As Dodgers fans, we bought into Manny – the amazing bat that could take our team deep into the post season. We knew the hype was getting a bit out of control, the Mannywood seating section and faux dreads multiplying like so many sub-prime mortgage loans. But I think we also knew deep-down that Manny just might break our hearts at some point. Just another instance of denial in the face of a speculative bubble.
And as a Dodger fan, I really want to give him the benefit of the doubt. I really want to believe that he was taking a testosterone-enhancer to deal with “getting it up” and not because he was “covering it up” (i.e. a steroid cycle). But I don’t think we’re going to get much more of an explanation than we’ve gotten to date, which leads to a mountain of doubt.
An eternal optimist, as well as realizing the NL West is pretty weak this year with one manager fired already, I think the Dodgers still win the Division. And I also believe that if Manny keeps his nose clean, plays well, and they ride deep into the post-season, fans will forget it and move on.
But if his production falters, how fragile will his ego be? Can Manny ever be happy again? Because we know a happy Manny plays crazy well, a dour Manny plays like, well, last summer in Boston.
Either way, the Dodgers are likely stuck with Manny for at least another season: Manny is unlikely to opt-out of next year because no team is going to pay him as much as the Dodgers are on the hook for 2010. The thought that the next suspension would be for 100 games…meaning you’d lose 2/3 of a season…is now a risk even Ned Colletti wouldn’t dare take.
Like some bad soap opera, as Manny’s act closes, A-Rod opens the second act and hits a homerun in first at-bat back with the Yankees tonight. And I couldn’t shake the doubt – did someone tip a pitch? Is he still on some undetectable meds? And how long will it take me to trust what I see on the field again?
Late Update: John Weisman at Dodger Thoughts eloquently points out why we’re not so bitter – Ramirez is already getting punished: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dodgerthoughts/2009/05/may-9.html