Friday, October 12, 2007

How Manny Became Manny

Via Universal Hub, I came across a post filled with gems about one of my favorite Red Sox players. In 1991, the New York Times featured an 18-year old high school baseball phenomenon named Manny Ramirez in an article about baseball and the immigrant community of Washington Heights. The blog Soxfan vs Yanksfan compiled some more stories from Manny's youth:

June 3, 1991

"In Washington Heights, people are already telling Manny Ramirez stories. He will be remembered as the young man who worked harder than anyone else. He woke up at 4:30 A.M. to fit in his roadwork and practice before school, spent his weekday afternoons with his high school team and weekends in Brooklyn with his sandlot team. In the evenings, he swung a bat over and over in his apartment (without ever breaking a window). ..."

I've always believed that the Boston media has been undeservedly harsh on Manny, so it's nice to read these old stories and discover that when he was young, he was admired for his work ethic and humility in addition to his ability to hit a baseball.

Good luck tonight, Manny (he reads DCOE, he just doesn't like to comment) and go Red Sox!

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