Time for Manny to be Manny Somewhere Else

I love Manny Ramirez. I will be grateful to him and for him for the rest of my baseball-infatuated life. But enough is enough.
In the winter of 2000-2001, Manny parlayed his wildly successful years with the Cleveland Indians into an eight year, $160 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. The contract, negotiated by former agent Jeff Moorad-now the President of the Arizona Diamondbacks-included two additional seasons (2009 and 2010) at club options for $20 million each season. What that means is that at the end of the contract (this offseason), the Red Sox would have the ability to pick up the option for next year at an already agreed upon price, or decline it and make Manny a free agent again. And if that option were exercised for 2009, team and player would then go through that process again prior to the 2010 season.
Manny has always been eccentric. Listen to him, look at him, watch his visits to the Green Monster during pitching changes; the guy is put together differently from most people, and that's ok. The problem isn't those eccentricities. It's the other stuff. Like playing when it suits him. Like screaming for a trade every summer for the last six years. Like careless play in left field. Like turning doubles into singles by assuming they would be home runs. Like not even making it half-way to first on infield grounders, several of which have been kicked by the infielders over the years.
Oddly, for their $20 million per season, the Sox expected Manny to play hard. Had they reacted more aggressively early on when he didn't, things might not have reached this point. But they didn't, and they have.
Manny knocked down the Sox' Social Security-eligible traveling secretary when the man couldn't provide all of the complimentary tickets that Manny wanted for friends and family on this summer's road trip to Houston. That's free tickets, for this multi-multi millionaire's family and friends.
Manny made his annual pitch to be traded.
Manny called the Sox ownership underhanded and deceitful.
Manny took himself out of the lineup against the Mariners in the last game of a long road trip, complaining of a sore knee. Understandable for a 36 year old player.
Manny stayed out of the lineup in the first game of a home series against the New York Yankees. Unforgivable for a Red Sox player.
Manny was sent by the club for MRIs on both knees, and after they came back negative for any damage, was told that he would play the rest of the Yankee series or face suspension. Only then did he decide he was fit to play.
Manny shot off his mouth to ESPN about his desire for a trade.
Manny then complained that the Red Sox didn't "deserve a player like me." He likened himself to Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, other past stars, Manny alleged, who had been mistreated by the Sox when they were on the way out of town. Reality check: Nomar had an unpleasant departure in 2004 because he also developed an inability to play when it didn't suit him. Pedro's departure was amicable; no one in Red Sox nation had anything bad to say about Petey.
What has Manny in such a snit is the fabulous work of the agent who replace Jeff Moorad: Scott Boras. Boras has one basic problem with Manny's situation: Boras ain't getting paid. The agent's fee for the current contract still goes to Moorad's former agency. If the Sox picked up one or both years of options they hold on Manny, Boras still doesn't get paid. So Scotty just doesn't care how much money was available to Manny from the Red Sox.
Boras has engineered a situation that is certainly going to cost Manny Ramirez millions of dollars. No sober GM or owner, not even Hank Steinbrenner, is going to give more than $20 million dollars per year to a temperamental, seemingly unreliable and maybe even unstable, declining 36 year old former superstar. If he gets more than $10 to $12 million he will be very fortunate. But then again, Boras will get paid. And that's what all of this is about.
Boras has, again, badly served a client. He cost Alex Rodriguez a small fortune last winter with the stunt he (Boras) pulled, opting out of the previous contract ARod had signed. Alex only came out of it as well as he did because he took a break from visiting Madonna's apartment, went hat in hand to Hal Steinbrenner, and apologized for following Boras' advice. Oh, yeah, he fired Boras in the process, too. Prince Hal then took Rodriguez back, at a lower salary and fewer benefits than the opted-out-of contract had contained.
It is a shame that Manny is so immature and/or foolish that he can't seen what is about to happen to him. And he's done it all to himself. At Boras' encouragement.
Sadly, it's time for Manny to go.