"IT'S SHOWTIME"....Again

Manny is back after serving his 50 game suspension and he is ready to play baseball. I have spent the last week with the Dodgers in San Diego and New York City and all is well in the locker room. Guys are glad to have him back, he is hitting well. Fans are glad to have him back, ok maybe not New York fans but in San Diego there were more Dodger fans than Padre fans, for obvious reasons. Joe Torre is glad he is back and he is really over the questions about Manny. Joe has said over and over, "Manny made a mistake, he paid for it, he is sorry, we are trying to win a World Series and we are moving on".

Manny himself summed it up in New York. Over 30 or so media were waiting for him in the locker room pregame. When he came in he sat at his locker and said, "I am here to talk about the game, if you want to talk about that, that's all". Of course the first question was fired out about his suspension and he looked at the man and said "Sir, I put you on MUTE...next". Then his small locker room audience roared. The reporter was embarrassed shouting out that laughing is unprofessional....yeah, so is thinking that Manny Ramirez owes you something. He doesn't. To back track for a moment, in San Diego Manny cane into a press conference with his agent Scott Boras and Joe Torre. As Manny walked up to the podium, he nervously shouted out, "It's Showtime". The first question asked was by an LA Times reporter who wanted to know when Manny started doing steroids. Manny responded saying he was not going to talk about his medical condition. He said he was sorry and is ready to play baseball. One of the reporters asked Joe Torre "What is Manny sorry for?". Joe paused, looked him right in the face and said, "When you say your sorry, don't you know what you are sorry for?" The reporter, trying to get more information out of Joe responded, "Not always". Joe quickly responded with, "When I say I'm sorry, I always know what I am saying I'm sorry for". The voice of reason speaks again.

Here is the lesson. Athletes are human. Period the end. You can crucify or justify all you want. I think we have all had a personal experience in which we made a mistake and would not want to have to explain it to anyone, let alone to the media. If you steal money or commit murder, that is a very different kind of story. Stop the madness, this is not that kind of story.

If you are a Dodger fan, you are thrilled that the team has remained in first place and has the best overall record in baseball and you will welcome Manny back in Left Field. If you are a human being, you understand that Manny made a mistake and you welcome him back and accept his apology, no more questions asked.