Truth & Rumors > MLB

Report: Sox were ready to suspend Manny

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It doesn't change much if anything at this point, but it appears the Red Sox were ready to suspend Manny Ramirez at one point in late July. Several baseball sources told ESPN's Pedro Gomez today that Red Sox management delivered an official letter of suspension to Manny Ramirez at 11 p.m. on Fri., July 25, shortly after Ramirez sat out his second straight game with the club. The letter informed the slugger that the suspension was to go into effect on Sat., July 26, and stated the reason for the suspension was Ramirez's unwillingness to play, according to the report. Ramirez cited a knee injury as his reason for missing the two games, but MRIs on both of his knees failed to find physical damage. Copies of the suspension letter, Gomez reports, were also sent to Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association, and Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras. According to the report, Ramirez called the team several hours later to inform them he would indeed be playing on July 26 against the Yankees. Ramirez did play, but after what is now a well-documented saga, the left fielder was traded to the Dodgers a week later.

Boston Globe

Manny Ramirez, Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images Manny Ramirez, Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
November 17, 2008  07:15 AM ET

To remind potential employers that this guy is a major league ****?

November 17, 2008  07:19 AM ET
QUOTE(#2):

To remind potential employers that this guy is a major league ****?

Agreed, though I don't think it will do much to deter them from throwing tons of money at him...

November 17, 2008  07:27 AM ET

I'm having a hard time buying this. Manny has acted like a jerk every year at some point, and to the best of my recolection, has not been suspended. I think that this articles intent is to make the Sox look good, like they were really going to give it to Manny this time!! Right.

November 17, 2008  07:28 AM ET

Yeah, absolute bs. Theo would never suspend a player that he needs to win. He's a cold-blooded hermaphrodite. =o Yeah, I got the inside scoop.

November 17, 2008  07:34 AM ET

Absolutely idiotic move by the Sox. All this about him not playing two games in a row, but no suspension for shoving an older team employee to the ground for not getting him away game tickets on short notice.

Sorry, but Baseball has warped their own sense of values and this is the prime example of it.

November 17, 2008  07:40 AM ET
QUOTE(#3):

Agreed, though I don't think it will do much to deter them from throwing tons of money at him...

yeah, the teams that are looking to sign him already know hes a clown, the report that pedro gomez did just gave more inside details of his clowness..... that being said i'll take him in the yanks for the league min. for one year and he has to leave his glove at home

November 17, 2008  08:03 AM ET

This is old news.Manny's suspension was reported in an August 1st article by Dan Shuanessy of the Boston globe.Here's the link:
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/08/01/going_goi ng_gone/?page=2

November 17, 2008  08:10 AM ET

Even though its old news I'm glad its being brought up again. This incredibly talented hitter is a bum and nothing more than a greedy coward. He fakes injury to get out of Boston and then when faced with a suspension (without pay) he says "ok I'll play". I've commented before that in any other line of work he would have been rightfully sued by his employer and made to re-pay his salary plus damages. I'm a Mets fan who doesn't want this cancer...and I sure don't want my kids seeing his example on a daily basis. He's a bad guy...period.

November 17, 2008  08:17 AM ET

When you hit like Manny, it's virtually impossible to get in trouble in baseball. He could beat a puppy to death with a baseball bat on YouTube and, as long as he hits .300 with 35 HRs, they'll blame the puppy.

November 17, 2008  08:17 AM ET

There is NO way they were going to suspend him. The Sox are a bunch of p***ies.

Comment #13 has been removed
November 17, 2008  08:19 AM ET
QUOTE:

I predict this will be the breakout thread of the day.Why is this coming up now? It really doesn't matter any more ...

Hi Cat. I think the Sox may have "leaked" this as a jab at Manny to somehow affect his valuation. But who knows? Maybe it's a slow news day.

November 17, 2008  08:19 AM ET
QUOTE(#13):

Maybe if Boston had suspended him LONG ago he wouldn't have acted like he did for so many years. A little too late Boston...

Wanna bet? ;)

November 17, 2008  08:20 AM ET
QUOTE(#11):

When you hit like Manny, it's virtually impossible to get in trouble in baseball. He could beat a puppy to death with a baseball bat on YouTube and, as long as he hits .300 with 35 HRs, they'll blame the puppy.

I think he'd have to hit 40 HRs....but your premise is dead on.

November 17, 2008  08:25 AM ET

Yesterdays news. Get over it.

November 17, 2008  08:26 AM ET

Well whatever it is they are claiming Manny did, it surely worked.... Look at him now.... He's about to get PAID!!!

November 17, 2008  08:52 AM ET
QUOTE(#3):

Agreed, though I don't think it will do much to deter them from throwing tons of money at him...

While it may not prevent teams from throwing money at Manny, it should give them pause about giving him more than a three year contract. You know he won't stay happy for long. He will end up being a team cancer wherever he goes. It's just a question of how much usefulness they will get out of him before the inevitable.

November 17, 2008  09:01 AM ET

Manny was no prince of a citizen in Cleveland, before he came to Boston. He's an aging two tool player who is a major mental and physical risk for any team. I wonder how many games "stars" like him win in a given year...bottom line. Maybe they figure that he will sell tickets or give writers good material. Baseball fans who are hurting in the pocketbook are looking at his $20 million plus salary with both anger and sarcastic laughter. BTW he must be worth over $200 million already!!!

November 17, 2008  09:32 AM ET

The Boston papers and ESPN have worked overtime to make the Red Sox look like victims in this squabble with Manny. Get over it guys! He was a main reason you've got two World Series rings. How many did you have before he came?

 
November 17, 2008  10:03 AM ET

Boston did nothing but enable this jerk's behavior for the past several years, but now we're supposed to believe they really, really were considering almost maybe warning him that they were thinking about possibly, maybe suspending him. Whatever.

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