Manny being Manny

This is what went wrong with professional sports. Sports markets now generate billions of dollars in revenue. The athletes that get paid millions to play a game have destroyed the fiber of competition and good will. It gets harder every year to watch. These days, you can't watch a sporting event without a player showboating or crying foul to the level that ruins the event. Shawn Marion? Used to be one of my favorite players. Now he needs to go. He publicly called out the Sun's Management and demanded a trade because he is tired of not being respected. Are you kidding me? Let's talk about his current contract. When he signed it (and he DID sign it), it was for the maximum number of years and at the maximum salary allowed by the league. There is your respect. Lets talk about trade rumors. Every year, Marion is the subject of trade rumors. But year after year, the Suns hold on to him. Teams line up to make offers. But is he traded? Nope. He is considered a premier player in this league. Teams offer their future for him. Do the Suns ever trade him? Nope. They realize that their isn't a trade good enough. There is your respect. The time has come. Trade him and his respect. There comes a time where it just isn't worth it. And that time was yesterday

Let's talk about Manny Ramirez. He get payed millions. He works 4 hours a day max and only seven months out of the year. Every year he demands to be traded to a team who will pay him what he is worth. Its just Manny being Manny. Are you kidding me? Yes, he is a valuable asset to the Red Sox. Yes, he is one of the best hitters in baseball right now. But the game he plays is a chore to him. Sad. He likes to celebrate when he hits a long ball by standing in the batters box, tossing his bat down and raising his hands straight up like he just won game seven of the World Series with a walk off home run (sadly, he might get that chance). So much for humility and sportsmanship. In a playoff game last week in a series that his team was losing, in a game they were losing, Manny came up to bat. David Ortiz was on first base. Now, if you ever have seen Ortiz, you understand that he is not exactly lightning in a bottle. A big guy, known for his power, not for his speed or ability to run the bases. Manny gets a hold of a pitch and hits it high and deep. With his team losing the game at the time and the series overall, you would think he would be doing everything he can to help his TEAM. Nope. He stands in the batters box, drops his bat, raises his arms in triumph, and watches the ball sail over, no not over the wall, into the wall. Meanwhile, Ortiz is running on contact, bad legs and all, slow as can be, manages to score all the way from first base. Manny? He records the longest single in baseball history. He doesn't even get to second. As a result, he never scores. This happens when his team is losing. Sadly, the Red Sox manage to win the game anyway. Manny being Manny, the announcers remark. Manny being Manny is the stupidest three words I have ever heard. Just another excuse. That is why every year it gets harder and harder to watch.