Cleveland Sports Forum

No idea who is even playing in the post season but this article is a reminder that once upon a time the Indians before Dolan the dolt bought the team the tribe was not only good but entertaining as well.


Not even the Cubs are exactly sure what Manny Ramirez does
Manny Ramirez with young Cubs slugger Jorge Soler Photo: AP
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CHICAGO — Manny Ramirez’s latest gig with the Cubs is proof that if you hang around the game long enough, you’ll see it all.

Among the greatest right-handed hitters of his generation and definitely one of the least coachable, he’s back in baseball as a coach. Exactly what kind of coach, well, no one in the organization seems to be certain.

Ramirez isn’t listed on either the coaching or support staffs as Chicago heads into the NL Championship Series. Yet nearly every hitter on the roster checks in with him regularly and the team’s young Latin players — budding stars Jorge Soler and Javier Baez, in particular — also revere him as some kind of life coach or guru.

Asked to describe Ramirez’s role, manager Joe Maddon made it sound like a liaison to the club’s “Hispanic culture.” Young slugger Kyle Schwarber shrugged at the same question, saying finally, “I just know he’s Manny.”

Ask the man himself and what you get is that familiar happy-go-lucky smile.

“I just be myself,” Ramirez said — a riff on the “Manny Being Manny” phrase he inspired — as though no more explanation was necessary.

There’s no questioning Ramirez’s resume when it comes to teaching hitting: Over the course of 19 big league seasons, he was a 12-time All-Star, a World Series MVP and two-time champion with the Red Sox, a nine-time winner of the Silver Slugger award and one of only 27 players to hit at least 500 career home runs. He was so good, in short, that he could get away with almost anything.

His credentials for teaching young players how to conduct themselves, on the other hand, are a lot more mixed.

The phrase “Manny being Manny” entered the game’s lexicon to capture some of the hijinks Ramirez delighted in during his playing days: He once spiked a teammate’s drink with Viagra, frequently disappeared behind a door in the left-field wall at Fenway during pitching changes and took to scribbling what sounded like prophecies (“There will be hell to pay”; “Justice will be served”; “Live and let die”) on the back of his cleats.

But not all his stunts were quite so light-hearted.

Ramirez ran afoul of baseball’s performance-enhancing ban twice and regularly turned contract talks into drawn-out negotiations. Typical of the controversy he often courted, Ramirez was asked about his future after a productive season with the Dodgers ended in the 2008 playoffs.

“Gas is up and so am I,” he laughed, launching yet another contentious negotiation that spilled over into spring training and yet ended with Ramirez signing a two-year, $45 million contract.

Incidents like that made it seem even stranger that Ramirez would wind up with the Cubs. He frequently bickered over contracts with Theo Epstein, who is Chicago’s president of baseball operations and held a similar job with the Red Sox when Ramirez was there.
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Ramirez in the Cubs dugoutPhoto: AP

“I never thought I was going to get a chance from him. Now, I’m here,” the 43-year-old Ramirez said. “We’re best buddies. We always talk about the game and the guys. That’s why I’m here.”

Apparently, no one stays mad at Manny for long, since Maddon, too, described bringing him on board as “an easy fit.” But he played exactly five games for Maddon in Tampa Bay in the 2011 season before yet another “surprise” retirement announcement — just ahead of a second suspension for past PED use.

“The fact that Manny and I became friends several years ago makes it even easier that he’s seamlessly just jumped into this clubhouse,” Maddon said. “I know what he’s doing all the time and it’s been pretty special.”

Maybe that’s because the one thing that hasn’t changed is Ramirez’s appetite for hard work. That endeared him to teammates everywhere, and for all his wacky, distracted stunts, Ramirez devoted more time and effort honing his craft than outsiders could have imagined. He still does.

“As soon as I get to the field, he’s like, ‘Hey, you want to go throw some net balls?'” catcher Miguel Montero said. “And I’m like, ‘Manny, let me take a break,’ because he wants to work all the time.”

Ramirez never was the reflective sort, and that hasn’t changed, either. He won’t venture a guess on whether he’s matured since his playing days, only that he still feels like someone playing with house money.

“I guess when you look back, you say, ‘I want to do this when I retire, I want to help people. I want people to remind me of all these good things that I did,'” Ramirez said, grinning again.

“It’s awesome, bro. It’s unbelievable now that I’m here. It’s crazy.”

Probably passes out HGH to the Hispanic players !

Cubs are playing Indians are fishing but I cant say Shapiro is on his cruise yet since he up and went for a lateral move to the Jays.

What brings Ken to light at this time of year?

Nothing, because this forum has an "ignore" function.

VT'er wrote:Nothing, because this forum has an "ignore" function.

