Santa Monica Boulevard (He loves it)

Doug:
OK. Here's anothah Clay Aiken is Gay style revelation: The LA Times reports that Manny was unhappy in Boston!

 

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Mike:
But he loved the Boston fans.

 

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Doug:
Except when we were, you know, obsessive and shit.

 

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Al:
It's like being "in a cage"

 

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Doug:
Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty fans!

 

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Mike:
Ah, c'mon let's cut the guy some slack. We were fortunate to have him in his prime and let's face it — not everyone is cut out to play in place like Boston.

 

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Al:
Seriously. The pressure is intense.

 

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Doug:
And medical science is just now stahting to unravel the mysterious connection between pressure and health.

 

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Doug:
I mean look at Manny. When he was here his knees were pretty much bone rubbing against bone. And just showing up to play became a Herculean effort, let alone, you know, hustling and crap.

 

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Doug:
But now that he's in LA, poof, just like that he's got the knees of T-101 Terminator.

 

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Al:
What I don't get is if Manny hates playing in the pressure cookah environment, than why has he said more than once that he wants to one day play for the Yankees.

 

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Doug:
Oh, you know, there's no pressure in New York. Just ask A-Rod's shrink.

 

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Comments

[Yossarian]

//"Every day I thank God I came here and had the chance to show people who I really am," he says. "The guy you see here -- that's who I am."//

I beg to differ, Manny. I think adversity brings out ones true colors. Life is easy when all is well. When you weren't so happy, you dogged it. A lot. That speaks volumes about you. Go Cubs!

[COD]

If he were miserable in Boston all 8 years, you have to wonder what kind of numbers he would have put up if he were happy.

Go Cubs, if for no other reason that attitudes like Manny's should not be rewarded.

[Colin]

I really, really hope Chicago grinds LA into the ground in the ALDS and makes it to the World Series. The Cubs earned their spot while LA got lucky getting Manny. Chicago's pitching and their hot bats gotta come through because I want an ideal World Series...
.
.
Red Sox vs. Cubs.

Now that's a World Series where I wouldn't feel bad even if Chicago won.

[Bob]

Although I count myself as a former Manny "rumpswab" (as Gerry Callahan would put it), I have to say this:

Manny feigned injury, and then when he actually was on the field dogged it, just so he could get a better contract than his option years with the Sox.

Those horrible, 20+ million dollar option years, which he was under contract for.

I wouldn't touch him now with Roman Polanski (a five foot Pole).

[RonF]

Out here in Chicago I was watching the White Sox continue their (still ongoing) struggle to win the AL Central. Their color commentator is none other than Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, of fond memory for Red Sox fans of my age.

During a break in the action he and his play-by-play man were reviewing who was in the playoffs and how they were likely to do. Darren Jackson (the play-by-play man) mentioned the Dodgers. Something along the lines of "Well, they've been doing well since they got Manny. Manny's been playing great since he got there." Whereupon Hawk shot back something along the lines of "Shows you what he was up to in Boston" with a disgusted tone in his voice. And no more was said on the matter. People around baseball know what Manny did. He quit on his ball club out of personal pique.

[RonF]

Colin, that would be the NLDS. And yeah, I'm pulling for the Cubs too, all the way until they face the Red Sox. This town had quite a celebration when the White Sox won the Series in 2005, but if the Cubs win people will get a lot more excited.

Mayor Daley has "asked" the bars in Wrigleyville (Wrigley Field is smack dab in the middle of a yuppie residential neighborhood - imagine if Fenway was at Comm. Ave. and Dartmouth Ave.) to stop serving beer from the 7th inning on during potential series-clinching games. I use the quotes because the bars have apparently been warned that if they don't comply they should be prepared for trouble when they go up for their liquor licenses' annual renewal. This is Dick Daley's town and don't you forget it.

[Colin]

Whoops. Got too wrapped up in Red Sox vs. Angels to remember that the Cubs are in the NL. Regardless of which, I want them to destroy LA.

[Yossarian]

Another chance for Boston fans to chant "Beat LA", even if they are rooting for the Cubs at the time.

[louclinton]

No MR25 bashing here. Except for the parts of this year and the last of '06, he was nails. let's move on shall we?

[Ryan with a capital "R"]

i agree with lc. I loved watching him. How he left town wasn't cool but, hey, no biggie.

It's like if I dated Jessica Alba and at the end she cheated on me. I wouldn't care because I still dated Jessica Alba, you know?

