Manny Being Manny

October 19th, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA. Game 4 of the NLCS, bottom of the 9th, Dodgers with a one run lead over the Phillies, 4-3. 43,500 are on their feet, while millions watch in awe on television, as Jimmy Rollins hits a game-winning single to score 2 runs, and the Phillies take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Dodgers, who find themselves one win away from ending their season. The Phillies celebrated, the Dodgers, crushed, head to the dugout, looking for answers. Perhaps Manny Ramirez had come up with the answer to their problems, since they say you do your best thinking in the shower. Manny Ramirez must have some confidence in his teammates, because with a one run lead, he bolted for the showers after being pulled out of left field in the bottom of the 9th for defensive purposes. That's right, the Dodgers walked into the clubhouse, sweaty, dirty, and down on themselves, to find a squeaky clean Manny Ramirez, ready to bolt out of the stadium and grab a Philly Cheesesteak.

"Manny, what's your reaction to Jimmy Rollins' walk off hit?"

"Actually, I was in the shower, I only saw the highlight."

Should we really be surprised by this display? The man responsible for nearly 25% of the Dodgers' $100 M payroll, made it an early night. The guy who missed 50 games this season due to testing positive for a banned substance, after months of off-season contract negotiations because as Manny put it "gas is up and so am I" couldn't stick around for the bottom half of the 9th inning to celebrate with his young teammates after a win, or console them and give them words of encouragement after a tough loss. Joe Torre and the rest of the Dodgers players can cover up for him all day long, but the fact is, Manny Ramirez cares about one person and one thing, and that person is Manny Ramirez, and that thing is money.

Money and Manny - a match made in Mannywood. Ramirez half-assed his left field duties all season long. Meanwhile key Dodger young guns Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, James Loney, and Clayton Kershaw, are scraping by, earning less than a combined $4.6 M this year, and anyone who has watched a Dodger game this season knows who is giving their all when they're in the game. Dodger fans: pray that Manny is as dumb as he is lazy, and voids the second year option of his $45 M contract, so the organization can pay the players who actually play for you night in and night out.