Ban Manny Ramirez From Major League Baseball

One Monday in 1999, I was on a business trip in Minneapolis. I had me 5 year old son with me, as this was just an overnight job. We were on our way back to our hotel for the evening, and stopped at a gas station to fuel up. As we walked in, i was startled to come face to face with Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss. By way of explanation, my son was (much to my chagrin as a Packer Fan) a huge Moss fan. I was a bit speechless as we all but collided; I quickly regained my composure and asked if my son, a huge fan, might have a quick autograph. He responded by looking at us as if we were highly annoying, smirking, and walking by us.

I was reasonably upset at first, and have since given it some thought. Professional athletes are a lucky lot. They make insane amounts of money and are granted celebrity status because they are gifted with the ability to play a game. Not that they don’t work hard; most get where they are from years of commitment.

But the arrogance that many of them carry, especially with regard to fans, is repulsive. Many of these athletes seem to have forgotten that without you and I…. those willing to shell out $20 to go and watch a game, or $200.00 for a jersey with their name on it… they would have been forced, like the rest of us, to make a go of it in the real world. They seem to now think that we should be grateful to them, and honored to be in their presence. And it sickens me.

The newest tactless pig is Manny Ramirez. After missing a portion of the season for being a dope fiend (he couldn’t lay off long enough to earn his $40 million check?) he showed a selfishness and arrogance that should have him thrown out of Major League Baseball. He was pulled from the game in the 9th inning… not one of 162 relatively meaningless games in the regular season, but a pivotal game in the National League Championship series.

Rather than, say, stick around and show some sportsmanship, maybe support of his teammates and fans, or even perhaps give a crap, this moron hit the showers. As his team fell victim to an amazing 9th inning comeback, he couldn’t be bothered to even stick around.

Guys like this are what is wrong with Professional Sports. He has demonstrated time and again that he is a classless idiot. Playing a game for a living for millions of dollars a year is a privilege, not a right. And it’s one that Manny the Moron is by no means deserving of. In a just world, he would never have the opportunity to turn his back on fans or players again. He would have to go out and bust his ass for a living just like the rest of us. It’ll never happen, though. As long as he can hit the little ball with the big stick, he’ll always have a job.

The only consolation is these jerks are the ones who have invariably blown their millions just a few years removed from baseball. May he do just that, humiliate himself on several bad reality shows, and then live the rest of his life in lower middle class obscurity. You make me ashamed to love the game of baseball, Manny. Jerk.