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This incredible story of Manny Ramirez, one of the greatest baseball sluggers of all-time, provides a model for at-risk kids and their mentors.
- Sales Rank: #3643617 in Books
- Brand: Brand: Scribner
- Published on: 2011-02-05
- Released on: 2011-02-05
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x .80" w x 6.00" l, 1.06 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 320 pages
- Used Book in Good Condition
From Booklist
Manny Ramirez has terrorized major-league pitchers since 1994, first with the Cleveland Indians, then with the Red Sox (where he played a starring role in their two World Series wins in 2004 and 2007). In 2008, in a contract dispute with the Red Sox, he pouted his way out of town and landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ramirez is arguably the best hitter of his baseball generation, but his career has also been notable for indifferent fielding, mysterious ailments, and various confrontations with owners and players. Rhodes, a professor of psychology, and Boburg, a reporter, use interviews with Manny’s teammates, family, coaches, and friends to flesh out the details of his life—especially the poor New York childhood dominated by his mother and sisters and the close relationship he maintains to this day with his Little League coach and mentor. This is an authorized biography, but it’s not the whitewash one might expect. The authors don’t dwell on Ramirez’s shortcomings, but neither do they ignore them. On balance, an interesting biography of a baseball lightning rod. --Wes Lukowsky
Excerpt. � Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
PROLOGUE
Selfish Slugger?
Who is Manny Ramirez?
Reduce Manny to a series of stats, and it's easy to see who he is: one of the best batters in history. A twelve-time All- Star and nine-time Silver Slugger, Manny ranks seventeenth in career home runs and eighth in career slugging as of this writing. The only players above him on both lists are Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, and Barry Bonds. Manny is also second all-time in gram slams, behind only Lou Gehrig, and has hit more postseason home runs than anyone in the history of professional baseball. He still appears to have several years of baseball ahead of him.
But if you skip the stats, the question "Who is Manny?" gets confusing, controversial, and cultural. A favorite target of reporters and talk show pundits, Manny's every misstep is exhaustively analyzed and then reduced to "Manny being Manny." This oblique phrase has come to provide a shared wink of explanation for a player whose laser-beam focus at home plate seems irreconcilable with his periodic gaffes (or "Manny Moments") in left field and outside the ballpark.
The history of the phrase "Manny being Manny" in the popular press provides a series of thumbnail portraits of Manny at his most bizarre and intriguing, and a catalogue of the baseball world's struggles to understand him.
Its first mention in a major publication came in 1995, when Cleveland Indians' manager Mike Hargrove was asked about the young slugger's carefree-bordering-on-careless approach to money.
How do you explain Manny and Dominican teammate Julian Tavarez asking a Cleveland sportswriter to loan them $60,000, so they could buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle? And what about forgetting a paycheck in a pair of boots he left behind in the Texas Rangers visiting clubhouse?
"That's just Manny being Manny," Hargrove told a Newsday reporter.
Several years later, a Cleveland sportswriter used the phrase to account for why Manny's old New York City neighborhood still adored him -- because of how he showed up at his old high school cafeteria unannounced almost daily in the off-seasons to eat lunch with kids, and in spite of how he forgot promises to childhood friends to leave game tickets at the stadium box offices. But the phrase became less clearly defined after Manny moved to the Boston Red Sox in 2000, and its use grew with the city's fascination and ultimate disillusionment with their star slugger.
It has been invoked in print and online tens of thousands of times since 2000 as a shorthand explanation for Manny's mysterious injuries, his absences, his tardiness, his indiscriminate use of other players' bats and clothing, his silence in the clubhouse, his quiet acts of kindness to friends, his choice of an expletive-riddled song to play over Boston's Fenway Park sound system, his childlike playfulness, his midinning break inside Fenway's left-field wall, his failure to show up at the White House to meet President George W. Bush after the Red Sox won the world championship, and, yes, his towering home runs and unparalleled work ethic.
Manny is partly to blame for the mystery. He rarely grants interviews, and reporters who manage to breach his defenses are rewarded with little more than clich�s or incendiary oneliners.
So, with little to go on but fielding miscues, baggy uniforms, flowing dreadlocks, big hits, and tired anecdotes, the public is left with caricatures of Manny as a carefree goofball and spoiled superstar.
