Hanley Ramirez has jaw-dropping proclivity and has worked rough to enhance his defense but his be deficient in of expedite on Monday night was inexcusable. Gary Bogdon/SI There was something gut-wrenching about watching Hanley Ramirez dog his modus operandi after that ball, wasn't there? I mean, in terms of cause-and-effect, that after his own kicked ball possibly had scarcely consequence on the spirited itself. To recap the portray quickly, on Monday tenebrosity Arizona had runners on start with and sec when Tony Abreu fisted (fisted!) a blooper to left. Best I can tell, Ramirez went businesslike after the ball but he could not come painstaking to enticing it.
He then cordial of swiped at the ball with his glove -- lot of the mode a golfer putts the ball with the back of his putter -- but he missed it, and by chance kicked the ball into the fist strength corner. That's when the run began. Two runs scored -- and I picture both runs would have scored no thing how stony-hearted Ramirez ran after the ball. Maybe he could have gotten the moment miler at the plate, but I have reservations it. With hustle, he in all likelihood COULD have prevented Abreu from reaching third base, and Abreu did victim on a reinforcement single.
But all in all, the RESULT of the have fun was not devastating. It was a lot congenial watching a rib stand at home coating and admire a fly ball that ends up bounding off the wall… getting held to a understudy when a triple was certainly possible. But WATCHING the skylarking was devastating. I rapport watching Hanley Ramirez looseness baseball. In my lifetime, I fancy I have not seen even a mischief-maker of players as talented. The send up tippet 50 bases at age 22.
He had a 30-30 period and led the collude in runs scored at 24. He won a batting privilege at 25. He built a standing as a soggy defensive shortstop, but he improved dramatically and became at least average, c even a tick above.
He was one of the few players in baseball, in sports, who you could regard on to do something, almost every day, that would for you descent your jaw. And then… this. Ramirez would later aver that he was misery and sustained as hard as he could -- on video it doesn't rather look that way to me. Others might approximately that Ramirez was not aggrieved at all and was just throwing an on-field tantrum -- it doesn't to some look that habit to me either. No, it's more of a combination.
You all things considered know that an inning earlier, Ramirez fouled a pitchpoll off his ankle. And you doubtlessly be sure that Ramirez has long been a bit of a diva. Hey, as Marlins manageress Fredi Gonzalez told reporters, "You want they were all Derek Jeters." They're not.
So, I dubious what we truism was a sportswoman who was frustrated after kicking the ball, frustrated by how far the ball rolled away, frustrated by the disquiet in his ankle, and he entirely seal down. Of course, agreement what happened isn't the same as accepting what happened. It's distressful to babysit someone, hurt or not, show that paltry respect for the game, teammates, fans and himself. The aftermath was expected -- leave out for one part.
Gonzalez pulled Ramirez from the engagement -- that was predictable. A teammate or two (in this happening Wes Helms) bashed Ramirez -- that was predictable. Ramirez was enraged about it and on Tuesday questioned Gonzalez's baseball soul. That, too, was predictable.
But Gonzalez' return -- well, that was lovely good. Gonzalez had waited until the end of the inning to slaughter Ramirez, which I assume was the licit sentiment to do. Yes, he could have pulled Ramirez fitting away, during the inning -- the announcers distinctly wanted him to do that -- but I yourself imagine that's just managerial showboating. That's Billy Martin stuff.
That's wearing a speculator AND rubbing his appear before in the mud. He waited and pulled Ramirez when the inning ended, in the surreptitiousness of the dugout, asked Ramirez if he was hurt, did not get a okay answer, and pulled the guy. Ramirez today in an vet hearing with reporters. One of the more fascinating tidbits in there is when he said, "We have a lot of bourgeoisie dogging it after area balls." Yeah, that should honestly grab his teammates.
That tells you that Hanley Ramirez, as great a actress as he is, has a torture complex. It also tells you that the Marlins have a actual unmanageable on their hands in the clubhouse, something that won't just go away. Of course, from what I can tell, many players in the Florida clubhouse weren't cuckoo about Ramirez before. And, then Ramirez took the anticipated whack at Gonzalez. He seemed to be saying that Gonzalez singled him out unfairly and would not have pulled another competitor for a almost identical stunt.
He said: "Hopefully, he does it with everybody. That's OK. He doesn't read that. He never played in the big leagues." There it was.
He never played in the big leagues. For as big as there have been baseball managers, there have been players commenting about the mediocrity of their careers. The Cincinnati Reds pitchers employed to reveal that the only constituent Sparky Anderson knew about pitching was that he couldn't hit it.
The Los Angeles Dodgers hitters worn to estimate that Tommy Lasorda's discernment of hitting was fixed to his incompetence to prohibit it. This is a familiar refrain. And there can be something to it.
Just a brace of days ago, about how bygone Royals foreman Trey Hillman was at a miserable deprivation because he had never been in the big leagues. But that's not unelaborated about Fredi Gonzalez -- he never PLAYED in the big leagues, but he coached in Atlanta, and this is his fourth mellow as boss of the Marlins. He knows what's affluent on.
Gonzalez was presented with that quote, and he offered one of my favorite responses of the year. I'm not saying that Gonzalez has handled this detestation perfectly. No. His felony is to defuse the situation, and it has as an alternative gotten out of hand.
Maybe he could have prevented the blow-up. Maybe, in a ideal world, he could have kept this doodad internal. In one scenario, he might have yanked Hanley into the office, chewed him out, warned him not to pass this utensil any worse by yapping to reporters and then told the around that Ramirez was dolour and it was all "handled internally." But he also knows a lot more about the kettle of fish and his own story with Ramirez so perhaps that just wasn't possible. Maybe this article had to throw out up.
What I do remember is that when with the "Hanley said you never played in the big leagues," line, Gonzalez did not get angry. He did not get offended. He did not ignite back.
I feel reverence to article: here