Agree that is the point since Dolan bought the team and his puppet Shapiro sold off Bartolo and his donkey Pancho for all those up and comers the Indians have been ignored. Well here we are all those years later and 2 things are clear. Bartolo Fat Colon is still playing and those up and comers are done or long ago traded (The means you idiot Wedgieeee and we never needed Manny in the first place despite the fact his guys are also still playing. It seems whenever confronted with the unfortunate truth the dolanites resort to their tired old retorts. Please sell the team Dolan!!!!

Lets make him the GM:


Click photo to enlarge
In this Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, photo, Manny Ramirez talks to reporters in the... (Nam Y. Huh/AP)

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CHICAGO (AP) — Manny Ramirez's latest gig with the Cubs is proof that if you hang around the game long enough, you'll see it all.

Among the greatest right-handed hitters of his generation and definitely one of the least coachable, he's back in baseball as a coach. Exactly what kind of coach, well, no one in the organization seems to be certain.

Ramirez isn't listed on either the coaching or support staffs as Chicago heads into the NL Championship Series. Yet nearly every hitter on the roster checks in with him regularly and the team's young Latin players — budding stars Jorge Soler and Javier Baez, in particular — also revere him as some kind of life coach or guru.

Asked to describe Ramirez's role, manager Joe Maddon made it sound like a liaison to the club's "Hispanic culture." Young slugger Kyle Schwarber shrugged at the same question, saying finally "I just know he's Manny."

Ask the man himself and what you get is that familiar happy-go-lucky smile.

"I just be myself," Ramirez said — a riff on the "Manny Being Manny" phrase he inspired — as though no more explanation was necessary.

There's no questioning Ramirez's resume when it comes to teaching hitting: Over the course of 19 big league seasons, he was a 12-time All-Star, a World Series MVP and two-time champion with the Red Sox, a nine-time winner of the Silver Slugger award and one of only 27 players to hit at least 500 career home runs. He was so good, in short, that he could get away with almost anything.

His credentials for teaching young players how to conduct themselves, on the other hand, are a lot more mixed.

The phrase "Manny being Manny" entered the game's lexicon to capture some of the hijinks Ramirez delighted in during his playing days — he once spiked a teammate's drink with Viagra, frequently disappeared behind a door in the left-field wall at Fenway during pitching changes and took to scribbling what sounded like prophecies ("There will be hell to pay"; "Justice will be served"; "Live and let die.") on the back of his cleats.

But not all his stunts were quite so light-hearted.

Ramirez ran afoul of baseball's performance-enhancing ban twice and regularly turned contract talks into drawn-out negotiations. Typical of the controversy he often courted, Ramirez was asked about his future after a productive season with the Dodgers ended in the 2008 playoffs.

"Gas is up and so am I," he laughed, launching yet another contentious negotiation that spilled over into spring training and yet ended with Ramirez signing a two-year, $45 million contract.

Incidents like that made it seem even stranger that Ramirez would wind up with the Cubs. He frequently bickered over contracts with Theo Epstein, who is Chicago's president of baseball operations and held a similar job with the Red Sox when Ramirez was there.

"I never thought I was going to get a chance from him. Now, I'm here," the 43-year-old Ramirez said. "We're best buddies. We always talk about the game and the guys. That's why I'm here."

Apparently, no one stays mad at Manny for long, since Maddon, too, described bringing him on-board as "an easy fit." But he played exactly five games for Maddon in Tampa Bay in the 2011 season before yet another "surprise" retirement announcement — just ahead of a second suspension for past PED use.

"The fact that Manny and I became friends several years ago makes it even easier that he's seamlessly just jumped into this clubhouse," Maddon said. "I know what he's doing all the time and it's been pretty special."

Maybe that's because the one thing that hasn't changed is Ramirez's appetite for hard work. That endeared him to teammates everywhere, and for all his wacky, distracted stunts, Ramirez devoted more time and effort honing his craft than outsiders could have imagined. He still does.

"As soon as I get to the field, he's like, 'Hey, you want to go throw some net balls?'" catcher Miguel Montero said. "And I'm like, 'Manny, let me take a break,' because he wants to work all the time."

Ramirez never was the reflective sort, and that hasn't changed, either. He won't venture a guess on whether he's matured since his playing days, only that he still feels like someone playing with house money.


"I guess when you look back, you say, 'I want to do this when I retire, I want to help people. I want to people to remind me of all these good things that I did,'" Ramirez said, grinning again.

"It's awesome, bro. It's unbelievable now that I'm here. It's crazy."

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From yesterday's 'Hey Hoynsie', 'Can Cleveland Indians get prime hitter for prime starting pitcher?'

Hey, Hoynsie: Assuming that the Tribe will improve by trading from depth (starting pitching) to fill a weakness (hitter), my question is about value in the present day game. Can a controllable top of the rotation starter (Danny Salazar) bring a controllable top of the order hitter (Xander Bogaerts)? How about if a high-level prospect was added? – Phil Trimble, Mentor.

