Your Good Name
Manny Ramirez may have been the greatest right-handed hitting outfielder I ever saw. When he was on the Indians they knocked the Yankees out of the playoffs in '97. I grew to hate him.
Then he went to the Sux. My hatred grew, but I respected the hell out of him as a hitter. With Ortiz, I thought they were the best one-two punch in the sport.
I was also suspicious.
I was told they were clean. They beat the Yanks in '04 and finally won the World Series. I wasn't happy, but I live in a town where titles are hard to come by and the stories about people from New England going to their father's grave sites to tell them about the win sort of struck a chord.
"It's 26 to 5," I would say. "Good for them."
Then they won another one and my hate for Manny and Ortiz grew, but hey, you had to respect them, right? They were at the top of their game.
Turns out they were frauds. Certainly not the only frauds in the game. There were drug cheats on every team. Even the Yankees.
But the Yankees lined up to tell their story. Ortiz claimed not to be able to speak English anymore, and Manny didn't say a dang thing.
He failed a drug test. Couldn't deny it anymore. He moved onto LA and laughed at those who dared ask him about it.
Suddenly he couldn't hit like he used to. It all ended really, really quick.
I wonder why.
This year was to be a rebirth. Manny was working hard. He signed with Tampa and promised that he would be as good as ever. I wasn't happy. Last thing I needed was a refreshed Manny back hitting homers in the same division.
Turns out he felt so good because he was back on the juice. News just came down that he failed another drug test. He promptly retired.
And texting back and forth with a buddy of mine who is a Red Suck fan, I felt sorry for Manny.
That's right. I felt sorry for him! He cheated and I felt bad!
You know why?
Because his name will forever be tarnished. He will be thought of as something like a clown, a cheat, a fraud, Manny being Manny turned out to be something of a joke.
And a lot of those players are in the same boat. Great players. Thought they should cheat to get a little more. That isn't the way to get ahead, is it?
Live your life on the straight and narrow, I say. Do it the fair and honest way. Work hard, pay your debts. Keep your good name.
Because at the end of the day what is the cost?
In my mind, Manny Ramirez is no longer one of the greatest right-handed hitters in the history of the greatest game ever invented.
Instead he's just another cheater.
Forever.
Big-ass, dumb fraud.
Then he went to the Sux. My hatred grew, but I respected the hell out of him as a hitter. With Ortiz, I thought they were the best one-two punch in the sport.
I was also suspicious.
I was told they were clean. They beat the Yanks in '04 and finally won the World Series. I wasn't happy, but I live in a town where titles are hard to come by and the stories about people from New England going to their father's grave sites to tell them about the win sort of struck a chord.
"It's 26 to 5," I would say. "Good for them."
Then they won another one and my hate for Manny and Ortiz grew, but hey, you had to respect them, right? They were at the top of their game.
Turns out they were frauds. Certainly not the only frauds in the game. There were drug cheats on every team. Even the Yankees.
But the Yankees lined up to tell their story. Ortiz claimed not to be able to speak English anymore, and Manny didn't say a dang thing.
He failed a drug test. Couldn't deny it anymore. He moved onto LA and laughed at those who dared ask him about it.
Suddenly he couldn't hit like he used to. It all ended really, really quick.
I wonder why.
This year was to be a rebirth. Manny was working hard. He signed with Tampa and promised that he would be as good as ever. I wasn't happy. Last thing I needed was a refreshed Manny back hitting homers in the same division.
Turns out he felt so good because he was back on the juice. News just came down that he failed another drug test. He promptly retired.
And texting back and forth with a buddy of mine who is a Red Suck fan, I felt sorry for Manny.
That's right. I felt sorry for him! He cheated and I felt bad!
You know why?
Because his name will forever be tarnished. He will be thought of as something like a clown, a cheat, a fraud, Manny being Manny turned out to be something of a joke.
And a lot of those players are in the same boat. Great players. Thought they should cheat to get a little more. That isn't the way to get ahead, is it?
Live your life on the straight and narrow, I say. Do it the fair and honest way. Work hard, pay your debts. Keep your good name.
Because at the end of the day what is the cost?
In my mind, Manny Ramirez is no longer one of the greatest right-handed hitters in the history of the greatest game ever invented.
Instead he's just another cheater.
Forever.
Big-ass, dumb fraud.
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