Manny Ramirez returned to Boston this past weekend, and no one cared.
The fact that the Celtics had just dropped game seven of the NBA Finals probably contributed to the lack of talk about Manny’s return, but even this weekend, when the focus could be squarely on the events at Fenway Park, there didn’t seem to be much interest in Manny from a media perspective.
I didn’t really listen to sports radio this weekend, so I’m not sure how much of a topic Ramirez was, but the upset of the weekend for me was the absence of a Boston Globe/Boston.com column from Dan Shaughnessy or Tony Massarotti (or anyone else, for that matter) rehashing all the Manny episodes over the years and sentencing the slugger to eternal damnation. The Boston Herald was likewise tame, with the harshest column being from Steve Buckley this morning, a column that was as weird as Manny, which was perhaps the point. I know he’s all the rage on Twitter these days, but an Old Hoss Radbourn reference? Really? (@OldHossRadbourn ) What was Buckley’s larger point? That Manny didn’t tip his cap, so he quit on the Fenway fans all over again? Buckley gets to be on The Big Show this afternoon to talk all about his column, so maybe we’ll find out.
ESPN had Curt Schilling on the broadcast last night to talk Manny, and he didn’t go off on his former teammate like you might’ve expected, except to say that in the end, Manny’s teammates wanted him gone, which should tell you just how bad things were.
Ramirez has been a fairly hot topic on sports radio this morning, checks on each station have found Manny being discussed, though there was still plenty of Celtics talk as well. I’m sure Mikey Adams will be treat to listen to tonight as he spews Manny hate for five straight hours with no Red Sox game. There were a number of callers today with anger in their voices as they recalled why they hated Manny so much.
Which I really don’t understand.
In my mind, Manny is no different from the multi-millionaire rock star or movie star who is difficult to work with on the set, or shows up when they feel like it, or drunk/on drugs, or checks into rehab when they need a break from things.
Do these same callers boycott the latest movie or concert from these superstars? Do they have the same moral outrage?
Manny did some atrocious things here, and it’s best for all involved that he’s no longer here. He went too far in his final season. He quit on the team. But he’s gone. I don’t need to talk about him or listen to others talk about him anymore. He’s not our problem any more. I’m glad to see that the media reaction to Manny’s return has been rather underwhelming.
Hopefully we’re close to closing the Manny Ramirez in Boston chapter for good.
