Dropped Third Strike

Lord knows we have our issues with the R*d S*x. (For one thing, they turn small children evil.) But we generally have a grudging respect for the team, the executives and many of the fans. As previously mentioned we admire Jon Lester; we think Big Papi is a good and generous guy, (a 3 on the 1-Clemens scale); we think Theo Epstein is a badass. And we used to think Manny Ramirez was a harmless, childish moron with terrible hair. Then word came that Ramirez assaulted the Red Sox’ traveling secretary over ticket allotment:

Ramirez had asked McCormick for 16 tickets for Saturday night’s Red Sox-Astros game, which is a high number for a day-of-game request, the Journal reports. When McCormick told Ramirez he might not be able to fulfill the request, Ramirez shouted, “Just do your job!”

An argument followed, and Ramirez pushed McCormick to the ground.”

Sigh. Look, we understand that tempers flare, words are fired back and forth, and sometimes a shove or two happens. But professional athletes, with certain exceptions, tend to be fairly impressive, physically speaking. And, with certain exceptions, GMs and traveling secretaries, aren’t so big. You end up with a serious “pick on someone your own size” situation. So we regretfully bump Manny all the way to a 7.5 on the 1-Clemens scale — slightly lower than Shawn Chacon, who attacked a much older man and who offered nothing by way of apology. Though it should be noted that Chacon was dismissed for his transgression, while the R*d S*x took no disciplinary action against Ramirez. Ahh, gotta love a double standard. Take home lesson for the kids: if you’re good, you can get away with it. Like we said, the R*d S*x turn small children evil.