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1 - Just watched Clement's interview. He is a very lucky and grateful man. Humble. How do we bottle that essence and have Manny swallow the bottle. I'd love to see Francona bench him just because for a couple of games. You want privacy...don't live in the penthouse at the Ritz Carlton and parade your wife and child in local magazines. How long do you tolerate Manny being Manny. (Comment this)

2 - After the Clementastrophe, my wife said,"Why don't they make everyone wear helmets all the time? To whit:
The Manny helmet: Made of expansilble rubber to accomodate his head. The Bellhorn Helmet: worn over the face (without a change in S.O's) The Damon helmet: straight from the Patriots, to prevent our boy from cracking his skull against tose walls. The Francona/Renteria Helmet: comes with integreted earplugs to keep them from hearing comments from we assholes. The John Henry helmet: They don't make them that narrow. Cheez! give that guy a dite of fries & pork rinds..he looks sick.The Ken Harrelson Helmet: has an imbedded Cd that repaets "He Gone! until you go berserko. The Pesky Helmet: Gets smaller and grayer every year. The Millar Helmet: not much for looks, but has a great personality.
The TeddyBG Helmet: comes with a frozen head inside, to be rubbed during the coming World Series on those sweltering St.Louis games.
placed on dugout steps for morale.

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3 - "How long do you tolerate Manny being Manny."

I would say about as long as he leads the league in RBI he is pretty safe.

I agree Clement is a stand up guy - I really liked the way he handled his initial snubbing as an All Star.

A-Rod is a humble in interviews and always "says the right thing." But I think I'd take Manny over that phoniness.

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4 - At least A-Rod gives interviews. Manny's entitlement, RBI leader or not, has to be a source of contention among the other players. Could you see Yaz telling Dick Williams he didn't feel like playing today and sit him out. Please...wouldn't happen. Tom Yawkey wouldn't have tolerated that. But these are different times with astronomical salaries...I suppose you get the whole package...not just the good ballplayer. (Comment this)

5 - I started writing a response in these comments, but then it tuned into a post. I imagine what I wrote will spark some interesting conversation, and I'd love to hear it. But in any case, see that post for my response to Mannygate 2005. (Comment this)

6 - Also, Mrs. Rad... you're right. Tom Yawkey might not have tolerated that. Tom Yawkey also didn't tolerate black ballplayers on his team, nor did he tolerate giving any influence to anyone that wasn't a crony of his, nor did he - in many ways - tolerate a course of action hat would have led to winning ballclubs from the moment he bought the club until the moment he died. So, it's possible that there are more impotant things than getting Manny to play through an injury. (Comment this)

7 - I can't speak to Yawkey's intollerance of black players as I don't know enough about it...given that the man died in 1976 surely there were some black players he brought up. And look what happened after he died, the non cronies honed in on Jean Yawkey and off to court they went. My point is that Manny is being disrespectful, injury or not (in contrast to Curt Schilling, trying to give his all) and it is being tolerated. Or so it seems. (Comment this)

8 - Yawkey, though more specifically guy like Cronin who he entrusted with running his team, were widely known to be openly racist, barring black ballplayers from playing with the Sox. They finally became the last team to integrate... in 1959, 12 years after Jackie Robinson. They occasionally tried out black ballplayers, mostly for show, and frequently yelled racial epithets at them from the stands durng tryouts. Yawke himself apparently yelled at Jackie Robinson personally, when the Sox took a look at him before he signed with the Dodgers. But, thats neither here nor there in relation; just as a point of historical correction.

As for Manny beng disrespectful... I really dont think we can put that label on him because he isn't willing to sacrifice himself like Schilling did in the ALCS. And I guarantee you that Manny would be out on the field every inning of a playoff series as well. Disrespectful is a strong word, and I don't think that there is either the evience to support it, or the importance of the situation or the transgression. In the slightest. Saying this is a tempest in a teacup is doing disservice to the teacup. (Comment this)

9 - With a Capital D. Andrew think about it...can you imagine Bill Mueller telling Francona he wanted to sit out? No, because Mueller isn't a disrespectful guy. (Comment this)

10 - Actually, I can. Because he has. You didn't hear about it 12,000 times because... well... he's Bill Mueller. People expect such from Manny, and thereforewhen it happens, up comes a Reaganesque 'there you go again!' Wen someone else does it, it's not a big deal.

These guys are not all Cal Ripken. They don't play every game. Sometimes it's the manager's decision, sometimes it's theirs. WE DON'T KNOW. (Comment this)