Manny Ramirez: Will Manny be Manny?

Boston Red Sox fans are hard pressed to remember a season that Manny Ramirez hasn’t had one of his notorious “episodes”. These episodes vary from him demanding a trade or refusing to play for games on end. It seems every year the Red Sox front office frantically searches for a team to trade him to, but their attempts always end up unsuccessful.

So the question is, will Manny be Manny again, and more appropriately, how long will it last for this time? Opinions differ on the steps Boston should be taking. Some feel that since Ramirez will be receiving $18 million in 2007 that he should just shut up and play. Others argue that as long as Manny puts up eye popping numbers, an average of 35 homeruns and 100 RBIs a year, let him be Manny.

Regardless of how you feel about Ramirez’s bipolar nature, you can’t ignore his consistency at the plate during the course of his career. He is only 30 homeruns short of 500, and barring an injury, he will pass that number this season. At 34, Ramirez’s age is beginning to show, as last year’s RBI, Run, and Homerun totals were all the lowest since he has come to Boston.

Even though he is slowly declining, Ramirez still holds a key spot in the batting order and will be batting third or fourth this year. The combination of him and David Ortiz batting back to back has proven dangerous for many of the opposing pitchers, as the duo united for 89 homeruns last season.

The simple truth of the matter is that Boston loves Manny. They can live with his “freak outs” as long as they get to see the opposing pitcher’s knees shake every time he steps to the plate. You can bet that when October comes around you will hear the chants of Manny! Manny! Manny! Coming from Fenway.