| Scott Essman. 18th October, 2007 - 11:50 am
 If the Red Sox get back into the ALCS, it won't be because of Josh Beckett shutting the Indians down again or David Ortiz providing a clutch home run. The true backbone of the Boston team, as it has been for the last seven years, is Manny Ramirez. If Manny starts clicking, Boston will rebound and take the AL crown.
Trailing 3-1, Ramirez remains as confident as ever in his 'Manny Being Manny' way.
"Why should we panic?" he said on Wednesday. "We've got a great team.
"It doesn't happen, so who cares? There's always next year. It's not like it's the end of the world."
Like much of the media, which aims at sensationalism over journalism, all of the 2007 hype about Manny being past his prime was nonsense. Sure, he had a fallow period, but he still finished at .296 with 20 home runs and 88 RBI, near a career par considering that he missed almost 30 games.
Just 35 now, Manny already has 490 home runs and 1604 RBI in just 14 seasons, ranking him 26th and 28th all time, respectively. Ramirez has made the last 10 AL All-Star teams, 11 total in his career, and is hitting over .300 in his last seven post-season series, including .462 thus far against the Indians.
Ortiz might be the biggest power threat on the Red Sox, but it is Manny who strikes the most fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers, with a .313 lifetime average, extraordinarily high for a power hitter. By comparison, Ortiz, who is three years Manny's junior, has a .289 lifetime average.
Eleven times in his sure-fire Hall of Fame career, Manny has accumulated over 100 RBI in a season, and he has 24 home runs and 59 RBI in 88 career post-season games. Manny's teams have made the post-season nine times.
Always clutch though inscrutable, Ramirez' work on the field is regularly tantamount to his team's ascension. |