[RationalSoxFan]

Manny never was "truly" happy here, but he got very comfortably settled in. Remember, every year he would proclaim how much he loved Boston, the fans, and his teammates? Then somewhere around July he would become disenchanted and want to leave. About a month later, he'd love us again.

Expect the same in LA. This is the love part. By mid-season next year, there will come the discontented Manny.

[Kaz]

I really feel for Manny. It's tough to be a slacker in a town where everyone expects you to do your job.

[Scott]

I am disappointed in the Manny hate and Cubs love. I thought this board was full of smart fans?? How can you root for the Cubs when their fans are nothing but a bunch of drunks? I'm tired of the media kissing their asses. It's all about having fun at a Cubs game. Win or lose. They really don't care about winning as long as they can get a cold beer or 10. Screw them.

And hope and pray that Beckett recovers in time to make an impact against a team that kicked the Red Sox asses this season.

[Colin]

Scott:

Are you serious with that? Dude, the Cubs haven't won a WS since 1908. I'd be an alcoholic too if I were a big time Cubs fan only to be let down every year. Manny is a brat and because of his childish attitude I'll hold it against him. He HELPED, not GOT, but helped get us two World Series and for that we're grateful, but how he comes up with this shit and then just puts on the razzle dazzle in LA is sickening. The Cubs fanbase, albeit more superstitious than any other team's fanbase, is pretty dedicated in my opinion and hell even out of pity I'm rooting for the Cubs. I also happen to not really like the Brewers, Phillies, or the Dodgers so yeah.

If you're tired of media ass-kissing you should be directing your rage at the Cinderella Rays. Worst to first? That's been ganering more shit every passing day. The only thing we can agree on is the tension of the need to defeat LA ASAP.

[Larry Here]

Nice Randy Newman selection in the title, hb. Not Newman's best work, but perfect for today's strip! Still prefer Good Old Boys for my Randy fix...

[yazbread]

I'll cast my vote for Nilsson Sings Newman.

[p. Ingemi]

Bottom line

Manny was involved in two world series victories when we we had noe won in over 80 years.

Who cares if he liked us? He delivered and I'm very happy he was here, I was at the 2004 parade it was wonderful

[h.b]

You know me, Manny was my fave Red Sox evah. And I defended him when he was accused of faking injury, dogging it, etc.

But now that he's admitted having done that, I confess that I feel pretty stupid and naive.

And, to be honest, this has had an effect on my overall Soxaholixism.

[Mike E!]

hb, Manny's still my favorite Sox batter ever. (Sorry, Pedro comes in at #1 in my book, still.)

Don't take it personally that he ended up admitting that he dogged it. We all knew he was doing it; the dude ran a 4.3 40 in high school... he's not a slow schlub.

I picked up a Manny t-shirt at the City Sports at Downtown Crossing this past weekend for $5, and I'll wear it just as regularly as any other Sox-related article of clothing.

[louclinton]

Don't drag my man RNewman into this.

Let's just say it's a Sheryl Crow reference.

lc

[seriouslyfuckedupdownunder]

I still love Manny (sweetest swing; 2 x WS) but, then, I still want the Dodgers in Brooklyn.

[jhammo]

This whole board is one long late night conversation between 2 buddies in their dorm room after one of them screwed then got dumped by the hot girl at the party. "Man, she was friggin' awesome, but she's such a bitch now." "She's friggin' hot, but she's dumb as shit, too."

Manny will always be the stupid/psycho hot chick at the party. And all the GMs in MLB are thinking the same thing right now: "is the stupid shit outweighed by the hotness?" "For 2-3 years, sure, but..."

[Larry Here]

@jhammo - yes it is that conversation. And Randy Newman is the perfect music for it, too. Sorry, lc. How about "Shame" from Bad Love?

[RonF]

The stereotype of Cubs fans not caring about the game and Wrigley Field being the world's largest singles bar have some validity, but ever since they came within 5 outs of the WS a few years ago expectations have been raised.

[RonF]

I love the things he did right. I was amused by the things he did that I wouldn't do that didn't hurt the club. But there was a line, and he crossed it. As long as you're taking the paycheck, putting on the uniform and walking out on the field, then you give 100%.

[soxdownunder]

//jhammo// - nice analogy! I always went for the crazy/stupid hot chick. And I always got burned.

[SupahFans]

what a riot! Brilliantly written. Thanks for creating such an on-point view to the Manny dialogue.