20 Million Dollar Manny

I don't know Manny Ramirez, but watching him play baseball, he looks pretty happy. Yes, he makes some errors, and some baserunning FUBARs, but he also has a lot of outfield assists and has been ripping the baseball lately.

So you say, he makes 20 MILLION DOLLARS. Mucho dinero, a lotta dollars, serious bling. Is that his fault? Realistically, there isn't any baseball player who earns that kind of money annually, but it isn't just the stars who produce 100 dollar tickets, but the high cost of mediocrity.

I'd guess that every Sox fan in New England would have chipped in 10 bucks to pay Manny if we could be guaranteed the championship. Heck, I got the Sox 2005 jacket, T-shirts, Red Sox Monopoly, a couple of hats, NESN on cable. Feeling like Ben Wrightman?

What would Manny have to do to earn 20 million? Hit .400, 50 homers and 150 RBI, All-Star, Gold Glove and MVP? Sign 1000 autographs a day, 5000, sing the National Anthem, come to your house for hot dogs and beans?

Come on, people, be realistic. We're Red Sox fans and it's never going to be good enough. Never, even a game out after a crummy stretch AND two games up on the wild card. Not so bad.