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The latest “article” to come from the mouth of T.J. Simers is a confusing batch of hackneyed expressions, ever-changing concepts, and very poor grammar. And this has nothing to do with what he actually wrote about. In journalism, especially in opinion pieces, how you convey your message is just as important as the message itself. By the looks of Simers’ piece, he likely had a deadline he forgot about, then rushed home, booted up his PC, and began furiously typing away, trying to use every last Manny-related idiom and comparison he saved up in case of an emergency. Even the title, “Manny Ramirez had LA eating out of his hand and threw it away,” makes little sense. What’s he throwing away? The hand? LA? Speak English to me, Simers!
Went to Arizona to visit the babies, Emma and Rylee just fine, but Manny still curled up in a ball.
First of all, I have no idea who Emma and Rylee are. I assume they are his kids, but it would be really nice of him to say who they are. Then there’s the piss-poor grammar that couldn’t pass the smell-test of a fifth-grade teacher. Swing and a miss, Simers.
As for Manny, inexplicably pouting since training camp, he passed on word he “respectfully declines” to chat, talking now like Frank McCourt, who, after all, is his sugar daddy.
Manny has always hidden from the media since his suspension. Nothing’s changed now.
I wonder what Manny thought when he heard McCourt had to borrow money to make good on his monthly payment to Jamie. Wasn’t that about the same time Manny’s work stoppage started?
So Manny was minding his own business, heard about the divorce proceedings, and thought to himself, “If that Frank guy has to pay Jamie, he can’t pay me.” Nevermind that the McCourt expenses and the Dodger expenses are entirely separate, and that Manny’s contract has been deferred over several years.
Sounds outlandish until you take into account the reports he quit in Boston before coming to Los Angeles.
I’ve already heard this one a million times. He did quit in Boston. But that was to facilitate a trade. Manny has nothing to gain, and everything to lose, by quitting in LA, especially in the manner that Simers accuses him of.
He wasn’t there when the Dodgers needed him the most this season, the suspicion in some quarters that a female fertility drug has some nasty aftereffects, the Manny era coming to a flat finish in L.A.
I’m not quite sure why Simers decided to stick that little tidbit about hCG, the drug Manny received his infamous suspension for, into the paragraph. I suppose he’s saying the drug use might have adversely affected his health. It would have been swell to see a little evidence to back that claim up, but I guess that’s just too much to ask for. And the grammar. Oh the grammar. It wouldn’t kill you to use a semi-colon or period once in a while, Simers.
THEY COME and they go, all right, even the ones with class like Garret Anderson, who made a baseball clubhouse a better place.
I thought this article was about Manny? So why is Garret Anderson getting mentioned? But I suppose if you’re a veteran, you can pull whatever kind of crap you want. Huh, maybe that’s how Anderson kept his job for so long…
The Dodgers released Anderson to make room for Jay Gibbons, best known for being mentioned in the Mitchell Report for receiving shipments of performance-enhancing substances and HGH, and that’s kind of ironic.
Anderson compiled amazing stats on talent alone, while saying he never was even tempted to join others who regularly dined on steroids during his time in the game.
So the guy who is clean gets replaced by the guy who is dirty. I don’t quite see the irony, but if you feel like connecting the two, be my guest. It’s not like it would ruin the overall pace and style of the article. That’s been done to death long before this section.
An article just on Garret Anderson would have been nice to read. A story of a great player taking a serious tumble, but refusing to back down, even though the odds and common sense are stacked against him. But I guess it’s only good enough to be a companion piece to Manny. And that’s kind of ironic.
DON’T KNOW if it’s one word or two, but the only thing missing from Plaschke’s telling column the other day on Kemp was, “boohoo.”
He’s referring to Bill Plaschke, another columnist for the LA Times, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We get another skewed tangent out of nowhere, with this one focusing on Matt Kemp and the almost daily drama that surrounds him.
Kemp likes to say how his family keeps him straight and from getting a big head. He never mentioned his agent, who apparently warms his bottles and makes sure he has his blankie before tucking him in.
None of this is Dave Stewart’s fault. He is Kemp’s employee, doing what he can to wear out Kemp’s welcome in L.A., apparently with Kemp’s blessing.
We knew Kemp couldn’t handle it when GM Ned Colletti went off on him, and we’ve learned he can’t take it when a coach gets tough on him. Now the reports are he’s sitting quietly in the clubhouse — all this too much for him.
Grow up, and a first step would be to order your agent to stop crying on your behalf.
Because Kemp’s agent voiced displeasure at how the coaching staff has been treating Kemp, that makes the centerfielder a big baby who needs to be coddled and protected. He couldn’t handle Colletti’s criticism? If anything, he tried to overcompensate because of the criticism. And if the staff is hindering his development, that is a serious concern. The coaches should be trying to help him grow, not voice disappointment every time he does something wrong. It’s all just a moot point anyway, as there will likely be a large amount of turnover in the coaching staff next year with Joe Torre’s departure.
WHEN I talked to the Dodgers’ Scott Podsednik for the first time a week ago, asking him when he was going to start hitting, he was batting .205.
Since then he’s 12 for 23. It’s just what Page 2 does.
Don’t know if his personality has changed for the better as well, but the Dodgers return to town Tuesday, giving him a chance to offer thanks in person. Can’t wait.
A great way to end a superb article. Make another tangent, then take credit for a veteran’s hot week at the plate! That’s just what a talented journalist such as T.J. Simers does.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Or roughly translated, who watches the watchman? It’s easy for someone like Simers to pass judgment on different players when nobody can get a disagreeing point across. And especially when nobody’s willing to point out just how terrible his writing itself is.
I’m watching you, Simers.
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