Yet the question of who Manny really is endures, baffling his most ardent admirers and even some of his teammates. In fact, it was never more pressing than during the 2008 season, in the days before the Boston Red Sox traded Manny to the Los Angeles Dodgers, his third team in seventeen years as a professional. Manny's dispute with Red Sox ownership over his future -- and questions about his commitment to the team -- convinced many once-adoring fans that he was selfish.
The day after the trade, Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell told the Providence Journal, "For me, he's a sure first-ballot Hall of Famer, and when he gives his speech, he'll probably give it via satellite because he'll be in Brazil. That's him and that'll be perfect. He'll be wearing a Brazilian National Team hat when he does it."
Lowell's distinction between malice and oddity is insightful. On many levels, Manny and Boston were a mismatch from the start. Nothing excuses Manny's shoving of sixty-four-year-old traveling secretary Jack McCormick, and perhaps Manny didn't give the Red Sox his best in 2008. Still, there were reasons for his frustration. And one could argue that if Manny had behaved this way in 2004, the Red Sox front office, not yet emboldened by two championships in four seasons, would have found a way to weather the storm.
If Manny had finished his career in Boston -- or simply departed under more amicable circumstances -- the grandchildren of today's vociferous fans might have even driven through the Manny Ramirez tunnel. That may sound farfetched, but Manny's comments in advance of his exit are comparable to those of Red Sox legend Ted Williams, whose name graces the recently constructed highway that runs under Boston Harbor.
In fact, Williams was so embittered by his years of acrimony with the Boston press, Red Sox management, and fans that he refused to even tip his cap after his final hit. Manny's "enough is enough" comment, directed to the Red Sox management in the middle of the 2008 season when tensions were at their peak, was less acerbic than Williams's vituperations. As Leigh Montville described in Ted Williams:
[Williams] said he wanted to be traded. He said he hated Boston, hated the fans, hated the newspapers, hated the trees, hated the weather, hated, just hated. The word "fuck" or some derivative was woven into most sentences. He wanted out. And for most of Williams' tenure on the team, Boston hated him right back.
Manny's badmouthing was mild by comparison. Moreover, there is consistency in his teammates' and coaches' characterizations of him as a hardworking team player. He was, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "everybody's little brother" in his early years and, recently, has been more of a role model and source of support to younger players than he's generally credited for. "He was a mentor to me," says Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo, three years his junior. "When I went through tough times, he knew that I had trouble sleeping so he would call me early in the morning, when he knew I'd be awake, and he'd say, 'Look, don't worry about it, man. You're going to do good today.' That meant a lot to me. There's no one like Manny."
"To be honest," says Pedro Martinez, "I don't have enough kind words to say about Manny. I think he's misunderstood."
But Manny's teammates are not the only ones capable of shedding light on the vexing question of who Manny is. Conversations with Manny and his coaches, agents, mentors, parents, wife, sisters, and childhood friends, as well as side trips to his neighborhoods, show that he cannot be reduced to a caricature. They illuminate a nuanced, if inscrutable, man who defines himself by what he is least known as -- a dedicated athlete, a wellregarded teammate, and a beloved father, husband, and son.
Among the mentors in Manny's life were his sandlot coach, Mel Zitter, and his then Triple-A manager, Charlie Manuel. But none have been more influential than his former Little League coach, Carlos Ferreira. In his neighborhood, Ferreira is endearingly known as "Macaco" -- Spanish for little monkey. A thoughtful, charismatic man who left a medical career in the Dominican Republic to immigrate to the U.S. in 1979, Macaco, now fifty-nine, has coached several Little League teams in the baseball-crazed Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. He was -- and he remains -- a de facto father to many aspiring Dominican players.
The story of how Manny came to rely on this gentle, unassuming coach -- from their first encounter in the basement of a Washington Heights housing project to their ongoing, daily conversations -- is a window into Manny's development and his hidden essence: his vulnerabilities, his values, his uncomplicated worldview, and what it really means to be Manny.
But to understand the story of Manny and Macaco, we first need to understand another story: that of Manny's early life with his parents, Aristides and Onelcida, and his three sisters.
Copyright � 2009 by Jean Rhodes and Shawn Boburg
Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
Deeply Insightful
By Carola Suarezorozco
How did Manny become Manny? The authors take a variety of lenses--psychological, cultural, and yes, of course, a sports perspective-- to shed light on what makes this baseball genius--sometimes exasperating but always intriguing--tick. Beautifully written, this is a must read for both sports fans and anyone who appreciates a good biography.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
Great book!
By Steve Rosen
Controversy about Manny is always roiling baseball fandom, and yet he remains the calm eye of the storm.
