. It would also explain why, even though he seems extremely unhappy in Boston and keeps asking to be traded, he's never become a true cancer ala Jay Peyton when he wanted out.

[LocklandSF]

If I was Manny, I would treat the media the same way and it's not a reflection at all on his attitude to the team or the fans. He's just a weird guy some times, big deal, I also don't think any of his trade requests had anything really to do with how he felt about the fans or the team, maybe some of the fans. But Manny is fan friendly, always has been, and by all accounts his teammates love him too, even if they get frustrated by his odd personality from time to time. Frankly, I think the impression a lot of people outside of Boston have of Manny is wrong and fueled only by the media that hates him as much as he hates them.

[Paul SF]

D1, it would definitely explain why he just ignores members of the media. He doesn't no-comment them or curse at them or any of that -- maybe because he feels uncomfortable doing so. He just acts like they don't exist, which seems to fit right in with the passive personality being described.

[Jim Dean]

I love how he asked the guy today to "Please move.." because he needed his space or something to that effect.

Manny to me has just gotten comical. And in two years time I'd love to see him DH'ing for the Yanks. :)

[dc]

...manny was not late to camp officially...i thought we agreed the other day that he had until 3/1 or something like that...
...maybe the writers asked the stupid questions because they were p-o’d that manny was using a puppet to answer for him sf…and you guys bash jeter for using a pr firm...
...for those who think manny is entitled to his own special set of exceptions as long as he continues to produce at a high level, you ignore the fact that this is a team sport, and there are team rules that every player is expected to follow [it's called discipline], and while the sox have been careful to control this so far, resentment for the special cases can simmer under the surface...
...if the players had agreed to start workouts a few days earlier to get a jump start, and he was aware of that, then you could argue that he was late unofficially…however, i think we also agreed that in the absence of any facts to the contrary, he had a legit reason [his mom]...i believe the speculation has been fueled by the sox mgmt’s initial lack of knowledge of manny’s status, and the "wait and see" mood of the players [see captain v]...
...sf, doesn't seem like you should get a ticket under those circumstances...
...like it or not, manny has a rep for being a bit clownish, lackadaisical, and distracted [at times], but i don’t think i’ve seen a better hitter in the last 10 years or so...
...10019 is not a troll….give the guy a break…he doesn’t love manny like we do...

[SF]

dc: read my post from 3:03 re: Manny's treatment of the press.

[Rob SF]

Ah yes....the smell of clean cut grass and baseball. Spring Training is in the air and everyone is watching the Indonesian Parliment training videos.

Look Manny is like a hippy trapped in this decade and everything with the guy is never serious. Does he get a free ride from the team, yeah. But this is something they have allowed and there is no way to fix the problem now without there being a major egg in the face for all parties involved. This is the risk you take in signing him and having him on your team.

Yes its just manny being manny

[Rob SF]

Interesting story on MSNBC (Ventre) who lists six players who should retire.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17266696/

[Jim in CT SF]

10019 is a troll because he just argues the same point over and over and over etc etc etc. Hey 10019 are you also Mr Twin on Gleeman's blog? Borrrrrrring.

Well, he doesn't play a good LF & doesn't care, loafs, does what he wants when he wants, doesn't talk to the writers, who can't resist writing hatchet jobs nonstop anyway and turning dead space into issues, and just enough fans follow them to make his public life hell at times, and he wants to leave town as fast as he can, so THAT's an issue too, and he gets paid way more than anyone should, and gosh darn it, he's a terrible role model for our children, but he can do whatever he wants because he's God's gift to batting so everybody makes exceptions, and when he's really a pain he flips off the fans. On camera.

I'm talking, of course, about Teddy Ballgame.

(Manny has never flipped off specific fans at Fenway that I'm aware of, nor tried to wing them with a foul ball).

This is 98% the Williams bit ALL over again. Read some old Austen Lake or Dave Egan TW columns and you'll swear Shaughnessy's just doing an Edit-ReplaceAll job. Pesky must be just lovin' it.

There, I've smeared a poster (2?), the greatest hitter that ever lived, another first-ballot HOF-er & 3 sportswriters. I feel better. Time to call it an evening.