Manny does what Manny wants to do. Manny doesn't do what Manny doesn't want to do. Things couldn't be any simpler than that.
This is not a novel concept. We never went so far as to identify the seven-year experience with a certain righthanded pitcher as ``Pedro Being Pedro," but we could have. PBP was every bit as viable as MBM, as everyone associated with the Red Sox knows. But Pedro Martínez was allowed to get away with his own 24/7/365 act for the same reason Manny does. Each is a Hall of Fame talent, and in the world of pro sports, talent rules.
Professional sports teams have no choice but to live with the whims and eccentricities of the ultratalented players. It's very nice when the best players also happen to be consummate professionals. The men who coached Michael Jordan and Larry Bird appreciated the fact that each of these superior players thrived on practice. Allen Iverson's coaches can barely conceive of the idea that the best player also values practice. But you'll note that, while the 76er coaches have come and gone during the last 10 years, Iverson has remained. (Until now, anyway.) The coaches were expendable. Allen Iverson was not.
If the Best Player has some issues off the field, court, or rink, well, they can be overlooked, too. Bill Parcells could not possibly have approved of Lawrence Taylor's life away from the football field, but The Tuna knew exactly how much he owed the high-livin' linebacker, and the coach has publicly acknowledged as much. Talent prevailed. It always does.
In some ways, Manny Ramírez is professional. Do not make the mistake of thinking he is some sort of idiot savant when he walks into the batter's box. No Red Sox batter studies more videotape or gets more out of trips to the batting cage. Manny Ramírez has taken his God-given package of strength, hand-eye coordination, and (perhaps most of all) extraordinary balance and has added to it a very scholarly approach to hitting. He wants to be great, and he puts in the time to get where he wants to go. This is a big part of MBM.
