As Ben Millikan wrote earlier today about Manny Ramirez’s apology for his behavior while a Red Sox, I won’t rehash that story here. Like Ben, I found myself mulling whether Manny had grown up at long last and can be counted on to be a good citizen going forward. Why not? I remember that Reggie Jackson was an arrogant jerk during his banner years, but he mellowed and became a great teammate late in his career.
photo credit: OctopusHat
Manny Ramirez has created a minor hair-raising dilemma for the White Sox.
Not long after that reflection, however, I saw a news story in which Manny is now causing some consternation on his new team, the Chicago White Sox. Apparently, the ChiSox asked him to cut his hair in accordance with owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s standards for good appearance. And Manny did indeed get his hair cut about four inches shorter… but apparently, it doesn’t look all that different. He still has the massive flowing dreadlocks, and Chicago finds itself in the uncomfortable position of either shrugging off the rule in the name of “Manny being Manny” or clamping down and facing a gratuitous distraction during the AL Central division race.
A report on ESPN says that there is a reason for the negligible change in appearance. Yes, the four inches were cut… but then a hairdresser braided his hair again, straightening out the dreadlocks. How much length did this add? About four inches!
So will the real Manny stand up? Like Ben, I do think that Manny showed some accountability when owning responsibility for his exodus from Boston. Yet I suspect there will always be some issue or another that surfaces as long as Manny plays. You have to take everything you get when you decide to have Manny on your team.
And I will say this: The fact that Manny has such a different personality is actually one key to his success. Would you or I be nervous playing for the Red Sox in the 2004 World Series in light of the long drought of championships? Most likely. Manny was not nervous; he was in his element on the big stage. Sometimes I think he just gets a little bored during the less important games and loses interest. While I don’t know if I would enjoy having Manny as a teammate day in and day out, I sure would like him in my batting order when the stakes are at their highest.