If you are looking for an anti-Manny screed or a pro-Manny apologia, look elsewhere. If you want interesting stories you've never heard, and insightful analyses, buy this book!
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "TOTAL DEDICATION... SHYNESS & GOOFINESS... IS WHAT MAKES MANNY BE MANNY!"
By Rick Shaq Goldstein
The first thing any potential reader should be made aware of is that Manny Ramirez *AUTHORIZED" this biography. So many "star" based biographies are written without the subjects' approval and assistance. The reclusive Manny participated in the creation of this book... even though he was late... or missed... some of the meetings. There are in depth interviews with Manny's Grandmother, Mother, sisters, teammates, coaches and managers... and so much of the subject matter revolves around Manny's greatest confidant... his friend to this day... and former Little League coach, Carlos Ferreira... known by all who know and love him... as "Macaco"... Spanish for "Little Monkey". As all baseball fans know... Manny is a surefire Hall Of Famer... and perhaps the greatest right handed hitter of all-time. His complete baseball career from Little League to YSL to George Washington High School in New York... to his meteoric rise through the Cleveland Indians farm system... to his Major League All Star career with the Indians... Boston Red Sox... and Los Angeles Dodgers... is all covered within these pages. But what makes this book so much more than simply a baseball book... is the outstanding in- depth look... at this world-renowned player... who is so well described by the phrase: "THAT'S JUST MANNY BEING MANNY!"... when he's off the field.
Manny's family's story... before he became a baseball star... could just as easily been about any of the hundreds of thousands of other Dominican families that immigrated to New York. The authors peel back the character traits that now define Manny... and dig deep... historically... culturally... and environmentally... and the reader... perhaps for the very first time... learns how Manny "really" became Manny. Most fans probably don't realize how shy and timid Manny was. Among other things... the language barrier... heaped on top of his natural shyness... made him stand offish. His Mother worked all day in a factory... and his Father was not an instrumental part of his life. And this next statement will probably make most baseball fan's head snap back... Manny didn't have any confidence in himself. Even when he was a teenager with scouts saying he was the greatest player they ever saw. Most of today's fans just see the funny and controversial Manny. Some wonder how he hits so well? After reading this book... no one will have even the slightest doubt... as to why he's so successful. MANNY WORKS HARDER... AND IS MORE DEDICATED... THAN ALMOST ANY PLAYER I'VE HEARD ABOUT IN MY LIFETIME... and he's been that way since childhood. Living amidst the poverty... in Washington Heights New York... he would get up 4:30 in the morning... rain... shine... or snow... and run up Snake Hill... DRAGGING A TIRE FROM HIS WAIST! "Snake Hill rose more than two hundred feet from the western edge of Washington Heights, near sea level, to one of the highest points in Manhattan." If he had a game at 5:00pm... he was there taking hitting practice at 10:00am. Every coach and manager he has had throughout his career... said he was the hardest worker they ever had. Manny would beg his coaches to work with him after games.
In 1991 when Manny was nineteen he was named New York City Public School High School Player of the Year. His family didn't even know. It wasn't until 1993 when Manny was playing for the Canton Indians, Double-A team... that his Mother and three sisters ever saw him play baseball. As one former manager said: "MANNY SPENT HOURS HITTING BALLS. THIS GUY WAS DRIVEN. UNBELIEVABLY DRIVEN TO SUCCEED, FROM DAY ONE. BUT INCREDIBLY HUMBLE. HE ALWAYS DEFLECTED PRAISE AND ATTENTION, AND WANTED TO PRACTICE WHEN NOBODY WAS AROUND."
The true baseball fan will enjoy the discussions of the All-Star Seasons... the Championships won... and yes the base running blunders... and the fielding mishaps... but the true essence... of the experiences... of Manny's personal life... is what will deeply permeate... your heart and soul. This is where you will truly learn... and appreciate... why... *Manny is just being Manny!*
P.S. As a true-fanatical-statistical-baseball-fan... one thing that disappointed me is the mistake that was made on the page near the end of the book dedicated to Manny's lifetime statistics. It listed his lifetime batting average as .341 instead of the correct .314.
P.S.S. There is also an historical mistake on page 271 when the authors state: "He now had 495 career homers and had just passed Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig on the all-time list." This is a mistake. Ted Williams had 521 career home runs... so Manny didn't pass him until later on. These statistical mistakes in no way take away from the overall book, and I recommend it highly.
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