I have spent the better part of the last two days dissecting Manny Ramirez, his knee injury and the $20 million option, so I'm going to let my favorite Manny quote of all time speak for how I feel about "Manny Being Manny." I think our favorite crooning pitcher hit the nail right on the head. I imagine that this knee injury is Ramirez's way of pouting about the Sox front office's unwillingness to talk about a contract extension -- instead of the options for 2009 and 2010 -- but how does anybody really know what's going on in Manny's coconut?
"I always say Manny [Ramirez] is a strange guy. Outwardly, he's happy-go-lucky. On the inside, he's got a lot of conspiracy theories going on. I would say Manny might be one of these guys when he's 50 years old, he might be in his house with all the blinds shut kind of looking out like the CIA's out there. You don't know, man. I mean, you don't know what's going on in the interior with him. So you don't worry about it."
Incidentally, there have been reports that the patella tendonitis that kept Ramirez out of the lineup in 2006 -- when most people, myself included, believe that he quit on his team once they were far enough out of playoff contention -- was in the left knee, but that's simply not correct. Every report dating back to 2006 identifies the complaint of patella tendonitis in Manny's right knee -- the same injury that he seems to be using as a tool to lodge a complaint to the Red Sox about his current contract situation. The right knee has become Manny's most recent way to 'Cry Wolf.' What a potentially pathetic denoument to a Hall of Fame career with the Sox.
from Aug. 24, 2006 that details the MRI on Manny's right knee that ended with a diagnosis of right knee patella tendonitis.
The MRI taken on Manny Ramirez revealed no structural damage in the outfielder’s right knee, but manager Terry Francona said prior to tonight’s game that Ramirez is suffering from patella tendinitis.
Ramirez was not in the starting lineup as the Sox prepared to play the Los Angeles Angels in the finale of a three-game series at Angel Stadium. It is unclear when Ramirez might be able to return to the starting lineup and Francona refused to disclose whether Ramirez is available to pinch-hit tonight.
“I don’t know if tendinitis goes away overnight,” Francona said. “It’s probably going to be what he can tolerate.”
Also, in case you missed. Here's an
excellent piece from Channel 5 WCVB on the medical procedure that was key in both saving the life of and preventing brain damage during the birth of WEEI host Glenn Ordway's daughter Mia. This is pretty moving real life stuff with the happy ending that everybody was hoping and praying for.
