Manny Ramirez and His Attempt to Show Why Guaranteed Contracts Are Bad for Sports

A day after Boston Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon strained an oblique muscle--an injury that placed him on the disabled list this morning--his teammate, Manny Ramirez, asked out of the lineup for this afternoon's game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Ramirez insisted on taking today off even after his manager, Terry Francona, requested that he instead take a day off when the team isn't so short-handed. Ramirez declined Francona's request. His reason? He needed rest -- even though the team already has a scheduled day off tomorrow. So the Red Sox lineup today features Adam Stern (he of 2 major league hits) instead of Ramirez, who leads the majors in RBIs and who in 2001 signed an 8-year, $160 million contract--an amount fully guaranteed.

This isn't the first time "Manny was just being Manny." Last week, he reportedly asked the Red Sox to trade him, because he was tired of the "intrusive" Boston media--the same Boston media he invited into his home earlier in the month to take pictures of his son's bedroom. He is also known to sometimes not run out grounders and fly balls.

Even though Manny Ramirez is one of the best hitters in baseball, and perhaps one of the best hitters in the last 25 years, the Red Sox can't trade his contract, which is the second most lucrative in baseball after Alex Rodriguez and his $252 million deal. The Red Sox even placed Ramirez on waivers following the 2004 season, but no team claimed him.

Hopefully Manny enjoys today's game from the dugout, while he collects approximately $135,803 (annual salary of $22,000,000 divided by 162 games) to not play in it.

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