Hey, Phil: I'm still not sure that the Indians will trade one of their prime starters, but if they do it won't be a one-for-one deal. I would think they'd want an established big league player and at least one quality prospect. Good starting pitching is still the most sought after skill in the big leagues.

Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians are so close. Wouldn't it be foolish to trade pitching or a top prospect for a bat? Bradley Zimmer, Clint Frazier and Bobby Bradley's ETA appear to be 2017 so a one-year Band-Aid might work. – Bill Willis, Albany, Ky.

Hey, Bill: The Indians could get lucky with a six-year minor league free agent or a Brandon-Moss-type trade. But I think trying to sell a Band-Aid approach to an already disgruntled fan base would be a mistake.

This team has been one or two players away from doing something big for two years and sat on their hands. It's about time they try to add a qualified hitter to the lineup. Naturally, such a move would be expensive, but that's the cost of business if you're going to beat the Royals in the AL Central.

Hey, Hoynsie: Since the Indians are supposedly willing to trade Danny Salazar or Carlos Carrasco, what player or package of players would make a move like that happen? I personally don't see any upside in trading either and the ony player I'd take for one of those guys would be Colorado's Nolan Arenado, based on the Tribe's needs and payroll constraints. And please don't try to tell me Marcell Ozuna is the answer. – Jeff Bowers, New Philadelphia.

Hey, Jeff: You have expensive tastes and that's good. I think the Indians could find a spot in the lineup for Arenado, who tied Bryce Harper for the NL home run lead with 42 and plays an excellent third base. I'm not sure how Carrasco or Salazar would feel pitching at Coors Field.

Look, I'm not sure that Carrasco or Salazar are available, except in kick-the-tires conversations, but the Tribe can't think small if that's the route it's going to take.

Look, I would like to think that the Front Office could sign or trade for the thing we need and do it successfully, and seeing as how there has been a change it might give us more hope. But I have to say that what we have done recently to address our holes has failed miserably.
Its kind of like brand loyalty, the office either does not have the resources, or simply does not have the smarts, or the luck to change what they seemingly have done in the past. Only thing with more consistency is WILE COYOTE. He has buying from ACME products for years and they always fail him, You think he (we) would learn.
Still, I hope every year.

don't care about the Mets one way or the other, but prefer for Cubs fans to keep moaning, so I'm satisfied with NL results. Would like to see Royals take the title; they are an AL team I have not spent a lifetime hating.

More up their alley:

Marcell Ozuna - OF - Marlins

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the Indians "have some interest" in Marcell Ozuna.

The Indians will be looking for center field help this offseason, so it's no surprise that Ozuna would be on their radar. Marlins general manager Michael Hill has said the club intends to keep Ozuna, but the outfielder is reportedly sideways with owner Jeffrey Loria and that could lead to his exit.

Ozuna hit a disappointing .259/.308/.383 with 10 homers in 2015 and will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter.

Typical from these losers.

Baseball obituaries reported by BA include a couple short-time Indians:

Andres Mora, died at age 60. Mostly an Orioles' OF, played 9 games with Cleveland in 1980
LHP Jack Spring, died at age 82. I remember him getting a few games in the Tribe bullpen in 1965.

Other obits for Dave Bergman, 1b/of mostly with the Tigers; and Barney Schultz Cardinals knuckleball reliever in the 60s

Is this the kind of lineup/defense the Indians are developing, too?

From a scouting standpoint, the Royals have player after player who comes close to matching the scouting ideal for the position. Lorenzo Cain is an athletic, rangy center fielder with above-average speed and above-average defense [FRAZIER OR ZIMMER]. Alcides Escobar is a plus defender with a plus arm and plus speed [LINDOR IS BETTER THAN THAT]. Mike Moustakas is a third baseman with power, above-average defense and a strong arm [URSHELA ALTHOUGH MAYBE NOT AS MUCH POWER]

In fact, the only Royals defenders who don’t grade at above-average or better defensively are Ben Zobrist at second base (average) [THAT COULD BE KIPNIS] and Alex Rios in right field (average) [ZIMMER AND FRAZIER SHOULD BEAT THAT SCORE]. When Paulo Orlando replaces Rios in late innings, scouts grade out the Royals as above-average at eight spots.

From a traditional scouting standpoint, the Royals check off all the boxes. Athletic, rangy defenders at most positions who also can hit. They may be a little lacking on the power profiles [US AGAIN], but that’s a tradeoff to take advantage of their home ballpark.

Story at Cleveland.com about Shapiro meeting some resistance by Blue Jay fans over his lack of success with Tribe. I cant copy for some reason. Can someone else?