The LA Times is reporting that free agent outfielder (and hair club for men member) Manny Ramirez has turned down a one year/25,000,000 contract offer to play left field for the Dodgers this coming season. Manny Ramirez in 53 games for the Dodgers last season batted .396 with 17 HR and 53 RBI'S and on top of that hit over .500 with 4 HR and 10 RBI'S in 25 at bats last postseason before the eventual world champion Phillies ousted the Dodgers in the NLCS four games to one.
So after hearing that Manny turned down a 25,000,000 offer from the Dodgers with the state of the economy as it is today...it got me thinking. Does Manny need baseball or does baseball need Manny?
If you look at Manny's career....you know there are certain things you will get out of Manny as a member of your team.
1. Manny can rake the ball
There is no doubt that Manny Ramirez will go down in history as one of the greatest pure hitters of our time. With a career average of .314 and eclipsing the 500 HR mark last season he's for sure a hall of famer.
2. Manny helps you win the games (regular season/playoffs)
Manny was a key piece to that 2004 Boston Red Sox team that went on to win the world series. They swept a Cardinals team that won 105 games that year. They manhandled them in that series...outscoring the red birds 24-12 including holding the Cards to 1 run in 2 games at old Busch Stadium. Keep in mind that Manny has played 16 years in MLB and gone to the playoffs 10 seasons with 3 different teams (CLEV/BOS/LAD)
3. Manny can be a headache
Let's face it....he's a superstar...and superstars have egos. It's tough to handle when Manny is "being Manny" sometimes. For instance walking into the scoreboard at Fenway during a pitching change to make a phone call. Or how about the incident when he refused to pinch hit in a game against the Phillies and then was benched the next game for it. And of course as all fans know.....Manny likes to pose....even on deep fly balls that hit the warning track and he barely can leg out a double.
but most importantly....
4. Manny puts butts in the seats
Possibly the best reason to sign Manny for whatever Manny wants. He does bring in fans to games who buy his merchandise and therefore makes his salary worth it to the organization. The day Manny made his debut with the Dodgers, they set a franchise record for most single game tickets purchased for one game. "Manny Fever" reminded a lot in the Los Angeles area of the days of Fernando Valenzuela. Fans were buying everything from #99 jerseys to ball caps with fake dreadlocks on them like they were the last bits of food before the big hurricane hits. According to the LA Times....Manny single-handily generated 7.2 million dollars in revenue when you look at beverages sold, parking, food, and increased ticket sales. When you look at attendance....the Dodgers were up over 4,200 more fans PER GAME!! They sold Ramirez t-shirts at 30 bucks each....sold 14,000 of em. 6,000sets of fake dreadlocks sold at 25 dollars each. They sold 500 authentic jerseys (the ones you and I can't afford) at almost 300 dollars a clip....that's 700,000 dollars more for revenue. If people are coming out and buying the merchandise....can you imagine how the TV/Radio ratings went as well in the second largest market in the US?? THE BEST PART ABOUT THE WHOLE THING FOR THE DODGERS..........THEY DIDN'T PAY MANNY ONE CENT LAST YEAR!!!
Now someone has to pay Manny....but who?
So, I pose the question once again.....Does Manny need baseball or does baseball need Manny?
If I'm any team in major league baseball....look at the numbers. Manny makes your organization $$$$$. He alone brings people to see him play baseball (home and away) and that alone pays for at least half of whatever millions of dollars he wants on a new deal.
Manny Ramirez has made an estimated $162,000,000in his career and that's not including endorsement deals. He's 37 years old which for most baseball players is much past their prime....but Manny's still in his prime. He's finished in the top 10 of MVP voting NINE times in his career....including last year when he finished 4th in voting in the NL MVP race not even playing half a season in the senior circuit.
So with the economic climate the way it is and with baseball going to face it head on this coming summer.....why not put down the down payment on a skyscraper and bring Manny to your club.
Baseball needs Manny Ramirez.....he's a draw just like A-Fraud A-Rod, Pujols, Santana, Jeter...etc. MLB has been setting attendance records for each of the last 10 years....and this coming season is going to be an extreme challenge for teams to bring in fans if your not the Cubs/Yankees/Red Sox. Baseball needs Manny in a big market town (at least top 10) so that baseball as a whole can profit off "Manny Fever" and survive the recession that is crippling this country and the world on a daily basis.
Some players are desperate to get a new deal worked out (i.e. Bobby Abreu's offer from the White Sox 1yr/8 mil) before spring training....Manny I feel doesn't need baseball therefore the chips are all on his side of the table. We'll see if any team is willing to step up to his table and pay him what he wants......because the results are golden and baseball needs Manny Fever in '09.
-RoCk
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment