As a reporter, your number one job is to get the story RIGHT....right? In this day and age that does not seem to matter. How sad. And I am calling out my friends on Sports Radio. There is something about giving your opinion on radio that makes it ok to get the story wrong. Covering the Dodgers everyday, I see Manny Ramirez, Ned Colletti, Joe Torre, Scott Boras and most important for this story, Dodger head medical trainer Stan Conte. Recently there was a stir during batting practice at Dodger Stadium. Stan was talking to Scott Boras. Joe was huddled with Ned and there was no Manny anywhere. But the buzz was all about Manny. He was still in Arizona at the Camelback Ranch Facility working with trainers on his strained Hamstring. Let me preface this by saying, it is the Dodgers decision to send Manny and Keep Manny in Arizona. Not Manny's decision. But on this day, the question was still, when is Manny coming back? The news was not what Joe Torre was hoping to hear. Stan Conte had flown out the Arizona to see Manny earlier that day and said he is simply not ready to be an everyday outfielder, YET. Stan explained in detail that Manny is 38 and as we age, simple injuries heal at their own pace. Period. There was no real time table as to when they could reasonably expect Manny back and no one on a struggling team wants to hear that.
So now we deal with how this is interpreted in the Media. Manny is a legend, he has been portrayed as a big star who has "given up" on his former team when he was unhappy. But in Los Angeles we have NEVER seen THAT Manny. I have seen Manny Ramirez do More for his team mates in the locker room and sign more autographs for his fans than almost any other player. If a guy can not run the bases because of a physical injury, that is not calling it in. Manny is not unhappy in Los Angeles, he is hurt. I know that is not the talk radio version of Manny, it's just the truth. If Manny does anything, he is put under a microscope and reporters LOVE that. But to twist a story about an injured player is pathetic. By the way, these reporters are arrogant and it's their job to trash everyone. And, they are NEVER at Dodger stadium, NEVER. They have no clue as to what is really going on.
Manny is still in Arizona and the Dodgers are in trouble. It did not help that the Dodgers took the Mannywood sign down at the stadium. But it all makes for a dramatic story right? One that is to be continued.
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